Studio Vantage 1.0 - Paradox

STUDIO VANTAGE 1.0 - PARADOX

University of Guelph SEDRD Landscape Architecture + Rural Planning + Capacity Development 2016 - 2017 par·a·dox /ˈperəˌdäks/ noun: paradox a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. “the mingling of deciduous trees with elements of desert fora forms a fascinating ecological paradox”

Studio Vantage from the University of Guelph School of Environmental Design and Rural Development is a student run journal that is published annually. This is the frst Issue and explores the idea of Paradox. In the context of design, landscape architecture & planning, Paradox is an idea that inspires designers to think outside the box, challenge norms and queston the way we think.

“There are many paradox in nature, art and literature. Paradoxical thinking investgates boundaries between abstracton and representaton, fact and fcton, order and chaos. Throughout history, designers have been compelled to explore the contradictons of ambguity and truth (Art Magazine, 2010)”

Studio Vantage provides multple vantage points to collaborate a multtude of professional disciplines and gives the opportunity for students to share their work, inspire and learn from one another.

Issue 1 was created by Stef Baker and Emily Bowerman, BLA 17’ CONTENTS STUDIO VANTAGE 1.0 2016 - 2017

i-ii Introducton

1-14 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

15-17 Master of Landscape Architecture

18 PhD Rural Studies

19-26 Faculty

27 Final Remarks

Reclamation Bathurst Quay, Toronto, ON 3 Reclamation SelenaMasterplan- Liu, Design 4th Year Description BLA, Capstone Project

The masterplan consists of a thoroughly thought-out circulation system connecting the main nodes on site: the entrance to the proposed civic centre and swimming pool, the To entrancereclaim to the Canada is to Malting take office historical back and naturesomething museum, and the L thatshaped connecting has beenwaterfront corridor. lost, or that was once yours.

TheBased Bathurst on evaluating the Quay Bathurst QuayReclamaton community Less than 3% project of Ontario’s native in tallgrass downtown prairies remain The existingToronto water edge connecting centres corridor isaround in disrepair secondary plan proposal and gaging the community because of horticultural use: in a sense, the prairies were and a large section is currently fenced off for safety and thewants taking and needs, thisback masterplan of proposes three a new civic things: sacrificed for theirThe fertile cultural grounds, to feed theheritage growing structural of reasons. the In the actCanada of reclaiming nature, Maltng the new Maintaining and community centre to be built on site, incorporating population of Canada and fill up silos such as this one on water edge is proposed to be organically shaped and existing paths Silos,the newer the half of naturalthe historic silo building heritage and reusing the ofsite. Inthe a symbolic natve calling to this tall sacrifice, grass the masterplan prairies curved, with extruding that pockets once for encouraging thrived visitors to in existing structure of the heritage site. The older half of the proposal calls for the large space in the centre of the site stay look east, where a rare complete sight of the Toronto and artwork southernheritage silo is in Ontario,poor condition and isand unsuited thefor reuse waterfrontto be re-planted as a native public tallgrass prairie space ecosystem that Skyline canbelongs be admired. This to shape the is also people, reminiscent in a commercial sense. The proposal calls for this half of the where modern urban dwellers can explore. Tallgrass of the natural wave of water, and can remind visitors of notsilo to to be parkingcontinuously re-taken lots. by the processThe of paradoxnature, prairies can of grow the up to 2 metersdesign in height, isand inthe push how the nature both of the water’snature edge only and a few meters culture away, letting vines and plant material climb the sides, and for a for educating the public will help to call more attention to creating a stronger sense of place for Bathurst Quay. cannumber reclaim of grass berms the to lean againstsame the bottom space edges groups at currentlythe conservingsame and tme: saving the small One patches such way that this came to of the silo to create contact between pedestrians and the of prairie remaining. A paved stage and activity centre is proposed next to the site. These berms will lessen the difference in scale and sidewalk between the main buildings on site, to increase be allowis infor users the to interact symbolic with the intimidatingly plantng looming of tallgrass prairie on theconnectivity silo to thesite: Eireann Quaywhere road corridor, once generate us silos, making the site a more comfortable place to stay. interest to passer-by’s, and become a versatile space for humans took away the prairies for its fertle farmland,events orto activities get to take grain place on site. which was stored in the silo, now we give it back by educatng the public about the natural resource that was once lost. Coming full circle, the nature reclaims the land and we reclaim the heritage of the silos: this is the paradox that has been solved.

