LARCH 7890 SPR 2014

Glimcher Seminar: Intermediate Natures

Michel Desvigne, Sarah Cowles, Dorothée Imbert

Michel Desvigne Paysagistes: Walker Art Center study models.2008.

SYLLABUS

This Glimcher Seminar led by visiting professor Michel Desvigne and involve the production of a galleryexhibition that will open March 26. It is taught in conjunction with LARCH 4790, the fourth-yearundergraduate design studio.

About Michel Desvigne PaysagistesBased in Paris, France, the office of Michel Desvigne Paysagistes is leading number of internationallandscape projects, from the garden to the regional scale. Since the 1980s, Desvigne’s work hasengaged both the formal and temporal aspects of landscape design. The 1992 plan for ThomsonRenault plant, with Christine Dalnoky, reveals the design processes that guide his current practice: first

analyze the larger scale geography, organize and prepare the “growing media” (soils, drainage, andplanting materials), then continue to intervene in this highly-textured landscape as these processesunfold and take shape over the years.

The work of MDP is often cited and claimed by the landscape urbanist camp as it exemplifies thedesign principles they champion; of process over picture, of instrumentality over representation andcomposition. Yet James Corner and others often write contradictorily about the aesthetics outcomesof work of MDP; in one paragraph lumping his oeuvre as decidedly non-pictorial, while effusivelydescribing the aesthetic qualities of these landscapes-in-process in the next.1

It is in the space of these conflicts that we will work. We will familiarize ourselves with theoretical andhistorical context in which his work operates, specifically as it applies to development at therural/suburban edge. Readings will cover commentaries on his oeuvre, as well as contemporary theorieson the performative and aesthetic roles of landscape in rural/suburban edge development.

In this studio, we will meet three times with Michel Desvigne. He will present several recent projects andlead discussions and critiques of the design studies produced in conjunction with LARCH 7890, alandscape seminar led by Michel Desvigne, Sarah Cowles, and Dorothée Imbert

Site BackgroundThe Big Darby Creek watershed is 25 kilometers west of Columbus, Ohio. Here the the westernmostsuburbs of Columbus interface with the dominant agricultural texture of western Ohio. Landscapetypologies within the boundary include row crops, restored prairie, oak savannah, woodlots, old fieldsuccession, strip development, residential cluster development, wetlands and riparian corridors.

The Big Darby Accord, adopted in the mid 2000s, unites public and private interests to guide currentland use and future development to protect the Big Darby Creek and its tributaries from non-pointsource pollution. The area defined in the Accord covers about 30 km on the north-south axis and 10 kmon the east-west axis. Such a model is still rare in the United States but is becoming more common.

The Big Darby Accord planning documents, publicly available, are detailed and comprehensive, andinclude land use, hydrology, and geology and soils data. These documents also specify developmentguidelines and best management practices (BMPs) for agricultural, suburban, and conservation landswithin the watershed. Specific plant palettes, watercourse setbacks, river restorations, and earthworkand drainage tactics all result in material, spatial, and subsequently aesthetic changes to the landscape.In time, a de facto and de jure landscape identity will define the lands within the Big Darby Accordboundaries, as BMPs, codes and design guidelines are physically implemented. Our charge as designersis to disentangle this landscape from the banality of due diligence, and tease out loopholes within thetime and territory allotted to bring forth a rich and legible new landscape.

The first project will focus on the amplification of the existing landscape to invent a new intermediate

1 In his essay, “Agriculture, Texture, and the Unfinished”, Corner states: “Desvigne considers landscapearchitecture as a living art form that is more about cultivation of process and change over time than it is with morefamiliar landscape architectural practices such as formal composition and representations.” One page later, hecontinues “gently swaying trees, simmery leaves, blustery grasses, and changing dapples of light and shade addup to often very beautiful tactile fields…”etc. Tiberghien, Gilles A, Michel Desvigne, and James Corner.Intermediate Natures: The Landscapes of Michel Desvigne. Basel: Birkha�user, 2009. 7,9. Print.

landscape, between agriculture and public space, within the territories governed by the Big DarbyAccord. This intermediate landscape will perform the function of improving water quality in the DarbyCreek Watershed, provide a public space network, and imbue the region with an original landscapecharacter.

