This thesis offers a preliminary argument for materiality as the primary medium through which landscape architecture is experienced. An original theory, Transformative Materiality, posits that landscape experience may be heightened, making people more aware of and engaged with their surroundings, if design encourages the changing of materials over time through temporal landscape processes (such as erosion and deposition). Resulting landscape phenomena may translate into passive education about the effects of naturalistic material transformation. And any gained experiential knowledge of the landscape, might, in turn, become a source of meaningful, personal connection to the landscape, potentially inspiring appreciation and stewardship. The theoretical development and argumentation for Transformative Materiality is preceded by its application in the final thesis design project, to provide a basis for common reference. The Beach Outfalls Challenge competition serves to provide a site and problem: the Mississippi commercial beach system, and stormwater management through the immediate beach environment. Three materials, sand, wind, and water, are studied in relation to landscape processes that are purposefully employed to encourage change in the landscape’s material form over time. The final design is a landscape technology that harnesses material processes in order to perform environmental services of cleaning stormwater and creating new habitat, while allowing such processes to diversify material form for a range of phenomena and consequent opportunities for experiential education that may lead to a holistic understanding of the landscape as a dynamic, responsive system. / Master of Landscape Architecture / One may observe and learn how nature works, by noticing its transformations over time. Seeing a rock smoothed into a pebble by rushing river water, or finding a fallen tree being broken down by insects. Noticing weeds pop up from cracks in the sidewalk, or seeing a whole forest turn shades of red in the Fall. These experiences offer a passive, informal education about what nature is, what it can do, and how it works. They may be the initial experiences that spark one’s curiosity, and eventually lead to a deeper connection, investigation, or stewardship of their natural environment. Seeing nature transform itself over time is the basis for a new design theory, called Transformative Materiality. With this theory, design is driven primarily by the materials in a site (rocks, soils, water, plants, etc.) and how they may interact through natural processes in the landscape. Natural processes, such as erosion, deposition, and succession allow each material to transform over time. Visitors may connect each process with its visible effects on landscape materials over time, affording a passive, informal education about nature through direct experience. The designed project, on a beach in Mississippi, uses stormwater runoff from urban areas to flow over sand, across the beach surface. Water flow to the ocean is aided by processes of sand accumulation and dune formation, which help contain the spread of water. Wooden pilings encourage processes of whirling and sand carving, to intentionally create deeper areas of water flow and collection. Introduced water helps irrigate new plant communities, which stabilize dunes, filter water, and create new insect and bird habitats. A minimalistic design framework encourages each process to work together constructively, and visitors experience a continually evolving progression of landscape transformation over time.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/79368 |
| Date | 20 September 2017 |
| Creators | Hunter, Ian du Bois |
| Contributors | Architecture, Kelsch, Paul J., McSherry, Laurel, Emmons, Paul F. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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