water | IDEAS

SWA leads an option studio at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Fall Semester 2013 “Essayons!” meaning “Let us try” in French, was the motto first used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1775. The motto has since evolved to “Building Strong,” reflecting its mission to “strengthen the nation’s security,… Read more »

SWA leads an option studio at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Fall Semester 2013

“Essayons!” meaning “Let us try” in French, was the motto first used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1775. The motto has since evolved to “Building Strong,” reflecting its mission to “strengthen the nation’s security, energize the economy, and reduce risks from disasters.” The notion of “Building Soft” presents a new paradigm, arguing that the parameters presented by the Corps could be achieved through a more integrated approach, one which takes into consideration the social, economic, and ecological priorities playing an equal part in the conception and reconstruction of our infrastructural systems.

“Building Soft” was the focus of an immersive Harvard Design Studio led by SWA principals Ying-Yu Hung and Gerdo Aquino. Students were challenged to envision the Los Angeles River playing a pivotal role in transforming the City of Los Angeles, where ecological systems are synchronous with development, infrastructure, and popular culture. As an extension of their recently published book, Landscape Infrastructure: case studies by SWA, Hung and Aquino positioned the studio as an ongoing investigation into the potential of existing and new infrastructure as polyfunctional systems supported by ecological, social, and cultural phenomena. Fourteen disparate sites inextricably linked to the L.A. River infrastructures—flood control channels, power lines, freeways, and rails—were identified by the City of Los Angeles as areas ripe for exploration and research. Through a series of fieldtrips, workshops, and lectures in Los Angeles, students sought opportunities to redefine new open-space typologies, including river-specific recreation venues, habitats for avian and aquatic species, air pollution filtration machines, development scenarios, and infrastructure as spectacle.

Local public agencies and nonprofit groups were also invited to participate in the studio, providing the students with substantial background data and statistics, community input, and historical points of view. In addition, the preferred “Alternative 20,” outlined in the recent Army Corps’ “Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Feasibility Report,” suggested projects to be undertaken, which provided the students with further proof that the path towards transforming the LA River is close at hand. Estimated to cost in excess of $800 million, “Alternative 20” will provide the City of Los Angeles with the most comprehensive approach toward habitat restoration and will fulfill the city’s need for open space.

To further deepen the students understanding of the river’s potential, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority provided the students with lectures and a rare opportunity to kayak the river and experience its more natural section (soft bottom), known as the Glendale Narrows.

As a repository of creative ideas, the studio environment calls for speculation, risk taking, and challenge against conventional thinking. As a result, the river’s potential is revealed through the lens of those who are unencumbered and devoid of pre-conceptions. Considering that none of the 14 students was from the L.A. area, the range of design proposals was incredibly thoughtful and visionary. Some of the ideas proposed included a migrating bird habitat and a gigantic smog vacuum looming over one of the major highway interchanges—the variety and depth of their explorations complemented the scale and the complexity of the issues at hand for a city of nearly nine million people spanning 500 square miles. The final week culminated with a day-long review of the student work, followed by a mini-symposium where invited guests, faculty, and students shared their collective thoughts on design, ecology, and the latent optimism that surrounds the future of the river and the diverse communities it will undoubtedly serve.

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Posted by GerdoAquino and Ying-YuHung
in Landscape Infrastructure, News
on 31 January, 2014

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I have always loved drinking fountains. As a child, I knew where every drinking fountain was in the neighborhood and in every store we had ever visited. At the neighborhood park every day, I would climb up and peer down inside the empty shell of the broken drinking fountain, hoping that someone had fixed it. Invariably, its concrete form was still stuffed with candy wrappers and miscellaneous garbage, so I would run to the far end of the park, to the drinking fountain that did work, for a long, glorious drink of fresh cool water.