Waterfront Elementary & Seconday School and Harbourfront Civic Centre

New connecting pedestrian paths

Driveway to underground parking

Silo Community Recreation Centre: Adaptive Little Norway Park Aquatic & Fitness Reuse

Eireann Quay

Naturalized Tallgrass Prairie Stage/ Activity pad

Silo Grassy berms Naturalized Reclamation Boardwalk Expansion & water edge stabilization Repurposed Museum/ Green Roof

Grassy berms

Billy Bishop Downtown Native plant garden Airport & Ferry

Expansion of walkway to airport connection 1:150 0m 15m 30m 1 2 The Google Exploratory Stef Baker, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project

The Google Discovery Park and Discovery Gardens is the frst site to be redeveloped as part of Google’s future Corporate Campus located in the City of Sunnyvale. This project has been driven to set a prototype for future high-tech company campuses within Silicon Valley to create highly fexible outdoor spaces that contribute to worker creatvity, health and happiness while also improving the local ecological adaptability. The paradox of this design is that it provides seamlessly transitonal indoor and outdoor spaces for work and play by combining technology and people with the diverse natural processes surrounding the project site.

GOOGLE DISCOVERY PARK

3D CONCEPT PRINTS The concept for this project has been inspired by the local drainage channel network’s fractal paterns and sponge-like qualites. The design of this project re-interprets these natural paterns in a contemporary way that follows the theme of exploraton and discovery. 3 WORK NESTING PODS Hidden throughout the Discovery Gardens are several work nestng pods. They almost look like tasty Easter eggs that provide Googlers with an outdoor ofce space away from the ofce building. These nests are meant for restng and incubatng ideas in a more laid back, private and open atmosphere.

GOOGLE DISCOVERY GARDENS

4 From Midnight to Dawn Hillary Eppel, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project

Although the most important locaton in the city of Owen Sound, ON, the harbourfront has been lef neglected and undervalued for years. At the same tme, a litle known fact about the city’s history is its positon as the last stop along the historical route of the Underground Railroad.

From Midnight to Dawn is a design concept for a linear park along Owen Sound’s eastern harbourfront which commemorates the Underground Railroad, creatng visibility for both the city’s most important locaton and this incredible piece of its cultural history.

The design concept portrays a journey. Through a series of nodes and transitonal stretches, the linear park uses concepts of serial vision and sculptural symbolism to create this journey-like experience for park users. Nodes and transitons feature sculptural elements, design materials, and site furnishings which allude to diferent aspects of the Underground Railroad, educatng and invoking emotons in users as they move through the park.

The fnal node, the Northern Lights Plaza, is the destnaton of the journey as travelers’ routes to freedom along the Underground Railroad were northbound. Through colourful glass sculptural elements, the plaza represents the Aurora Borealis and the hope and joy of a difcult journey’s end.

5 6 The River Run Center Julia Crane, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project

MASTER PLAN

7 It has to be one of the most interestng buildings in Guelph. For those who are unaware, it’s the only remaining building with a machine-stamped façade le in Canada, and was originally used as a pharmacy. It’s been boarded up and neglected for a good chunk of tme, but is currently covered in sca olding and is all set to host new tenants. While I love that the Petrie building is being refurbished, I adored it as a spooky abandoned storefront in the heart of the city’s downtown. It looks like something straight out of a Scooby Doo set, which is why I had to throw in some tacky 80’s 3-D efects.