This territory is not within the city proper, or in a development cluster, but the vast fabric in-between.The first project is divided into several short charrettes; they are outlined under Project List. Eachcharette will have specific instructions and deliverable and review schedule that will be distributed ashandouts. This project differs from typical design studio format where individual or group projects arefocused development and resolution for final reviews. Instead, you will be given specific tasks involvedwith the design, production, execution and installation of an exhibition. To that end, it is imperative thatyou follow instructions exactly and use the specified materials. You will work in production teams forseveral of the charrettes. These teams will be led by studio members selected by the studio leaders.

This seminar/studio project has four elements:● A critical overview of the work of Michel Desvigne Paysagistes (MDP), theory and practice;● An interpretation of the studio’s approach applied to the design of several large-scale

landscapes within the Big Darby Creek Watershed west of Columbus;● An exhibition of the work produced in the studio, exhibited in the Banvard Gallery, opening March

26.● Conclusion: a critical essay on the themes and theories discussed in the seminar.

ExpectationsThis seminar/studio will be operated as a laboratory, with a series of guided charettes with strictdimensional and material parameters. The pace will be very intense and the workload--both assignedreading and design studies--will be significant. Those with conflicting time commitments, such asextracurricular activities, athletics, or responsibilities outside of the program are strongly discouragedfrom enrolling in this course. Because the work created in this studio will be part of an exhibition, a highlevel of craft and care is expected in this studio. The expectations and pace of the studio will reflectreal-world studio environment.

MethodologyIn this seminar, participants will use the Big Darby Accord guidelines as a basis to develop and physicallymodel a series of landscape design typologies at a range of scales that will define and structure thelands within the Big Darby Accord boundaries to create a legible landscape identity over the next 30-50years. Participants in the seminar will study large-scale landscape planning projects by Michel Desvigneand others. Two or three field trips to the area, including parklands, agricultural sites, and suburbandevelopments to collect examples of existing landscape typologies and land use practices.

Modeling and physical construction of drawings will primary method of design development within thisseminar and studio. The goal of these exercises is to produce a large array of alternatives in a shortperiod of time for evaluation and subsequent exhibition.

After the first meeting with Michel Desvigne, model concepts will be further refined using digitalfabrication tools; students will work in production teams to realize their array of models for theexhibition. We will also create models and mockups of the gallery and exhibition concepts. One group

focus on 2D/low-relief, large scale representations (at the scale of work by Anselm Kiefer or MarkBradford) that will be installed on the walls and/or windows in the gallery as supergraphics or othermeans as determined by the students and seminar and studio leaders.

The exhibition in the Banvard Gallery will be a series of supergraphics and study models depictinglandscape conditions that illustrate the proposed landscape identity for the land within the Big DarbyAccord.Areas of study will include:

● Suburban-Rural interfaces● Transportation Corridors - I-40 (Broad Street) and future rail● “Town Center” plan (currently planned on a New Urbanist Model)● De-channelization and restoration of the Hellbranch Run and tributaries

Project ListJanuary:Landscape Lexicon modelsLarge Scale Landscape GraphicsGallery mockupsFebruary:Larger scale model developmentMarch:Larger scale model execution & Graphic productionGallery installationApril:Conclusion and discussion of reading

Course ObjectivesAt the end of this studio, you will know:

● The critical conflicts that exist between suburban and rural land uses in Big Darby Creekwatershed;

● The policy and design guidelines implemented to improve water quality and reduce soil erosionin the Big Darby Creek watershed;

● The regulatory agencies that affect how landscapes are developed and managed in the BigDarby Creek watershed;

● How such guidelines can inform the development of a new landscape identity for land governedDarby Creek Accord;

● The basic principles and critiques of the theories of “Landscape Urbanism”, “New Urbanism”,“Rural by Design” and the “Intermediate Landscape” approach of Michel Desvigne;

● How to project the development of a landscape over the next 30 years;● How to use iterative physical modeling to develop a landscape language(planting, topography,

hydrology);● How to apply this landscape language at a range of scales● How to work efficiently as a member of a production team● How to speak clearly about your design proposal:

○ the aesthetics of your proposal and what influenced your results○ the adherence or intentional contradiction of Big Darby Accord design guidelines

○ how your project its critical position within contemporary discourse

Format● Class meets MWF afternoons.● Activities such as group pin-ups or reading discussions will take place on all days not scheduled

for project reviews or introductions.● We will meet with the seminar group during Michel Desvigne’s visits to work on charrettes● The schedule is subject to revision as field trips and guest lectures are added. Project

assignments will contain more detailed schedule information.

