There is an increasing awareness among landscape architects and other designers that although it is axiomatic that environmental concerns play a major role in design, it is also necessary to identify and address the issues of place that form a vital part of the well-being of the whole person. One major issue is that of genius loci. the spirit of place. The object of this project is to describe some of the elements that go to make up the spirit of place that is unique to Indiana. "The stage we're at in Indiana, I don't think we have a real 'Indiana' landscape that has sifted out, I think we're still stretching our wings and discovering what we have here." (Eric Ernstberger, Indiana Landscape Architect.)The project consists of four sections:1. Investigation into the history of and writings on contextualism and regionalism both in general and in relation to the Midwest of the USA in particular.2. A. Preference survey of Indiana residents taken from an opportunity sample of 180 residents in three areas of the State, administered by interview. B.Interviews with two practising Indiana Landscape Architects, expressing their thoughts on designing for Indiana.3. Visual catalog of artworks, photographs and excerpts from the writings of Christian Norburg-Schulz on Genius Loci and Rachel Peden on Indiana.4. Color slide presentation to class of students on the above. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This creative project involved preparation of a cultural landscape report for Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Using methodologies adapted from the National Park Service and National Register of Historic Places, the report sought to define the existing conditions, historic significance, and appropriate treatment approach for the historic cemetery. Report chapters include site history and contextual documentation, existing conditions assessment, analysis of historic significance and integrity, treatment recommendations, and recommendations for further study. Lindenwood Cemetery was found to be significant for its association with the major four American cemetery design movements and its ability to display all four eras in a single landscape. Overall, Lindenwood retained a high level of integrity from its historic periods of significance advocating a minimally-invasive rehabilitation treatment approach. Treatment recommendations focused on maintenance and repair, guidelines for implementing new uses, and restoration of certain sunken garden elements. / Department of Landscape Architecture

An effort to understand the basic contextual foundation of environmental art design in relation to site-specific context. As a result of this understanding, environmental artwork designs will be developed based upon the context of chosen sites on the Ball State University's campus with a view toward the development of greater visual literacy. The work effort includes a preliminary exploration of the methods and approaches followed by contemporary designers (including artists, landscape architects, landscape designers, and architects) in the design and execution of environmental art works that have a contextual relationship to a site. This exploration focuses upon Post World War II outdoor installations intended for public viewing and/or interaction. Context of Project WorkThe first step consists of information gathering about professional designers, including landscape architects, artists, landscape designers, and architects, who design outdoor environmental artworks based upon the context of a site. This information will include literature search, site visits, case studies, and possible interviews with designers.This information will then be distilled into sketch designs of environmental art pieces that can be sited on the Ball State University's campus. The designs produced for the artworks will be based upon the information gathered about various designers with attention to the preservation of the stylistic influences from the artists while deleting the possibility of repetition of previous artworks.The work of research on artists and projects will result in an expanded knowledge base from which a group of three or four designers will be selected to serve as exemplars or a case study foundation for the design effort.It is expected that the entire effort will serve as a model of an apprenticeship in outdoor art and site design for a non-art major pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. In addition, the work effort will serve to promote visual literacy in the Ball State University campus as well as to provide suggestions for physical designers on the placement and execution of site specific outdoor art. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This project is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Ball State University. It involves the creation of a Concept Master Plan for a 16-acre parcel of privately owned land located in the northern Hoosier National Forest (the "Project Site"). The Project Site includes about eight acres of wooded hills and approximately eight acres of gently sloping cleared area, which had been previously farmed, two creeks and a one-acre pond.The Concept Plan presented in this paper attempts to achieve the clients' program, i.e., enhancing the aesthetics of the Project Site and enriching the environmental complexity of its ecosystem through an integrated set of interventions that have as their focus maintaining a clearing in the woods.The design process includes a historical and contextual analysis of the Project Site and the region; identifying strong points, opportunities for enhancement and problems to be solved. Various alternatives to address issues are evaluated; and specific projects are then integrated into the Concept Plan.The two key dualities of the Project Site from which all else flows are: (i) hills/valley and (ii) clearing/forest. Enhancing and articulating these two pairs of complementary elements are the core opportunities at the Project Site. All other problems and opportunities are subordinate to these two unifying elements. Among the key near-term problems to be solved are: (1) stabilizing the pond; (2) minimizing the presence of alien invasives and opportunistic native species; (3) introducing appropriate native plant species which encourage a more varied fauna; (4) enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of wetlands; (5) developing naturalistic vistas based on existing topography; and (6) providing for an enriched diverse environment that requires a minimum of ongoing maintenance and intervention.The Concept Plan is composed of two elements:1.Description of specific "capital" projects which were selected during the evaluation process described above; and2.Management/maintenance plan, which is programmatic in nature and deals with ongoing activities such as monitoring, managing the growth of alien invasives and opportunistic natives, replacement and augmenting planting, etc.Measures proposed in the Concept Plan will arrest succession at the savanna stage to maintain a continuous, layered forest edge. New native plant species will be introduced, generating a more diverse landscape than would otherwise exist. Man-made elements such as a shelter and bridge will meet the clients' functional needs and serve as focal points and aesthetic elements. / Department of Landscape Architecture

The goals of this report were: 1) to present a comparison between historic and present day landscape plantings in the Ravine Garden of the Lilly Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; and 2) to develop and establish a vegetation management study that would provide guidelines for the vegetation management of the Ravine Garden. The study and guidelines were developed in order to: a) remove inappropriate present day plantings; b) protect the historic landscape plantings; c) eventually replant the historic plants currently missing; and d) manage the vegetation of the Ravine Garden as in an important historic designed landscape. / Department of Landscape Architecture

American cemeteries have evolved from unsophisticated and crowded burial grounds to curvilinear and elegantly designed rural cemeteries to the functional business of the memorial park. Regardless of the type, all cemeteries are constantly changing due to their natural features and because of the deterioration of stone after prolonged exposure to the elements. Then add neglect or vandalism into the mix and cemeteries appear to be particularly doomed.This creative project examines the cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana. Working from "Cemeteries in Delaware County, Indiana" by Rosaella Cartwright and Elizabeth Modlin, an inventory was completed for the sixty located cemeteries. The ten that were not inventoried were outside the scope of the project, could not be located, or inaccessible. The landscape features, markers, funerary art motifs, and preservation efforts were recorded and the data was then analyzed. Issues and challenges facing the cemeteries were investigated, including how to go about properly documenting a cemetery and general information on cleaning and repairing markers. Finally preservation guidelines and recommendations were proposed for the cemeteries in Delaware County. / Department of Architecture