GENERAL DESIGN CATEGORY

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

In Between Walls

Hamun Lake, Sistan, Iran
Niloufar Makaremi Esfarjani, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Fadi Masoud, ASLA
University of Toronto


As a result of political conflict between neighbouring countries, Afghanistan has diverted water from the transboundary Hamoun lakes, as such, Iran's wetlands have dried up. Combined with the effects of climate change, this area has become a major source of dust storms affecting eastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan, causing socio-economic, health, and environmental issues and compromising valuable cultural sites.

Based on the physics of dust storms, and with the threefold objective of ecological improvement, cultural reconnection, and a diplomatic gesture, this thesis proposes implementing an armature in the landscape: a series of strategically located walls that takes advantage of natural forces.

HONOR AWARDS

Myth, Memory, and Landscape in the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation

Pyramid Lake, NV, USA
Team: Derek Lazo, Student ASLA; Serena Lousich, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Danika Cooper, ASLA
UC Berkeley

Sharawadgi Garden: A New Understanding of Chinoiserie for a Chinese Garden at the MoMA

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA
Douglas A. Breuer, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Richard Weller, Valerio Morabito
University of Pennsylvania

Songs From The Ocean, Dancers From The Land: Rendering An Ecological Choreography of Coastal Habitats in Phuket, Thailand

Phuket, Thailand
Kate Jirasiritham, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, ASLA; Matthew Seibert, Associate ASLA
The City College of New York

Stop Making Sense: Spatializing the Hanford Site's Nuclear Legacy

Hanford, WA, USA
Team: Kasia Keeley, Student ASLA; Andrew Prindle, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Thaisa Way, ASLA
University of Washington

Wetness Behind the SC/EEN: Re-wetting the Oran

Tilwara, Rajasthan, India
Cyrus Sohrab Khan, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Anuradha Mathur, ASLA
University of Pennsylvania

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN CATEGORY

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Baseco: A New Housing Paradigm

Manila, Philippines
Team: Julio F. Torres Santana, Student ASLA; Yinan Liu, Student ASLA; Aime Vailes-Macarie
Faculty Advisors: David A. Rubin, ASLA
Harvard University Graduate School of Design


Upon our site selection and during the first week of study, we were responsible for a rigorous research into the community of Baseco in Manila, the Philippines, including history, population diversity, ecological systems, culture, commerce and economics, among other influencing factors that could inform our design decisions through the course of this project. The initial investigation was followed by a site visit and participation along with workshops with members of the Baseco community and a forum with influential civic leaders within the region. Afterwards, we shared our initial findings on the city and the region, and engaged in dialogue with both leaders and community members. Our proposals connect form with space, interiors with landscape, consider climate, vegetation and sea level rise, and create sustainable ecologically sensitive habitations considering technologies focusing on material reuse.

HONOR AWARDS

The Snow [RESERVE]: Dynamic Microclimate Strategies for South Boston Living

Boston, MA, USA
Team: Sunmee Lee, Student ASLA; Phia Sennett, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Craig Douglas
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

ANALYSIS AND PLANNING CATEGORY

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

El Retorno a la Tierra/Going Back To the Land

Las Marías, Puerto Rico
Nicole Rivera-Ramos, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Matthew R. Potteiger, ASLA; Martin Hogue, ASLA
State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF)


Puerto Rico imports eighty-five percent of its food and the agricultural industry was decimated by hurricane Maria. "El Retorno a la tierra" empowers communities to produce their own food and be self-sufficient. This project presents strategies that could be implemented within the landscape in a barrio for the community to produce their own food. It uses the basic unit of the barrio as a model that could be expanded to other areas. It finds opportunities in the current condition of the forests in the aftermath of hurricane Maria and proposes an integration of food crops with the reforestation efforts in the forests edges, pastures and grasslands. In the 1930's Puerto Rico had an agricultural economy and most of its land was dedicated to agriculture, but this "Retorno a la tierra" is different because it focuses on the diversity and ecological basis of subsistence agriculture, rather than export agriculture that was primary dominated by monoculture. This proposal establishes a new community-based agroecology that creates the possibilities for bringing people back to the land.