RIVER RUN

This is a small selecton from my capstone project, dealing with the redesign of the park outside the River Run Centre in downtown Guelph. The paving patern was inspired by the way that water moves around rocks in the rapids of the adjacent Speed River. It also was used as a means of addressing the steep grading on the site, as some of the paving strips step down gradually towards the river. The perspectve shows of the ambient night lightng, mainly in the inground strip lightng that follows the ow of the lines. The spot is supposed to be casual, unprogrammed and fun. 8 BIG BEAR CREEK Emily Bowerman, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project

City of London,ON

Proposed Big Bear Creek Community

Thames River

Regional Context SITE SUMMARY TRANSITION TRANSMIT

The approach taken to landscape architecture .5km recoversThe Bear Traditonal Creek EcologicalUrban Reserve Knowledge is located and appliesin ait in food a modern plain. context. Therefore, For mappingexample, forms ood .5km drawnpaterns from the is creatoncrucial to story identfy like the development turtle back, and opportunity woven rivers and that constraints, were historically rates of in fow the area, inform the road network form and the idea dependent on the seasons 6t determine of channels and islands throughout the space. Collaboratveareas that are community high risk for development erosion. with First Natons ofers an interestng opportunity to Fig combine I- Image Western demonstratng land the development severity methodsof fooding with Traditonal based on Knowledgesite topography and and First Natonsdirecton architecture. of oods This from project agricultural demonstrates plots that combined perspectves, perhaps ofen north of the Thames river through the Bear interpreted as paradoxical, can harmoniously createCreek a Reserve.community Green development tapestry suggests that is low the impact correlaton on the between existng landscape, site run-of fulflls and economiccontributors needs to of phosphorus the community loading andin Lake has appropriateErie resultng infrastructure. in algae blooms. The community facilitates unique housing typologies suitable for water management in the foodplain and also optmizes the sites’ close proximity to water. Implementaton of storm water management systems contributes to the removal of phosphorus prior to entering the Thames River. The design recognizes First Natons heightened cultural and spiritual sensibilites perspectve for water I while utlizing modern landscape architectureFig . technology to contribute to a more sustainable development.

9 WATER RELATIONSHIPS

MASTER PLAN

0 50 100 200 Scale in meters

D G

I E

B C H

Legend:

A- Streams B- River C- Landscape Transition Zones D- Residential Areas E- Commercial Area F- Central Gathering Space G- Roadways & Swales H- Eco-Lodge Opportunity I- Visitor’s Village J- Trading Post K- Water Filtration Ponds

10 Cul-de-sac Design Sarah Robinson, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project

A paradox we see in our urban and suburban landscapes is that while people live physically close together, socially we ofen remain distant. As such, loneliness is a growing issue in our Canadian communites, detrimentally afectng the well-being of millions. In this fourth year capstone project I have sought to use design to encourage sociability in an existng suburban neighbourhood, specifcally through using the right-of-way space within cul-de- sacs. While this project is set in a Guelph neighbourhood called West Willow Woods, really it is a demonstraton of concepts that could be applied to any suburban residental area. As the area within the project boundaries are publicly owned, expropriaton is not needed to create social space; I fnd it ironic that so much of the land owned by the municipality and by extension the residents ofers very few amenites for locals to use.

To further increase the feasibility of my project, I have implemented these changes over three phases across each street and across the neighbourhood, allowing for design adjustments from community input and to make funding such a project more accessible. As infrastructure in suburbia ages and needs replacing, I hope that this project could piggyback on the funds for such changes, so that instead of perpetuatng the current paradox of lonely neighbours, our streets will become places of community and support. Indeed landscape architects can have much to say not just about new places, but also the everyday existng places that touch so many people's lives.

11 12 Doodle Kyle Foch, 4th Year BLA, Capstone Project Doodle is a post-industrial project that seeks to revitalize Bordeaux Drive in Sunnyvale, California through the master planning of a new Google Corporate Campus. The goal of this design is to develop a connected em- bryonic community that will catalyze biophilic expansion and will encourage fexibility and productvity while enhancing the welfare of humans and nature. The paradox of this project can be found between the biophilic design imposed upon a light industrial landscape. The design emphasizes connecton, ecology, innovaton and fexibility while seeking to enhance the culture of Google and Sunnyvale.

