Exploring Landscapes

EXPLORING LANDSCAPES WORK FROM THE MLAII PROGRAM HARVARD GSD | 2011-2013

HATZAV YOFFE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT | ISALA LEED GA | ENV SP

EXPLORING LANDSCAPES WORK FROM THE MLAII PROGRAM HARVARD GSD | 2011-2013

4 EXPLORING LANDSCAPES

EXPLORING LANDSCAPES WORK FROM THE MLAII PROGRAM AT HARVARD GSD. 2011-2013 Cambridge MA. June, 2013 Drawings and content. Hatzav Yoffe e-mail: hyoffe@gmail.com @ Linked in Editing and proofing. Terence J. Fitzpatrick This book was created based on material produced during The Master in Landscape Architecture studies in Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Its content was solely produced by the author. Whether text, plans, perspectives or other drawings and is for illustration purposes only and should not be treated or used as a document produced as part of a professional service. The copyright for the book and its content including intellectual ideas continue to lie with the author.

HATZAV YOFFE

ON EXPLORING LANDSCAPES Exploring Landscapes covers two years of work in the Masters in Landscape Architecture II program at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

The work presented explores the relationship of landscape with ecology and civic infrastructure embedded within urban communities; and tests these relationships within the specificities of three design studios.

The projects experiment with strategies to breakdown existing cycles of consumption and waste. These designs divert energy flows for the creation of multi-use, sustainable platforms that benefit local communities. Harvested dredge material from the New Haven Harbor creates a resilient storm surge buffer zone, which expands the city’s open space, and strengthens ecological corridors for waterfront recreation. On the Hudson River waterfront, a hybrid tree nursery - park generates an annual flow of urban-hardy street trees while acting as a center for community stewardship programs in the heart of Manhattan. The Concord landfill celebrates a revolving cradle to cradle landuse. A community waste landscape also performs as a recreation backdrop, and a home for enriched ecological habitats.

This collection of work strengthens a belief of landscape as the foundation for environments, processes and operations; these are infrastructural landscapes, driven by human needs for development. Contemporary design solutions strive for balancing flows and resources by creating landscapes for the continuous benefits urban communities. The leader of these designs is the landscape architect: a trained generalist, which negotiates social, ecological and construction constraints into inspiring, and beautiful sustainable environments.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I’d like to acknowledge my friends, family and colleagues in the US, Israel and abroad who supported me throughout this process - always willing to help, offering a hand, good advice and just being there for me. Special thanks go to my wonderful parents Tirza and Doron, and to my amazing wife Sivan. Your belief in my abilities and goals made this dream possible.

Hatzav Yoffe June, 2013

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6 THE ‘SAND BOX’. A NEW (HAVEN) GREEN

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THE ‘SAND BOX’ A NEW (HAVEN) GREEN STU 0140200 FALL 2011 Course Instructors Henri Bava, Olivier Philippe, Michel Hossler

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8 THE ‘SAND BOX’. A NEW (HAVEN) GREEN

Dredged sedimentation from the harbor canal and bay area will be reused to extend New Haven’s water front. The design performs as a protective surge buffer zone, which regenerates the existing narrow and eroded waterline into a productive and resilient dune park.

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The centralized location within New Haven, creates an iconic landmark for the city. The shape and dimension of the dune echoes the historical settlement and cultivation of the area, making it a physical and educational reminder of New Haven’s footprint.

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10 THE ‘SAND BOX’. A NEW (HAVEN) GREEN

PARK STRUCTURE SCHEME

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PARK PLAN Implementation of the project is performed over time, starting with the foundation of the break wave system, and responsively to resource availability. The land fill forms the beach and primary program area, the nature reserve and the high points of the park. The circulation system is based on the first phase of construction, allowing functionality throughout the park construction phases.

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12 THE ‘SAND BOX’. A NEW (HAVEN) GREEN

Phase 1. Wave Break Infrastructure Park circulation foundation

Phase 2. Working Landscape Dune landfill construction

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Phase 2. Working Landscape In between landfill construction

Phase 3. Completion. Nature Reserve

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14 GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK

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GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK STU 0140700 SPRING 2012 Course Instructors: Michael Van Valkenburgh, Rosetta Elkin T/A: Hatzav Yoffe

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16 GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK NURSERY PLANTING

Tree planting by grid in 4 m aisles

STRUCTURES & SITTING Utility Shed Concrete Benches Floor Lighting

Before

After

Rapidly changing park-scape. White Pine planting

Community tree planting. Horatio St.