HONOR AWARDS

Bloom! A Dynamic Landscape Biological System

Fort Worth, TX, USA
Team: Xiwei Shen, Student ASLA; Jiawen Chen, Student ASLA; Chengzhe Zhang, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Craig Douglas; David Watts, ASLA
Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Developing with Water: A Landscape-driven Regulatory Framework

New Orleans, LA, USA
Meikang Li, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Jane Wolff, ASLA
University of Toronto

Pyro-Diversion: Planning for Fire in the San Gabriel Valley

Glendora, CA, USA
Sarah Toth, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Catherine Seavitt Nordenson, ASLA, Matthew Seibert, Associate ASLA
The City College of New York

Terre d'eau - Land of Water

St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada
Marianne Lafontaine-Chicha, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Justine Holzman, ASLA
University of Toronto

Topographic Urban Expansion - A Landscape Armature on Hillsides of Mexico City

Mexico City, Mexico
Qiwei Song, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Fadi Masoud, ASLA
University of Toronto

Waters in Peril: Collective Measures for a Dying Lake Winnipeg

Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Jaysen Ariola, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Pete North, ASLA
University of Toronto

RESEARCH CATEGORY

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Restoring Diversity: Factors Influencing Revegetation Efforts in the Mojave Desert

Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave Desert Land Trust, USA
Marinna Wagner, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Susan J. Mulley, ASLA
Cal Poly Pomona


This research examined the capacity for restoration projects to ameliorate disturbed sites in the desert in the context of unprecedented biodiversity loss and potential extinction of species. The study investigated what factors influence revegetation efforts in the Mojave Desert through meta-analysis and field surveys. The goals were to determine influential existing conditions, biophysical, and anthropogenic factors, assess the effectiveness of revegetation techniques, and comprehend vegetation succession following the revegetation of disturbed arid sites.

The Morongo Basin and Joshua Tree National Park was especially limited in published research. It is currently experiencing an increase in negative environmental impacts attributed to increased urban development, recreation, and global warming. This study shows that revegetation is possible, yet factors and strategies are variable and site-specific. The results and analysis are valuable for landscape architects practicing adjacent to the urban-wildland interface in arid environments. In addition, this research suggests the importance of understanding soils and the vegetation successional patterns and the need for increased monitoring of restoration efforts in arid regions.

COMMUNICATIONS CATEGORY

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

‘Korea Remade’: A Guide To the Reuse of the DMZ and Hinterlands Towards Unification

Border of Republic of Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Team: Xiwei Shen, Student ASLA; Jiawen Chen, Student ASLA; Siyu Jiang, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Niall Kirkwood, FASLA; Yoonjin Park, ASLA; Jungyoon Kim, ASLA
Harvard University Graduate School of Design


This project is a studio coursework. The unification process on the Korea Peninsula is currently the focus of political, cultural and media attention around the world. The 'Korea Remade' project investigates landscape planning and design concerns and offers creative and practical approaches to aid in, and advance the unification processes.

In 1945, the Korean Peninsula was divided into divided territories with standing armies on either side of the 38th Parallel. Recently in 2018, the North Korea and South Korea leaders met at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) established after 1953 between the countries and agreed to officially end the Korean War (1950- 53). As landscape designers, we wanted to use landscape architecture and design approaches as a medium to help the process of unification through programs, infrastructure and remaking the landscape of the peninsula.

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the boundary between South and North Korea, it is a 2.5 miles wide and a 150miles long corridor. What could this site be used during unification and post-unification? How can landscape design help the unification process?

HONOR AWARDS

A Student's Guide to Environmental Justice Version 1.3

Location Not Applicable
Team: Kari Spiegelhalter, Student ASLA; Patricia Noto, Student ASLA; Tess Ruswick, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Joshua F. Cerra, ASLA
Cornell University and Rhode Island School of Design

District Hill Cemetery Master Plan

Chickamauga, GA, USA
Team: Arianne Wolfe, Student ASLA, Devyn Quick, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisor: Douglas Pardue, ASLA
University of Georgia

Public Space Design Guidelines for Saltillo, Mexico

Saltillo, Mexico
Team: Gabrielle Comeau, Student ASLA; Jiahui Huo, Student ASLA; Rem Kielman, Associate ASLA; Maria Pia Navarrete Garcia, Student Affiliate ASLA; Miles Payton, Student ASLA; Emilie Potter, Student ASLA; Kelsey Ross, Student ASLA; Roha Teferra, Student Affiliate ASLA; Huixiang Wang, Student ASLA; Matt Wagoner, Student ASLA; Haley Wagoner, Student ASLA; Elizabeth J. Wong, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Gabriel Diaz Montemayor, ASLA
University of Texas at Austin