13 14 LA Tours 1st Year MLA Landscape architects are, for the most part, keen observers of the physical world. Given the breadth of our interests and our role in shaping the physical environment it is not too much of a stretch to say that we would make wonderful tour guides of the marvelous and the mundane for others. One of the most celebrated scholars in landscape architecture, J.B. Jackson, spent a lifetme studying and commentng on the vernacular landscape and produced classics such as The Necessity for Ruins (a book that every landscape architect should own). That we are so closely linked to observing and interpretng the landscape suggests why we make desired traveling companions. Our trips might be short or long, local or more, but the general consensus is that people like to move with us. This suggests that one of the most enjoyable ways we “can educate the public” is by sharing our joy with others.

As a nice wrap-up to the frst year in Landscape Architecture, students created a tour guide for frst year (F2017) MLA and BLA students. The guide was to be highly personable and use an organizing principle of: 1) a route or routes in and around Guelph (from the 401 to the Gordon express bus); the UoG campus (notable places to get lost); the alleyways of Guelph (great places to hang out); etc. The idea was to develop a theme/place that would engage people and encourage them to explore. This exercise builds on environmental autobiography done eons ago, to site inventory and analysis to design storytelling. No mater individual interest, be it historical, ecological, cultural and so on the goal is to develop some ideas that engage others with their environment.

Taking a cue from ‘Jane’s Walks’ where people lead interested groups on local tours of community marvels from alleys to architectural gems, frst year MLA students were tasked with developing a walking theme for people new to Guelph. The following three projects by Megan Blay, Aiden Fudge and Ashley Millar demonstrate the range and quirkiness of what LA Tour ‘guides’ can come up with.