PLANTING GRID

Planting Beds

CIRCULATION AND PAVING Pervious Paving in Board Walk Temporary Soft Bed Park Paths Informal Park Entrance River Park Bike Way

TOPOGRAPHY Mild 1-5% incline

1.5 m planting medium Geofabric draining sheet 2 m construction landfill - (current landfill)

CISTERN SYSTEM In Site water circulation. Rainfall catchment system. 120 M^3 draining system for Dry months (June, October)

SEA WALL 3.7 m Seawall - reconstructed

The Gansevoort Park and Tree Farm encourages the community to experience and engage in a unique, productive and dynamic landscape. The spacious seven acre pier transforms into a hybrid of production and recreational infrastructure. The park hosts a self-sustaining, urban-hardy tree nursery, and its programing acts to increase human sensitivity to natural cycles of growth within the Manhattan city-scape. Community planting programs would follow the trees growth cycles, from plugs to fully grown street trees in the neighborhood. The

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park conserves the original pier shape while transforming it into seven acres of production landscape. The restored seawall frames gentle manipulations in topography. A runoff catchment and circulation system is installed, minimizing the parks potable water consumption.

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18 GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK

IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE TYPOLOGIES runoff flow runoff overflow groundwater flow to cistern local low point bioswale

PLANTING TYPOLOGIES

Planting

Nursery

Corridors

TYPE PERFORMANCE tree/hectare

tree scale maintenance production potential recreation potential contribution to ecosystem

The typology mixture defines the park’s productive profile, number of trees exported annually and its recreational profile.

The operation of the park adapts to community needs by replanting, thinning of rows and clearing space for recreation purposes.

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Mixed Planting

Grove

Clearing

The park contributes approximately 200 grown street trees annually to the adjacent neighborhoods as part of a self-sustaining operational strategy.

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20 GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK

YEAR 0

YEAR 2

YEAR 4

YEAR 6

YEAR 8

YEAR 10

The vegetation list consists of native species that appear in local Flood Forest and the pre-developed Manhattan habitats. The Proposed plant list Overlaps with current NYC street tree list. It suggests six medium-fast growing street trees that hold similar growth characteristics.

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YEAR 0

YEAR 2

YEAR 4

YEAR 6

YEAR 8

YEAR 10

The planting pallet would expand over time, and introduce new species to the city street-scape. This will increase biodiversity and strengthen the urban tree-scape resistance to tree diseases.

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22 GANSEVOORT PENINSULA TREE FARM AND PARK

FALL. CLEANING SATURDAY. 3:00PM The Hendriks family: “What a great sunny weekend! I took Patrick and the kids to the pumpkin carving festival down at ‘The Farm’. We picked two pumpkins from the patch. The kids also helped gathering leaves for our home compost.”

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WINTER. FIRST SNOW SUNDAY 9:00AM Emily: “I came down to test run my new cross-country gear I got for Hanukkah at the ‘Farm’. A good 25 min. workout...

Managed to weave 1.5K just by going up the rows and the 13th Street Promenade. Next week I’ll defiantly take it up state."

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24 A PARALLEL WALDEN - A LANDSCAPE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

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A PARALLEL WALDEN A LANDSCAPE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE STU 0140200 FALL 2012 Course Instructors: Eelco Hooftman, Bridget Baines

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26 A PARALLEL WALDEN - A LANDSCAPE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Walden, the pristine iconic view of a New England ‘nature’ as reflected in the clear pond water was the perfect setting for the myth and mystery surrounding Henry David Thoreau. The pond, its depth and its presence highly influenced him and became a physical center of his ideas. In the winter of 1846, Thoreau revealed the pond’s great depth, relating it to inner human strength and depth of soul.

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Swimming encompasses the harmonious repetitive body movements of the swimmer. The ripples on the water surface, reaching outbound to the shore, and the embryos feeling of the water fosters no external stimulations, just echoing of thoughts. This sensual experience simultaneously poses great vulnerability and anxiety from the forces of nature, and one’s hidden submerged fears. Swimming is praying, a mantra which enables deep contemplation and spiritual catharsis.

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CONCORD LANDFILL PROPOSED INTERVENTION

THE INVERTED BATHYMETRY OF WALDEN POND

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The linear process of consumption and waste, that ends in a covered landfill outside a town or municipality has left its footprint on the landscape; it has become recognized as part of the urban fabric. This potentially advantageous landuse typology holds opportunities for rethinking and intervention. Concord landfill demonstrates a new role for landfills in the metropolis.