The Living Things Nursery Catalogue and Guide to Climate

Location Not Applicable
Bonnie-Kate Walker, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Teresa Gali-Izard, ASLA
University of Virginia

STUDENT COLLABORATION

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

The One Tree Project

St. Louis, Missouri
Team: Margot Shafran, Student ASLA; Alisa Blatter, Associate, ASLA; Robert Birch; Shu Guo, Associate ASLA; Ophelia Yuting Ji; Scott Mitchell; Natalie Rainer; Allana Ross
Faculty Advisors: Jesse Vogler, Ken Botnick
Washington University in St. Louis


With the imminent transformation of the East Campus at Washington University, this project-based investigation of is structured around an historical and ecological analysis of a pin-oak allée. This project examines our local landscape and resource legacy, offering insight into the greater meaning of trees in our urban ecosystem.

Beginning with one tree, this project bore an understanding of the community of trees, and an interrogation into ways that our landscape imaginaries can be tuned to embrace arboreal collectivity. The allée became a laboratory: asking questions of the trees, questions of their context, and questions of ourselves.

Working with arborists, ecologists, landscape architects, sculptors, dendrochronologists and artists, students interrogated the many meanings of one tree-from root to crown, from microbial sub-soil cultures to species habitats in its highest branches, from the monoculture of the 43 tree allée, to the diverse community beyond.

The project was capped by a ritual felling of a single tree in advance of the campus transformation, with this One Tree returning to the new landscape as a nurse log in 2019.

HONOR AWARDS

Thermal Thresholds

Minto, AK, USA
Team: Katie Kelly, Student ASLA; Yin Yu Fong; Anna Morrison
Faculty Advisors: Matthew Jull, Leena Cho
University of Virginia

STUDENT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Children’s Garden: Strengthening Mother-Child Relationships Within Prison Walls

Mitchellville, IA, USA
Team: Matthew Iekel, Student ASLA; Krithika Mohan, Student ASLA; and Jenna Niday, Student Affiliate ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Julie Stevens
Iowa State University


At this moment, over 1.7 million children in the US are victims of parental incarceration, which induces trauma on children and leads to stress and insecurity. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), including parental incarceration, are linked with health disparities, disease, and even early death. Prison visitation has been shown to improve offender health, and reduce offender misconduct and lower recidivism. This project creates healthy environments for prison visits, thereby strengthening the bonds between mothers and their children.

The Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW) in Mitchellville partnered with students in our University's College of Design to design and build a space for incarcerated mothers to connect with their children. The design was created through a participatory process with incarcerated mothers and their children. We worked closely with prison administration to mitigate safety and security concerns. The resulting garden, grounded in therapeutic and biophilic design principles, provides interactive play, a walking and tricycle path, colorful plantings, and a conversation grove.

HONOR AWARDS

Croatian Monastery Continues to Heal: A Community Restorative Garden for Youth, the Blind, and the Elderly with Disabilities.

Rijeka, Croatia
Team: Nathania Martinez, Student ASLA; Issamar Aguilera, Student ASLA; Nicky Bloom, Student ASLA; Bryana Boileau, Student ASLA; Margaret Chalmers, Student ASLA; Yuan Chen, Student Affiliate ASLA; James Ditto, Student ASLA; Boo Y. Jang, Student ASLA; Yan Li, Student ASLA; Kun Lyu, Student ASLA;  Jean Ni, Student ASLA; Aaron Parker, Student ASLA; Ye Sun, Student ASLA; Monica Taylor, Student ASLA; Hanyu Wang, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Daniel Winterbottom, FASLA; Luka Jelusic
University of Washington

Dolores Street Pollinator Boulevard

San Francisco, CA, USA
Team: Julia Prince, Student ASLA; Benjamin Heim, Associate ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Patricia Algara
University of California Berkeley

Jazz Fence

Chicago, IL, USA
Team: Jiaming Sun, Student ASLA; Yu Si, Student ASLA
Faculty Advisors: Ron Henderson, FASLA
Illinois Institute of Technology