GottaGo Walk Megan Blay, 1st Year MLA

Landscape Architecture Building (A) Rozanski Hall (E) University Centre (J) Map of Campus Must Try Locations: 24/7 with student card 8:30 am - 10 pm Late [ ] 1. Floor 2 - unisex - 2.5/5 [ ] 11. Floor 1 - male/female - 3.75/5 [ ] 18. Floor 1 - female/male - 1.25/5 P 1 | A 1.5 | D 5 | C 2.5 P 2 | A 4.5 | D 4.5 | C 4 P 1 | A 0.5 | D 2 | C 1.5 [ ] No. 10 - Engineering Building Progressive, yet awkward at times. Dirty old tile and Modern bathroom with interesting curved entrance. Heavily used and abused. Counters always wet, doors [ ] No. 11 - Rozanski Hall LARC GUIDE TO stank. Only 2 min from the studio. When busy, noise pro- missing. Dreary. Close to food and bus waiting area. H [ ] No. 12 - Bull Ring [ ] 2. Floor 1 - Female - 3.1/5 vides more privacy. [ ] 19. Floor 3 - Female - 3.1/5 [ } No. 14 - MacKinnon Extension P 2.5 | A 2 | D 4.8 | C 2.5 P 3.5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 3 Bull Ring (F) [ ] No. 15 - Johnson Hall Basement Natural light, mint green tile and the LA building. Wallpapered lounge area before entering bathroom. [ ] 3. Floor 1 - Male - 2.6/5 M, T, Th 8 am - 10 pm, W 8 am - 12 am, F 8 am - 7 pm Worth checking out - or utilizing as study space. G [ ] No. 19 - UC Centre Three washrooms in total on this foor. P 2.5 | A 1 | D 4.8 | C 2 [ ] 12. Floor 1 - female/male - 3.4/5 M I B [ ] No. 20 - Zavits Hall Unlike the girls toilet next door, there’s no window. P 2.5 | A 4 | D 4 | C 3 F Described as scary. Great hangout, artsy decor, stall grafti encouraged. Zavits Hall (K) K E A [ ] No. 24 - H.L. Hutt [ ] No. 25 - OVC Open 24/7 Gryphon Centre (B) [ ] 20. Floor 1 - female/male - 3.4/5 L J D C B MacKinnon Extension (G) M-Th 6:30 am - 12 am, F 6:30 am - 10:30 pm M - F 7 am - 9:30 pm, S-S 9:30 am - 5:30 pm P 3.5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 4 Art installations decorate bathroom. Building unique Toilets to Avoid S 8 am - 10:30 pm, Su 8 am - 12 am [ ] 13. Floor 1 - universal - 4/5 [ ] 4. Floor 1 - female/male - 2.6/5 and deserves exploration. P 5 | A 3.5 | D 4 | C 3.5 [ ] 21. Floor 2 - universal - 3.5/5 P 2.5 | A 2.5 | D 3 | C 2.5 Huge private bathroom with interesting tile. No win- [ ] No. 2 - LA Building P 5 | A 3.5 | D 2 | C 3.5 Grab a cofee from Tim’s while you’re there. dow, but mystery desk inside. Private, windowless, faded artwork on wall. [ ] No. 18 - University Centre [ ] 5. Floor 2 - female/male - 3.1/5 [ ] 14. Floor 2 - female/male - 4.2/5 [ ] 22. Floor 3 - female/male - 2.8/5 P 2 | A 2 | D 2.5 | C 2.5 P 4 | A 4.5 | D 3.8 | C 4.5 P 3.5 | A 3 | D 2 | C 3 If busy on the main foor, try your luck here. Small but modern bathroom steps away to a cafe Stalls feature some interesting grafti. Close to Bus with baked goods, cofee and tempting soups. Great Crop Science (C) breaktime stop. H.L. Hutt (L) 8 am - 5 pm M - S 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Legend [ ] No. 8 - 10 - Engineering Building [ ] 6. Floor 1 - female/male - 3.5/5 Johnston Green (H) [ ] 23. Basement - universal - 3/5 P 3.5 | A 3 | D 4 | C 3.5 M - F 8:30 am - 10 pm, S-S 11 am - 11 pm P 2.5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 3.5 A - Aesthetic Windowless, quiet, no other reason to come here. [ ] 15. Basement - female/male - 4/5 Mens on door, but assured that used by all. Wooden C - Cleanliness [ ] 7. Floor 1 #2 - female/male - 2.75/5 P 4.5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 3.5 D - Distance (from the LA Building) Your Favourites: saloon doors, granite walls. Harry Potter-esk. P 3 | A 2 | D 3 | C 3 Harry Potter style washrooms. Wood doors, granite P - Privacy [ ] 24. Floor 1 - female/male - 3.25/5 Similar to foor 1, but cold and drafty. walls, musty smell. Bonus - Did you know we have Hours SEDRD shared and personal study spaces in this hall- P 3.5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 3.5 1. CAMPUS TOILETS way? See Joanna for a key if interested. Wooden saloon doors, granite walls, couch and views [ ] - check box (to track your toilet exploration) Engineering Building (D) of greenhouse. 8 am - 5 pm McLaughlin Library (I) (M) 2. [ ] 8. Floor 1 - female/male/Uni - 3.75/5 M - Th 8 am - 2 am, F-S 8 am - 11 pm Ontario Veterinary College OVC P 5 | A 4 | D 2 | C 4 [ ] 16. Floor 1 - universal - 4/5 M - F 7:30 am - 7 pm, S 8 am - 1 pm Across from UC. Great stop on way to bus. P 4.8 | A 3 | D 2 | C 3.5 [ ] 25. Floor 1 - female/male - 3.25/5 3. [ ] 9. Floor 1 - female/male - 4/5 Private bathroom in beautiful library. Lots of trafc. P 3 | A 4.5 | D 1 | C 4.5 P 2.5 | A 4.5 | D 2 | C 3 [ ] 17. Floors 1 -5 - female/male - 4/5 Beautiful modern bathroom with rounded entrance. Second cup, study area and great examples of land- Mens has window, womens without. Close to bus and P 3 | A 3 | D 2 | C 2.5 scaping. Worth a visit. 4. Tim hortons. All bathrooms same design. No window, dreary, red [ ] 10. Floor 2 - female/male - 3.4/5 accent shelf to hold belongings. Spacious. Water P 3.5 | A 4.5 | D 2 | C 3.5 fountains and lounge area outside doors. Same style [ ] - check boxes - See if you can make it to in basement, more worn. 5. By Megan Blay Nice bathroom, plus neat art and cactus garden. all the toilets on this list before graduation MLA 1