Sources of water are inherently magical. Especially in a city, sealed in concrete, water connects us with nature, engages our senses, and physically connects us with place. Free water sources in public spaces, historically provided by philanthropists or cities themselves, were one of the major progressive steps forward for civilization. These fountains helped in preventing cholera, bringing water closer to the homes of the poor, and reducing reliance on alcohol, which was traditionally much safer to drink than filthy river water. The great fountains of Europe were magnificent water sources, including the Trevi fountain, which now suffers the sad indignation of being guarded by whistle-happy police keeping people out of the water. In 1859, the great Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association of England opened London’s first free drinking fountain to “scenes of public rejoicing;” the tasteful granite and marble design was soon providing water to over 7,000 people per day.

Today, with a new set of health challenges, drinking fountains are still a crucial element of any healthy space. Water is the healthiest substance people can put into their bodies; free, clean drinking water provided in public places provides an alternative to sugary sodas. They also reduce dependence on the environmentally degrading plastic bottles for water and sodas (millions of which are thrown away every year), and save people money: according to the Pacific Institute, “total consumer expenditures for bottled water are approximately $100 billion per year.”

Drinking fountains (also known, in regional variations, as water fountains or bubblers) are a key indicator of the relationship between people and place. Accommodating and including all of a city’s users, including children, the homeless, tourists, dogs, and daily commuters, can be measured by provision and maintenance of amenities such as the humble drinking fountain.

The mere act of providing a drinking fountain in the first place is a major step in the right direction. But for those seeking to go above and beyond in the observation or installation of drinking fountains, their greatness can be roughly expressed in the following terms:

Aesthetics (beauty, uniqueness, color, maintenance)
Taste (delicious vs. disgusting)
Temperature (too hot, too cold, just right)
Flow (dribbley, hits you in the face, pleasing arc)
Functionality (drainage, relationship with context, placement)
Ergonomic Comfort (buttons, pedals, height, texture)
Inclusiveness (public, ADA-accessible, reachable by kids, dog bowl)

So keep your eyes out for these little champions of public space, and next time you encounter one, drink to your health!

Here are some of my favorite drinking fountains from across several parks:

What are your favorite drinking fountains?

This is the first in a forthcoming series about the importance of small urban elements that can have an outsized impact, enhancing people’s lives or modifying users’ behavior in surprising ways. Considering these elements during design processes can considerably enrich a project, and can have far-reaching positive consequences.

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Posted by Josselyn Ivanov
in Social Impact
on 20 June, 2012

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Houston, “The Bayou City,” has had a tense relationship with its bayous and their floodplains. As with any city with much of its development in the floodplain, flooding is always a very real risk — and it isn’t just an infrastructure problem. It is a PR problem. [This post originally appeared on the American Planning Association’s Kid’s… Read more »

[This post originally appeared on the American Planning Association’s Kid’s Planning Toolbox blog]

For starters, the term “one-hundred-year flood” is misleading. It implies that there will be 100 years between events, and to many people this doesn’t sound so risky. Secondly, FIRM maps that show the line are not easy for the average citizen to comprehend — and they aren’t readily available.

To most people the flood line is invisible — and out of sight, out of mind.

Water levels, however, can be seen even after the flood. As waters recede, the floating fragments and trash are deposited in a single line at the elevation of the flood: the debris line. This line gave me an idea.

We could make a debris line that show the 100-year flood line and open Houstonians’ eyes to the very real danger of living in the flood plain. So over the course of the next year, I’m organizing two events, “Trashed” and “Flash Flood” that do just this.

The “Trashed” event, which will take place in spring 2013, is a month-long art installation that will illuminate a stretch of the 100-year flood line running through bayou-adjacent parks and an urban neighborhood.

Where possible we’ll indicate the line itself. But where the line wanders onto private property, we’ll use tree flags on trees, signs and light posts on near-by public property to show the water level of a 100-year flood, indicating just how far underwater these businesses, homes and public spaces will be.

The centerpiece of this installation uses garbage collected from the bayou itself to create a man-made debris line. We’ll pin approximately one mile of this trash directly on the 100-year flood line through the parks and open spaces of the site.

The “Flash Flood” event, which will be held in the fall of 2012, intends to remind people of the unexpected nature and severity of a 100-year flood. This event is aimed at the next generation, because we think young people can be very effective at spreading information. Once kids understand a concept, they take it home and teach it to their families.

