Site Design Portfolio

Each assignment or exercise in this class will be to produce the parts of a site-specific design portfolio.

– The portfolio can describe or promote your design ideas among stakeholders

– Well documented goals and design provide guidance for implementation and evaluation

– Portfolio organization is based on the design process

Basic Portfolio Parts• Goals

• Assessment

• Design:– Schematic

– Patch design

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– What is there, now.

– inhale…

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– What is there, now.

– inhale…

• Close your eyes for a moment…

Assessment Exercise

• Take out your Base Map

Ask for the BASE MAP handout…

Assessment Exercise

• Take out your Base Map and secure it to the table or your clipboard.

• Cover your basemap with an overlay of tracing paper

Assessment Exercise

• Take out your Base Map and secure it to the table or your clipboard.

• Cover your basemap with an overlay of tracing paper

• Place a title and date on overlay

Assessment Exercise

• With your memory--using only words, sketches and annotations--show the location of a few of the property’s most important elements on your overlay.

Example brainstorm notes• “Woods and fields are

choked with honeysuckle, wild grape vines, and overcrowded young trees.”

• “Facilities for apprentices and permaculture classes.”

• Well • Home

• Wind tower

• Garden

• Hill

• Pond

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– What is there, now.

– inhale…

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence

– P.A. Yeomans developed the "Keyline" system in Australia in the 1950s based on the idea that some landscape elements are more permanent than others. His list was eventually altered by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, then again recently by Dave Jacke and Eric Tonesmeier.

Basic Portfolio Parts

- The Scale of Permanence is organized from the landscape features that are most to least energy intensive to change.

Scale of Permanence?SORT BY most to least

energy intensive to change.:

Soil

Landform

Access and Circulation

Vegetation and Wildlife

Climate

Microclimate

Buildings and Infrastructure

Zones of Use

Invisible Structures

Aesthetics and Experience.

Water Ask about the prize!

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

4. Invisible Structures

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

4. Invisible Structures

5. Access and Circulation

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

4. Invisible Structures

5. Access and Circulation

6. Vegetation and Wildlife

Scale of Permanence

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

4. Invisible Structures

5. Access and Circulation

6. Vegetation and Wildlife

7. Microclimate

8. Buildings and Infrastructure

9. Zones of Use

10. Soil

11. Aesthetics and Experience.

Scale of PermanenceListed in the Site Assessment Workbook:

1. Climate

2. Landform

3. Water

4. Invisible Structures

5. Access and Circulation

6. Vegetation and Wildlife

7. Microclimate

8. Buildings and Infrastructure

9. Zones of Use

10. Soil

11. Aesthetics and Experience.

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– What is there, now.

– inhale…

Basic Portfolio Parts• Assessment– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence

– Provides a common reference for design and implementation

– Summary Assessments• Written narratives or description of features

– Overlays• Maps (usually tissue overlays on the base map) that

record feature

Aerial

Survey

Aerial w/ Topographic Overlay

Aerial w/ Survey Overlay

Survey w/ Overlay Sketch

Survey w/ Multiple Overlays

Landform

Water

Water Observations during flooding

Invisible Structures

Access & Circulation

Trees Detail

Boundaries & Structures

Permaculture Zones of Use

12

345

1 – Multiple daily interventions & visits

2 - Daily interventions & visits during most seasons

3 – Many interventions & visits each month

4 – Less than monthly…

5 – A few or no interventions per year.

These counts can be adjusted to reflect the scale and activity of a site.

Soil Assessment

Historical Observations

Sectors

Water Infrastructure & Needs Detail

Custom Detail

Written Summary of Tree & Brush

Thin crowded young forest of Ash, Cherry, some Oak with Japanese Honeysuckle dominating the shrub layer

Dog wood and Honeysuckle bushes: dense, & barely penetratable

Cool dense White Pine grove, with some Honeysuckle

Primordial, wild Hemlock grove in swampy, root tangled soils

Swampy bog land

Basic Portfolio Parts• Goals

– Goal articulation helps stakeholders focus their purpose and needs on the site

• Assessment– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence

– Observation and documentation provides a common reference for design and implementation

– Summary Assessments• Written narratives or description of features

– Overlays• Maps (usually tissue overlays on the base map) that record features

• Design:– Schematic

– Patch design

Homework

• Complete your basemap• Create/complete goals statement• Create overlays describing or showing: Site – Sectors – Access & Circulation– Zones of Use– Experience