15 Aiden C.W Fudge, 1st Year MLA 16 Alphabet Walk Ashley Millar, 1st Year MLA

U G elph- ab et X

helmand kabab nv kitchen and bar tangy and tasty house 16 Wyndham St. N shawarma 75 Macdonell St. H 486 Woodlawn Rd. E

woodlawn rd.

italy pizza olive tree university square

eramosa rd. victoria rd. 547 Speedvale Ave. E 1467 Gordon St. bakery and deli 987 Gordon St. #11

pierre’s poutine speedvale ave. the joint cafe vienna 43 Cork St. E 71 Macdonell St. 28 Macdonell St.

the albion hotel 49 Norfolk St. the works gourmet woolwich st. burger bistro 97 Wyndham St. N D R G W S the boathouse tea room and ice cream yoyo’s yogurt cafe quebec st. macdonell st. 116 Gordon St. M T P 79 Clair Rd. E N J C V F A L wyndham st. K the cornerstone 1 Wyndham St. n z-teca gourmet burritos

gordon st. 89 Gordon St.

diana downtown Z 141 Wyndham St. N E U b

earth to table gordon st. killer cupcakes quesada burritos arkell rd. bread bar goremet and tacos 105 Gordon St. 32A Wilson St. 103 Clair Rd. E #2

edinburgh rd.

O friends in our la cucina red brick cafe kitchen 25 Macdonell St. 8 Douglas St. 35 Macdonell St.

clair rd. galt juice company miijidaa cafe sip club 122 Wyndham St. N and bistro 91 Wyndham St. N v 37 Quebec St. Q 17 Moving Forward- Looking Back Valencia Gaspard, PhD Rural Studies

Canada’s labour system today sits at the precipice of technological, politcal and social change. As precariousness and moves away from standard work become more common, a curious paradox emerges – one where jobs are less stable yet skill gaps are widening. While seeking to understand the current labour situaton in rural Ontario, it is important to consider the events which have created Canada’s labour environment from the Industrial Revoluton to the present to unpack how collectvely, we have arrived to this point. Presented below is a tmeline visually outlining formatve events and following the fgure are accompanying narratve dedicated to periods outlined on the tmeline.

OUTLINE OF EVENTS WHICH HAVE SHAPED CANADA'S LABOUR ENVIRONMENT

18 Haptic Habitats (and the Manufacturing of Memories) Tatiana Zakharova and Nathan Perkins

HapticAXONOMETRIC Habitat

Of the six* senses that humans are normally endowed with, the frst to develop is the sense of touch. Fetuses in the womb develop the somatosensory system and these receptors are commonly believed to be responsible for kick-startng the development of the whole nervous system. Afer birth, babies engage in exploraton of their world through touch. Sensatons of hot, cold, smooth, rough, pressure, tckle, itch, pain and vibratons are the babies’ interacton with their primal world long before sight and hearing; the two senses that adults primarily use to interact with their world.

Given that touch is such a early and profound sense that we develop on our way to interactng with and understanding the world, it is surprising how litle atenton landscape architects pay to the touch, or haptc, environments we create, partcularly environments we create for children. To explore this very fruitul line of inquiry we began by seeking a beter understanding of the somatosensory system in the developing child, and a general assessment of the role this might play in creatng diverse haptc habitats for children in everyday environments such as school playgrounds.

