The methods we use for representing elements in architectural drawings and models (technical and illustrative) should accurately reflect the characteristics of the element being represented. This is essential for the materialization of the project into a physical reality, from the site plan to the site intervention.

 

The workshop is part of the Creative Activity Research Grant awarded to Catalina Freixas and Pablo Moyano for the Land Lab Competition finalist proposal for a vacant plot in Old North St. Louis. The site is located at the intersection of St. Louis Ave and Blair Ave, and is an open space with a wooded area towards the north. The project includes the creation of a gathering space to promote social interaction among residents, a hardscape with varying degree of permeability to promote different kind of activities while permitting water infiltration,and a nectarine garden to promote pollinators to help with surrounding community gardens in the area.

 

Freixas & Moyano collaborated with Rick Kacenski, lecturer in landscape architecture, to involve first-year MLA students enrolled in Kacenski’s ‘Woody Plants and Environment” course to take a field trip to Tyson Research Center, to help collect, clean, and plant the seeds. On-the-ground efforts were led by Travis Mohrman, field station ecologist at Tyson.

 

Additionally, a piece of urban furniture provided for the gathering space as part of “Furnish It with pieces”, a seminar lead by Pablo Moyano in collaboration with Anova, a local manufacturing company dedicated to the design and production of site furnishings.

 

Marking the site, is presented as a workshop that aims to teach students the fundamentals of reading abstract information from drawings and translating it into a physical manifestation. Beginning with a discussion about abstract and illustrative representation, students look at a variety of examples to begin to understand the basics of on-site survey. Some of the questions we will explore include: what is the meaning of marking the site? what is the specific information that we need to convey? how does the selected method affects the overall drawing? what are the minimum details to include? What needs to be detailed in plan and/or section?

After discussion, a on-site survey demonstration and experimentation, conducted with students prepare the site for Concrete Strategyies (CSI is part of Clayco, Inc). CSI work on grading and preparing the site following the specifics of the siteplan. Students perform the following activities: building form work for on-site concrete slab casting, mounds reshaping, planting of collected seeding, and installation of concrete pavers on-site.

 

Students:

Babakhani Teymouri, Sharareh

Carter-Davis, Jovanni

Cortes, Alejandra

Kotin, Cordelia

Vo, Ylan

Zhang, George