Evaluation of Studio PerformanceGradesYour studio leaders hail from a time in the past century when a C was considered average. There is adepartment-wide initiative to combat grade inflation. If you have concerns about your GPA please let usknow, especially if your scholarship or visa is GPA dependent. Those in danger of a C or less will bealerted and we will meet privately to discuss what challenges you are having and set up a plan toimprove your grade. You will fill out a self-evaluation at the end of the course and grade yourself on thefollowing topics. In the studio culture section, there is more information about the self-evaluationprocess and expectations.

Grades will be awarded using the following letter scale:A Exceeds expectations in every way, with distinguished mastery of materialB Consistent and strong work that meets requirements and evidences moments of

exceptional development with good mastery of materialC Satisfactory work, meets basic requirements with basic mastery of materialD Unsatisfactory work. does not meet all requirementsF Failing or incomplete

Self EvaluationThe following criteria will be used in evaluation of a participantís progress during the semester, and willbe used to determine the participantís final grade.

1. Theory to Practice: Give examples of how you engaged the theoretical topics investigated andpresented in precedent research and readings:

2. Productive experimentation and risk taking: Did you consistently draw, model, and test ideas,creating a clear series of experiments that lead moments of resolution and definition? Giveexamples when you created rigorous, scaled study models and drawings with new iterationsready for review in each class meeting. Did you build on these studies?

3. Participation and collaboration: . Did you productively collaborate and share information andtasks with other students? Were you able to participate in constructive internal critique withinyour group?

4. Response to Criticism: Did you develop your work based on feedback from your critics? Did youask for clarification if you did not understand the terms or concepts used?

5. Self-direction and ambition: Did you actively seek out information and resources outside of theexamples and assigned readings presented in the studio by the studio leaders?

6. Site exploration: Did you re-visit the site to ground-truth analysis and design concepts. Did youutilize rigorous methodologies for your fieldwork and record the results of your fieldwork clearly

in analytic drawings? Did you explore the neighborhood as well? Presentation: Did you clearlycommunicated the intentions of your project verbally and graphically. Did your presentationsuccessfully not only communicate the content of your design, but also defend the reasoningbehind your decisions?

OSU Student Conduct Policy & ResourcesStudents are required to adhere to all codes and academic policies of The Ohio State University and theKnowlton School of Architecture. In particular, plagiarism (the use of the ideas, words or works ofintellectual content of another person as if they are oneís own or without crediting the source) is strictlyforbidden. The Student Code of Conduct (http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/resource_csc.asp) definesacademic misconduct as: any activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of theuniversity, or subvert the educational process. All students are required to review the code andunderstand the implications of a code violation. If there is any suspicion of academic misconduct, thefaculty member/instructor will report the alleged violation to the section head and the Committee onAcademic Misconduct (http://oaa.osu.edu/coam/home.html) for investigation and any further action.

Other misconduct includes damage to, alteration of or other improper use of university equipment andproperty. The facilities of Knowlton Hall are for your use, but they are also for the use of students whocome after you. Please take appropriate care in your use of the facilities.

Since Knowlton Hall is a 24/7 facility for our students and faculty, it is imperative that all safetyprocedures be followed. With regard to maintaining secured access after normal business hours, do notprop doors open. Maintain and secure your personal items in lockable storage or by other approvedmeans. Work and study in a responsible manner so as not to create or provide potential fire/safetyhazards in the building or its environs. If you observe such conditions, please report them to the buildingcoordinator or the Directorís Office.

Attention is called to the Universityís Sexual Harassment Policy 1.15 (https://hr.osu.edu/policy/policy115.pdf). Prompt action will be taken to report and correct any problems should they occur. If astudent feels they have been the subject of harassment, or if others observe such harassment, it shouldbe reported immediately to the faculty member in charge, section head or director of the school.

STUDENT RESOURCES If you need an accommodation related to a disability, you should contact theOffice for Disability Services or the ADA Coordinatorís Office for assistance in verifying the need foraccommodations and developing accommodation strategies. Your needs and potentialaccommodations will be considered relative to the course format. If you have not previously contactedthe Office for Disability Services, you are encouraged to do so. ADA Coordinatorís Office:http://ada.osu.edu Office for Disability Services: http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/ (614) 292-3307 | Fax:(614) 292-4190 | TDD: (614) 292-0901

Other resources for students can be found at: http://studentaffairs.osu.edu.