Erie Boulevard Figure Ground Studies

I made this video this morning out of curiosity. The images are from a group project in my spring 2011 studio class at SUNY-ESF. Each figure ground is actually a composite of six 2'x2' tiled images making the final compiled images twelve feet long. The five drawings were done to highlight the dross located on a three mile stretch of Erie Boulevard. 

Figure Ground Studies For Erie Boulevard from Zachary Barker on Vimeo.

Site Resources Inc Visit

 Company Logo (source)

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have an informal interview with Site Resources Inc. located in Phoenix  Maryland. Site resources is a multi-discipline practice of landscape architects and civil engineers working in collaboration. The firm prides itself in its interdisciplinary approach to land development which ensures responsibly engineered solutions, sensitive to the design objectives identified and established during a project's planning stage. I was greeted by senior associate Fritz Behlen who had arranged to show me around for the afternoon.

After I arrived Fritz showed me examples of Site Resources past work, Fritz and I took a short visit to Manor View Farm. Located in Monkton, Maryland the farm is one of the premier nurseries in the mid-atlantic. I had been to Manor View before during my Ruppert Landscape internship to exchange some plant material, but had not had a chance to explore the nursery until yesterday. Fritz had a lot of great insights on plant selection and planting design considerations.

Manor View Farm (source)

When we got back to the office I had a chance to review my portfolio with Fritz. It was my first experience reviewing my portfolio with professional landscape architect and I felt it went well. My project [re]fueling erie boulevard got my review moving. Fritz was interested in my research on gas station product lines and how I was making a powerful argument with my design. 

© Zach Barker 2011

Before we could finish my review a colleague of Fritz came with a design problem that needed review. The site was Stoneleigh Elementary School in Towson, Maryland. The school is currently planning a new expansion on the oldest public school building in Baltimore County. I was fascinated to see how Fritz and his partner approached stormwater management regulations. Maryland has recently updated the requirements for stormwater management practices and the Stoneleigh site was a great example of how they affect landscape architects. We spent hours sketching out different ways to approach stormwater for the site. What was interesting to me was that sustainable practices such as permeable cement, rain gardens, and bio-swales were no longer considered innovative but requirements by the state. Watching them weigh the pros and cons of each management scenario was a really great learning experience. I have heard in the past that stormwater management is essential skill for me to learn, but I didn't realize how connected it is to the design of a site until I saw them working. 

Stoneleigh Elementary School (source) 

After coming up with a solid stormwater management approach, Fritz gave me a tour of the office. The office works on projects in teams and currently has three teams making up the core of the company. Each team occupied a different area of the office but it was interesting to see how they purposely tried to remove physical barriers between the groups. It made me think about my studio space at school and how it cold be improved. 

I want to thank Mr. Fritz Behlen and the Site Resources Inc. team for taking time out of their busy days to allow me to see their operation and learn about the company. I met a lot of great people today and hope to stay in touch with such a great firm. 

The High Line and Met

On Tuesday I traveled to NYC for the day to visit the Alexander McQueen - Savage Beauty exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as experience phase two of the High Line. We left Baltimore on Megabus at 6:30 in the morning hoping to spend as much time as we could afford in Manhattan.

First stop was the McQueen exhibit. It is the final week of the exhibit and it seemed like everyone in the city was in line to see for themselves. We waited a long two and half hours before it was our turn to enter the gallery. Once inside we were overwhelmed by the volume of people and the sheer size of the exhibit.

 Savage Beauty (source)

McQueen was well known for the impeccable details in his work and the exhibit highlighted his skill. Each room of the exhibit showcased a different period/style in McQueen's career. The overall theme used to unify the exhibit was McQueen's interest in romanticism. His work definitely represented the dark almost macabre side of romanticism. Being only slightly aware of McQueen's work before visiting I did not know what to expect from the exhibit but I can honestly say I was blown away. His work was more than just fancy clothes but in many ways statements about what McQueen believed in. One of his more powerful statements was was in the room containing his Romantic Nationalism collection. With the Romantic Nationalism collection McQueen was able to address England's 'raping' of Scotland especially of it's culture and resources. At the end of the exhibit my girlfriend (a fashion major) purchased a book on McQueen's work, which I hope to look through soon.

Romantic Nationalism (source)

The second leg of our short trip took us to the High Line. Phase two of the High Line opened in may of this year and I wanted to see it for myself. My girlfriend and I were able to meet three friends at the Lot (located below the High Line on the corner of West 30th St and 10th Avenue) and grab some lunch from the day's assortment of food trucks. 

 The Lot (source)

Of course all of us had to get a Brooklyn Brewery's High Line Elevated Wheat beer with our lunch. 

New York's First Locally Sourced Beer (source)

After lunch we went up to experience the High Line for ourselves. I had visited phase one of the High Line twice, both times in winter and was blown away each time but seeing the park in summer was even better than I expected.

Phase Two (source)

The first feature we encountered was the wildflower field which was full of black-eyed susans. The wildflower field really highlighted how straight and linear the High Line is. The black-eyed susans and other flowers formed long strips of color on both sides that contrasted nicely against the neutral colors of the surrounding neighborhood. 

Wildflower Field (source)

The next feature we encountered was the 26th st viewing spur. The spur recalls the billboards that once were scene hanging from the High Line. It was interesting to me that instead of highlighting products like the billboards of time's square they spur was highlighting the park's visitors. I was curious to see what the spur looked like to pedestrians on the street. I hope to find out for myself on the next trip. 

26 Street Spur (source)

The third and most interesting feature of the park was the Woodland Flyover. The flyover was a elevated walkway over the High Line. It was the only piece of the park that I noticed any topographic changes in the planting beds. The terrain undulated quite a bit in this short section of the park allowing for mini micro-habits to form below. Moss and other shade tolerant ground covers covered the ground plane while dense sumac trees formed a think canopy just below the elevated walk. The flyover managed to bring a little sense of wonder and excitement in subtle way just by changing the perspective of the High Line's visitors. 

The Elevated Walkway (source)

The last two features we encountered on phase two were the Chelsea thicket and Chelsea grasslands. The two features seemed to transition seamlessly. We encountered the thicket first which was essential a straight portion of the High Line containing a variety of densely planted shrubs. The shurbs transitioned into hearty grasses allowing the surrounding city to become visible again. 

Chelsea Thicket (source)

After walking the park from end to end we decided to check out the biergarten at the Standard Hotel. The Standard Hotel floats above the High Line while the Biergarten is located directly underneath the High Line (in a way making a High Line sandwich). The biergarten was a great example of reprogramming under-utilized space (a topic that is of great interest to me). 

The Standard (source)