1. c.annalisamilleracademic + student work
I n t e r v e n t i o n
Latin:
intervenire inter (between) + venire (to come)
1: to come in or between by way of hindrance or modification
2. to make a conscious decision to change something and make it
better
As landscape architects we read, write, erase, rewrite and change,
compose and improvise, highlight and diminish certain features within
a landscape. We decide which story to tell and how it is told. Upon
arriving at a site, certain features draw us in, evoke our curiosity and
leave certain impressions upon us. Throughout the design process,
one’s intuition, research and subsequent visits inform the project and
initiate a series of dialogues amongst the designer and the site’s vari-
ous elements.
A C T I V I T Y
S I T E : : W A A C
WAAC was built between 1905-1909, opening as a school in 1909.
Today it is still a school and its address is the same, 1001 Prince
Street. Everyday it is in the same place. Everyday it looks essen-
tially the same. It is a fixed element in the landscape while a series of
forces act upon it.
It endures.
Upon close inspection one can observe the maturity of the bricks,
imagine the history the wooden planks would tell and find within the
building, a unique place to insert and deposit one’s own fragments.
It endures as the rain changes the brick color to a deeper hue, and
the wind smoothes the surface of materials and meanders through
its hallways. The sun watches over WAAC, gradually shifting, cast-
ing shadows that morph and stretch and change the building’s mood
throughout the day and the various seasons. Each year new students
enter its doors for the first time, adapt to the current vibe being emit-
ted and in return, contribute to its collective energy. WAAC is ani-
mated by the people.
It is a fixed element in the landscape, yet it evolves absorbing the
forces, patterns and flows that act upon it.
TASK: elemental intervention at WAAC.
In the first project you took a new look at WAAC and documented
what you saw. You made discoveries about spaces that worked and
those that didn’t, idiosyncrasies within its structure and moments of
celebration. You learned about the human body and beautiful propor-
tion. In the second part you explored one of the four classic elements
and derived four, connected but independent, interpretations of that
element. Your next task is to make an intervention on a portion of
the site that needs improvement. You will do so by, incorporating into
the landscape, the findings you made about your chosen element and
highlight and/or uniquely narrate some aspect of that element.
P O I N T O N E
identify a location for your design
Indentify a place that relates to your element. Investigate the chosen
site, its uses, its peculiarities and how your element interacts with it.
Choosing the site that needs the most improvement might not be the
best one for your element.
P O I N T T W O
the design
Implement a design that fulfills the following:
the site
-
face.
P O I N T T H R E E
translation into a drawing
Translate your ideas into a proposed design for WAAC. To explain
your concept, your representation should include, but is not limited to,
one plan, one section and one additional image of your choice.
piece of paper. Drawings are to be expressive, draw in graphite, dem-
onstrate knowledge of lineweight hierarchy and incorporate drafting
conventions. *Remember that the interior rooms of a building inter-
act with the exterior rooms or landscape.
P O I N T F O U R
present your concept
Students will present their work to their classmates and professors.
intervention