30 A PARALLEL WALDEN - A LANDSCAPE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Located 300 meters from Walden Pond, the adjacent Concord Landfill appears as a calm and deserted site. The beautiful meadow, of Bluestem and Spartiana carved out of Walden Woods doesn’t indicate its past landuse or the history buried beneath.

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Before

After: Concord landfill. A rendered view from Highway 2, Boston bound

The site acknowledges the contemporary urban waste process by inviting local waste operations to become a part of the community. The revolving landfill is an evident, regenerating and physical reminder of Concord’s consumption footprint over a 30 year life cycle. The 10.7 hectares demonstrate resilient open space uses, while exploring new opportunities for recreation, and enhanced ecological diversification.

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WATER CIRCULATION runoff flow direction ground water flow direction leachate treatment pool vernal pool

topsoil depth, micro-climate and vegetation type

liner layer detail

The hydrology design contributes high quality filtered water to the system and prevents leachate contamination. The lined landfill acts as a local catch basin, which receives runoff water from the highway. The basin does not penetrate to Walden Pond’s ground water system due to the liner and leachate treatment pools.

The runoff water filters through the wet and mesic prairie habitats, decreasing the nutrient and contamination level before entering the vernal pools, which percolate to Fairy Pond ground water system.

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34 A PARALLEL WALDEN - A LANDSCAPE OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

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The opportunities that lie in using the sculptural and dramatic shape of the landfill as a recreational working landscape are exciting and challenging. Waste degradation and habitat establishment coexist with a hyper-recreation platform, while demonstrating community responsibility and environmental justice.

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ADDITIONAL COURSE WORK. BY SEMESTER FALL 2011 Food Infrastructure. Rungis International Wholesale Food Market. Paris, France DES 0324100 Theories of Landscape as Urbanism, Landscape as Infrastructure: Paradigms, Practices, Prospects | Pierre Belanger, Heeyeun Yoon (TA) collaboration work with Alexander Eduful, and Rosabel Ia Alvarez-Calderon.

Somewhere in Landscape. Personal Position and Thoughts on the Field of Landscape DES 0354100 Proseminar in Landscape Architecture | Gareth Doherty, Charles Waldheim Exploration with Parametric Designs VIS 0232200 Intermediate Landscape as Digital Media | David Syn Chee Mah, Xinpeng Yu (TA) SPRING 2012 The Relationship of Nature and Culture in Ian McHarg’s Work and its Influence on Contemporary Landscape Practice in the Work and Writings of Michael Van Valkenburgh DES 0324200 Theories of Landscape Architecture | Anita Berrizbeitia, Delia Wendel (TA) HYM LLC. Comprehensive Business Plan PRO 0744000 Leading the Design Firm | Brian Kenet, Richard Jennings collaboration work with Yu Ding, and Mo Zhou Pyhtodegredation of Benzene and PAHs in Contaminated Aged Soil; Recent Research and Potential Landscape Design Applications ADV 0910800: PHYTO Remediation and Rebuilding Technologies in the Landscape | Niall Kirkwood, Kathryn Kennen FALL 2012 The Kishon Meander Stream Restoration and Landfill Project. Israel SCI 0632300 Brownfields Practicum: Regeneration and Reuse of Brownfield Lands | Niall Kirkwood, Cassandra Bosco (TA) Maintenance and Design in the Hunnewelle Estate; A comparison of past and Contemporary Concepts of Sustainable Design SCI 0644600 Sustainable Plants for a Changing World | Peter Del Tredici Evaluating the Penetration Risk of Woody Plant Roots through Landfill Capping SCI 0644600 Sustainable Plants for a Changing World | Peter Del Tredici SPRING 2013 The Connection between Integrated Delivery Methods to Sustainable Design: Applied on the LEEDŽ Rating System PRO 0741500 Project Delivery | Richard Jennings Life Cycle Costing Analysis Applied in Sustainable Infrastructure Designs; Challenges and Solutions in Contemporary Practice PRO 0741500 Project Delivery | Richard Jennings Rating Sustainable Infrastructure Adrichalut Nof, ISALA Landscape Architecture Magazine (not course related)

Hatzav Yoffe is a Registered Landscape Architect in the State of Israel (2010). He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Cum Laude, from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (2009) and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design (2013). Work in Israel was presented to of the National Planning Committee, and won several awards including the Israel Domus Magazine student award finalist for the year 2010. Hatzav is currently a Research Associate in the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University. His Research explores cost benefit evaluation of externalities in sustainable infrastructure projects, applied to the Envision rating system. Hatzav is a certified Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP), and a LEED Green Associate.