Flash Flood goes deeper than just showing the line. We’ll start by making presentations about bayous and floodplains to 7 public K-12 schools in Houston’s White Oak Bayou area. In addition to explaining how bayous and floodplains perform as the region’s natural infrastructure, we’ll also show them how they can affect the way stormwater is managed and reduce flood risks by making changes at home — like adding rain barrels, swales, permeable surfaces and other soft features that can hold the water back from the congested waterways.

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Posted by MattBaumgarten
in Bayou By Us
on 1 June, 2012

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If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water…. Its substance reaches everywhere; it touches the past and prepares the future; it moves under the poles and wanders thinly in the heights of air. It can assume forms of exquisite perfection in a snowflake, or strip the living to a single shining… Read more »

As urban designers we are at once moved by the tremendous challenges facing our urban imprint upon the land—the city; and its affect upon our planet—her atmosphere, oceans, and living systems. In our search for solutions, we look to nature for guidance; that perhaps within her experimentation with complex outcomes and interdependence there exists a clue to our built environment. The following three projects are an exploration of this relationship between nature and the city; of not only a latent attempt to emulate her beauty, but her processes as well.

In The Art of Ecology we attempt to paint urban solutions as an artist paints the landscape, with an eye towards boldness; but understanding that our limited attempt is only the first step in unlocking the relationship between ecology and urban development.

The inspiration behind Jining New City, Rugao District, and the Shunde Guipan Riverfront lies in capturing what is unique and most beautiful about the place and enhancing it. In all three, we explore the most fundamental landscape element of the site, the river, and its affect upon urban pattern.

In all three, though representing various scales of development, the idea of water or canal is rooted in the history of the place and has influenced the growth of their respective locations since their inception. In all three, emulating the art of ecology is less about imitating her physical beauty, but more about learning from her processes.

Imitating Ecology

Beyond the mere inspiration of her beauty and formal language, we must begin to understand natures processes in our attempt to imitate her. From the air, we are inspired by natures patterns; of vast forests and grasslands, weaving mosaics of color, but must ask ourselves, what is the science behind this painted canvas? Are there natural laws that govern her art?

For example, flat terrain often leads to braided water systems that seek to find paths of least resistance, responsive to the forces of fluid dynamics. The end result are often tree-like patterns that grow and branch, moving and changing relative to fluctuating environmental conditions. As the finer-grained water systems branch out, increased edge conditions result, giving way to a variety of opportunities. Environmentally these opportunities manifest in the increased ability for nutrient exchange (along the edges of wetland marsh) and organism exchange (predator and prey along open water edges versus protected grassy waters). Maximizing edge surface area increases opportunity for exchange. Within the urban context, a similar relationship can be said to exist between circulation (roads) and real estate (commercial property); and yet again between residential property values and green space (parks). And so the opportunity exists to exploit this corollary between edge intensity; namely water and real estate, evolving this braided ecology into a kind of braided urbanism.

Filtering Ecologies, Filtering Urbanism

At the same time, all three sites exhibit a need to improve water quality. At Jining, the project area exists at a critical threshold between existing city and major lake; at Rugao, the proposed development straddles a key bend along a polluted river; and at Shunde the proposed river park lies between a new city and a culturally important waterway. As an ecological principle, braided systems have the ability to increase filtration capacity through increased edge condition and nutrient exchange. Thus, by incorporating this braided design as a fundamental framework for urban development, we can conceptually increase the filtering capacity of city-making.

These braided water patterns then give rise to braided districts and braided neighborhoods, each varying in land use (commercial, residential) and density. Furthermore, density (apartment towers versus single family) can have a direct correlation with water pattern; more course and larger waterways create larger islands and greater flexibility for higher densities, while finer-grained waterways create opportunities for more secluded low densities (single-family residential). A wholistic pattern begins to emerge in which real estate and development objectives coincide with and compliment environmental ones. A braided ecology becomes a braided and filtering urbanism.

