inter-city

socializing industrial landscapes

lucia blanco

m.la foundation land 604: landscape architecture studio i instructor: tawab hlimi

Within the industrial area of Mayland, Calgary, there are special areas that demonstrate that people are displaying agency in their industrial surroundings. Those specific spaces or appropriation points are located along the abandoned path of the rail tracks surrounded by beautiful wild vegetation. Socializing Industrial Landscapes is a design proposal that aims to create a new linear experience to connect all those areas and transform them into new outdoor rooms. The objective of the project is to potentiate existing natural and cultural conditions without losing the industrial aspect of the area.

Through the integration of new planting modules with intermingled complex and structured native grasses and green ashes, visitors have the opportunity to walk or bike above paths made by perforated weathering steel. The proposal includes the design of three nodes, a walkway, a pedestrian crossing between the new path and 19th Street and a phasing transformation of an underused parking lot into a public space.

The design of the third node is developed in phases. The first phase of the design includes low-cost interventions that create a pop-up park/market.

The new space has ephemeral elements as planter boxes, wooden platforms that people can use to do performances or workshops. The second phase modifies permanently industrial terrains into spaces for culture, recreation and art. Changing land uses and forms of the existing industrial buildings into new libraries, local businesses, galleries, coffee shops, museums, outdoor spaces to work, etc. Creating new landscapes for contemporary values.

sanguine shift

peter tomanek

m.arch 2 arch 702: senior research studio ii instructor: joshua taron

While digital fabrication has presented us with many new manufacturing possibilities, it has also given us the responsibility of using these new tools to reduce the impact we have on our environment. This project aims to alter conventional construction paradigms to align with consumer wants and needs of sustainable practices. How can a building catalyze the construction industry’s commitment to lower carbon emissions as well as inspire carbon transparency? We can create a harvesting, manufacturing and assembly logic that is driven by digital tools and research. Standardization through connection homogeneity paired with novel robotic fabrication creates a streamlined assembly process, eliminating excess waste as well as reducing traffic in the construction area.