19 Our inital research suggests that rich and diverse haptc habitats are at best accidental and haphazard aberratons in the design of children’s environments. Indeed in some cases the haptc habitat is actvely discouraged; ‘look, don’t touch’ might be the operatve yet unconscious result of a biased designer’s and client’s share in this regard. We contend, however, that such a fundamental sense as touch is a critcal component in children’s development and central in the formaton of atachment and memories of place.

Haptc technology – the use of sensory/touch feedback in devices such as the Nintendo Wii and Microsof Kinect– has in the last decade become a darling in product design that atempts to create a more rewarding and tangible interface between humans and technology. What is fascinatng is that it has create childhood memories that invoked this temporal frst sense.

To move beyond the cliché of a classroom basket of touchable items, we atempted to incorporate touchable surfaces within generally accepted play principles of moveable pieces, diverse behavioural niches and interacton with others and the environment. The design concept was to create hanging parttons on overhead rails that 1) were touchable, moveable and storable; 2) allowed fexibility in panel compositon and; 3) could be moved to create a ‘visually’ and tactcally diverse environment while also allowing smaller setngs to be created.

The constraints of the site were substantal and a limitaton of keeping the ground plane free of cluter meant few traditonal approaches could be used. taken technology to reintroduce humans to the real The images below show just a few examples of how environment of touch and shown, as a consequence, touch can be used in a variety of ways to create a that our haptc environments leave a lot to be desired. richer haptc environment. What this pilot design has Put another way, if our visual or aural environments shown us is that creatng richer and more interactve were as ignored as our haptc environments seem to environments need not be limited to the viual sense. be, the psychologists would be much, much busier. Indeed we found that our inner child was fully engaged * We grow up thinking we have fve senses but a sixth in the creatve possibility of how many possibilites are sense is sometmes referred to as the magnetc sense. possible in Haptc design. There may be others as well.

To explore how haptc environments might be promoted in physical design, the authors created a design for a kindergarten play area in Guelph, Ontario that encourages touch throughout the four seasons. The goal was to encourage children to touch and to

20 Pissoirs Nate Perkins PhD, FASLA, Faculty, Landscape Architecture, SEDRD

One of the reasons that landscape architects value travel (beyond the experiental pleasures aforded to all travelers) is that of castng a professional eye on diferences in people, customs and environments. Over tme many experienced professionals develop partcular passions for peculiarly personal pursuits, and the same can be said for me. For three decades I have traveled professionally to most corners of the world and, no mater the place, noted how most biological imperatves are, or are not, met. In additon to food, shelter and security, the provision of places to ‘void’ seems to be common yet diverse design element worthy of study.

Pissoir in Sydney, Australia

21 Public toilets, washrooms, restrooms, bathrooms, powder-rooms, lavatories, loos, outhouses, and my favourite, pissoirs, are a necessary element of built environments yet receive remarkably litle atenton in planning and design. For something that is shared by every member of the human race, there doesn’t appear to be much atenton paid by designers on where and how to void. If the provision and design of pissoirs was even remotely worthy of inclusion with such weighty topics as food and shelter there might be serious discussion on the civics, economics, biology, gender equality, ad infnum for public toilets among designers. Why this is has puzzled me for decades although I think there are some tentatve yet incomplete explanatons. Canada seems to have very diferent cultural attudes about the provision of public toilets than most other places I have visited. Why this is so may be complex but publically funded and operated toilets in Canada are rare and more ofen than not woefully under-designed for convenience and sanitaton. The lack of a push for sanitary and well-designed public toilets and ‘social prudishness’ has resulted in the commercializaton of a service and not a public amenity. I believe that while a cultural/social unwillingness to discuss bodily functons is partally a cause for the lack of public toilets there may also be a philosophical divide between the public and private realm. This has resulted in demand being met, albeit haphazardly, by commercial establishments ofen with signs that read, “These facilites are for customers only”.