Image Gallery:

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Posted by SeanOMalley
in Arts and Culture
on 21 January, 2012

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As developers strive to find a balance between profits and environmental responsibility, many are looking to water resources as more than just a way to demonstrate sustainability. A connected system that starts at the small scale and eventually returns higher quality water back to the river, lake, bay or other body of water can become… Read more »

Posted by SeanOMalley
in Urban Ecologies
on 21 January, 2012

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I was honored with an invitation from the Landscape Institute’s Director Paul Lincoln to give the keynote address at the organization’s annual conference. Here is a summary of what I presented. Architecture, industrial design, and engineering are thought of as first tier professions and considered part of the elite design culture by the general public…. Read more »

I was honored with an invitation from the Landscape Institute’s Director Paul Lincoln to give the keynote address at the organization’s annual conference. Here is a summary of what I presented.

Architecture, industrial design, and engineering are thought of as first tier professions and considered part of the elite design culture by the general public. Despite the important role landscape architects play in creating our outdoor and urban environments, even the best designed spaces recede into the background. Landscape architects need to take responsibility for the visibility and recognition of their profession, and address its shortcomings.

It’s unacceptable that we are often willing to let our landscapes disappear as an invisible narrative — letting nature take over as author and authority. If we seek recognition and political capital then there is a responsibility for greater legibility in landscape design work. To secure political capital, landscape architects need to articulate clear and legible ideas.

Nature is dead. There are three types of landscapes: First Nature – Primordial landscape untouched by humans. Second Nature – landscape influenced by humans. And Third Nature – landscapes created by humans.

In the United States, there is still a prevalent cultural belief in Nature as a primordial, untouched, and uninhabited condition. The notion of Primordial landscape is a political myth which has contributed to the confusion in understanding Landscape. As people, we often struggle to see ourselves as a part of Nature and consequently we struggle to take responsibility for it. Second Nature would include places like working farms, fisheries, etc. However, most of the world is Third Nature, yet most people don’t recognize the fact that almost all of our landscapes are created by humans. Even our National Parks System, which has preserved large tracts of the nation’s most beautiful landscape, has been directly affected by the work of landscape architects, politicians, and planners. The Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the park boundaries, and the way the roads and trails meander through the open space and coincidentally lead hikers to the best views available, are all examples of Third Nature – Nature, as Americans understand it, is a controlled environment.

Context is both cultural and geographic. Culture plays a significant role in the perception of Landscape. The cultural ideas of landscape can be either valuable or outdated and inappropriate. They are helpful when paying homage to our traditions and history. But the US cultural ideal of a lush lawn is impractical and irresponsible in a desert and recreating an Italian garden in Texas does not relate to its place. Because of these cultural mindsets, well designed landscapes are often invisible landscapes. This is a conundrum for the profession. A landscape that ties in with its surrounding is often appropriate, but we need to still make people aware that they are in a designed environment.

This confusion is aided by the consumer model. One of the negative effects of globalization is a generic pastiche in the landscape where there is complete disconnect between consumer products and the environment they are absorbed into. This global, non-contextual approach contributes to nostalgia about landscape, which quite often does more harm than good. Home Depot, Lowes and the other big box chain retailers that supply landscaping materials and plants sell the same products in Atlanta, Georgia as they do in Reno, Nevada despite radically different climates. This not only propagates the inclusion of thirsty plants like roses and lawns in arid landscapes and discourages water conserving landscapes; it diminishes the value and appreciation of the native species and surroundings.

So what should the profession do? Landscape architects should work in our own time and develop our landscapes based on a culture of ideas reflecting contemporary life. Landscape architecture should be made a commodity and given brand recognition. Landscapes should not shy away from making a statement. Landscapes should be useful. Landscapes should closely identify with Place. Landscapes should be innovative. Above all, Landscapes should be about the big idea.

Have strong ideas and think big.

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Posted by ReneBihan
in Landscape is the Answer
on 20 January, 2012

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Posts Tagged: water

Building Soft: A new (landscape) infrastructure for Los Angeles

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The 100-Year Flood and the Next Generation

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The Art of Ecology, Recent Projects

Water Sensitive Designs for Low-impact Communities

Legible Landscape: Design Not Nature