Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / It is estimated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that approximately 1 in every 88 children are diagnosed with some level of autism or various degrees of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (2012). Pervasive Developmental Disorders are commonly referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (and hereafter referred to as autism). Many children with autism have difficulty communicating, must cope with their disorder, and may need special considerations in the classroom. Needs of children with autism vary from child to child, but they all can benefit from environments that are designed with awareness of challenges and characteristics associated with autism. Schoolyards commonly contain asphalt, turf, and traditional play structures that do not take into consideration the needs of children with mental or physical disabilities. However, schoolyards can be designed to provide therapeutic benefits on these children without segregating them from the larger school community. In order to understand how a schoolyard might be designed as a therapeutic environment for children with autism the challenges, needs, and common therapies for children with autism must be understood. The characteristics of therapeutic landscapes for children must be considered in addition. After examining both therapeutic landscapes and the many facets of autism, the researcher applied lessons learned to the design of a schoolyard master plan for Amanda Arnold Elementary School in Manhattan, Kansas.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / In the temperate Midwest, interiorscapes are seldom a feature of public schools. The interior spaces of school environments tend to be dull, uninspiring, and do very little to nurture the wellbeing and needs of students. Interiorscapes can greatly influence the overall productivity of users by creating healthy, pleasant environments. Schools fail to create richer indoor environments for a number of reasons, such as lack of resources as well as knowledge about the design, implementation and benefits of interiorscapes. In addition students today “are not the outdoor-living [children] they were 100 years ago, and as much as 90% of [their] time may be spent indoors” (Manaker, 2). Healthy and stimulating school environments have the potential to enhance students’ productivity and creativity. Therefore the question at hand is: how can a Manhattan Kansas’ high school integrate the natural and built environment to create richer interior spaces? In this Master’s report, I explore the potential benefits of designing an interiorscape that integrates the natural and built environments within a school setting. Using Manhattan High School West Campus as the project site, I analyzed the effect and design of existing interiors on students through passive observation. Numerous research precedents identified valuable information on design processes and methodologies for designing interiorscapes and evaluating user interaction with existing places. Following a thorough analysis of the typology and characteristics of each precedent, I considered unique facets that were directly applicable to my project site. I then went to test the aspects selected from these precedents by incorporating them into the design for the selected project site; north courtyard and adjacent interior dining space. Based upon the precedent research and literature review, design goals and objectives evolved. The end product is a schematic design for Manhattan’s High School cafeteria area and north courtyard. The plan encompasses desired characteristics of an interiorscape and needs of its potential users. Ultimately, this proposal presents ideas for ways of implementing interiorscapes to enhance the overall productivity of users, while simultaneously strengthening the relationship between the natural and built environments.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / There is currently a dearth of planning literature concerning participatory processes relative to children, particularly in the planning and design of schoolyard or playground spaces. Through a local, place-based, participatory approach emphasizing local knowledge and active listening, this master's report seeks to confirm the value of children in the planning and design of a schoolyard space. The study took place at the Northview Elementary School in Manhattan, KS comprising students as primary stakeholders, teachers/administrative staff as secondary stakeholders and parents as tertiary stakeholders. Additionally, the study employed Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s childhood cognitive development theories and five operational play categories in guiding the development of a learning landscape design aimed at supporting and maximizing cognitive development, physical activity and recreation. The report concludes with a set of five (5) recommendations designed to equip prospective researchers in undertaking participatory processes within school settings. The implication of this study is that sustained stakeholder engagement during planning and design processes of schoolyards will result in spaces reflective of the target audience.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture / Katie Kingery-Page / Encouraging creativity is an important part of a child’s education and often not adequately supported by outdoor school environments. Contemporary playgrounds are designed in response to perceptions of liability and a limited interpretation of child development. Prefabricated plastic constructions and expanses of asphalt are poor initiators of creative expression. This project proposes a more stimulating, artistically crafted alternative to the typical playground. Beginning with documented research of play, the project layers psychology, education and humanities to form an understanding of how formal space affects human experience. More specifically, poetry, land art, sculpture, narrative and character studies inform the design solution for a 6.4 acre site at Northview Elementary School in Manhattan, Kansas. Integrated design provides children a meaningful experience of space and direct contact with nature. This design encourages imaginative and creative play, expanding the experiential quality of a contemporary playground.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / Man has been learning in the outdoors since the beginning of humankind. Modern times have reduced the amount of time people spend learning and exploring outside. This causes humans to be disconnected from the natural environment. By making schoolyards more environmentally focused, conducive to outdoor education and play, formal education can return to the original classroom–nature– and inspire people to reconnect with their environment. Much literature supports the ideas of aligning the efforts of play and education, environmental interpretation and education, and outdoor education with formal education; by incorporating all of these elements in a schoolyard, the potential for enriched learning is greatly increased. This project explores nature interpretation strategies used by public botanic gardens and translates these strategies to an ecological schoolyard. At Northview Elementary School in Manhattan, Kansas, the students face a simple, sterile play-yard with flooding limiting site use after storm events. The design for Northview Elementary will integrate stormwater features with school needs into a new ecological master plan for campus. Interpreting this landscape using the strategies adapted from botanical gardens for educational approaches, methods, and interpretive displays, provides the school and community a resource to enhance their lives, education, and the environment.