Where this leads us to is the strange loopy land of the privatzaton of private business. I once ofered with barely concealed humour to pay for the facilites and forego a cup of cofee enttling me to a toilet privilege only to be refused. Does it say something about our present world when travelers expect free wi-f and not access to a toilet? For the last twenty years I have pursued a goal of creatng public toilets in my small city hometown. Downtown Guelph (pop. 130,000) is a popular nightme destnaton for thousands of students and visitors. The plethora of pubs close at 2AM and thousands of patrons exit to a closed downtown. It comes as no surprise that public fouling, a rather bland euphemism for urinatng in places from alleys to storefronts, has been a longstanding problem. The City of Guelph’s response? Hire additonal constables to police and tcket foulers more than $350.00 (less than the cost of a tcket for running a red light in a vehicle). It’s no surprise that the problem persists even with the threat of economic sanctons because, broadly speaking, alcohol and biology are powerful twins.

22 How might a designer handle this decidedly quirky problem? The image below is a screened urinal located underneath the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. The cast iron screen is considered an historic example of industrially manufactured decoratve art and the decidedly low-tech urinal behind it works. What this example does not have is a sink and it is not easily used by women. That said it is not a stretch to create a facility that that meets basic sanitary needs, can accommodate women, that is safe and even aesthetc. Over the years a collecton of students and me have proposed numerous designs for public toilets in our home city and presented the results to city councilors and other decision-makers. The response to the problem has been overwhelmingly positve but the lack of acton bafing, unless we speculate that the public versus private provision of services is at play and the ‘ick-factor’ of a broader discussion with community members limits the debate to conversatonal humour rather than serious social and economic policy, planning and design. With a wee bit of tongue in cheek humour, four undergraduate students in an independent design studio created some conceptual designs for pissoirs in downtown Guelph that addressed many of the issues raised by the police, city councilors and the general public. While the city has yet to adopt a positon on public toilets, we remain hopeful that at some point our litle community will join the ranks of civil societes elsewhere.

23 Creative Mapping and Visual Communication in Landscape Architecture Nadia Amoroso PhD, Faculty, Landscape Architecture, SEDRD

My research work focuses of two important aspects in landscape architecture, creatve REPRESENTING LANDSCAPES: EDITED BY NADIA AMOROSO mapping and visual communicaton. Creatve FOREWORD BY JAMES CORNER DIGITAL mapping can be part of the design process, as renowned- landscape architect, James Corner, advocates in his artcle “ The Agency of Mapping” in Mappings (edited by Denis Cosgrove). Though focusing mainly on two-dimensional mapping as part of the design process, my work explores 3D mapping and datascaping to visualize the invisibles of the city into potental new urban forms. I have studied the works of architects, landscape architects and designers who have turned complex urban data into artstc informaton as a means to help understand and make sense of the ‘invisible’ city, by re-imaging the city using informaton that is not normally expressed, this includes the works of early 20th century architectural renderer, Hugh Ferriss, the datascaping theoretcal works of award-winning Dutch architecture frm, MVRDV, called “MetaCity/ DataTown”, and the ‘map-drawings’ works of James Corner.

24 Secondly, I have been fascinated by various ways of expressing landscape architectural design ideas through various styles and techniques. Aside from teaching and advocatng creatve visual representaton, I currently operate Nadia Amoroso Studio, a practce specializing and visual communicaton in landscape architecture and urban design, and mapping visualizatons. Our studio ofers efectve visual representaton services to landscape architects and urban planners with clients in the US and Canada. Students and professional are faced with the challenge of selectng the right medium and techniques for visualizing a concept to efectvely atract the audience’s atenton. In response to my students’ requests, I have created a book publicaton series called “Representng Landscapes” that showcases informatve and efectve drawings using various drawing styles and techniques done by students from various landscape architectural programs across the globe for other students to use as a resource and as a source of inspiraton, this includes Digital and Hybrid means.

25 26 Thank you to all students who submited their work. This publicaton is made possible by the support of students and faculty within the SEDRD department. A special thanks to Nate Perkins for his support and contributons. Call for submissions will be sent out to all those who want to be published in the future issues.

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