PORTFOLIO
Selected works of Visalakshi Murugesan
ABOUT ME
The sight of a tropical dense evergreen forest amid the bustling metropolis of Chennai, India would seem utterly surreal. Standing inside Adayar eco-park on mounds of laterite soil with more than 172 indigenous species of trees and plants, where once there were 60,000 tons of garbage, I was in awe at the remarkable transformation the city’s dumping site had undergone and the person behind it. Joss Brooks, the restoration ecologist, proudly said, “Here’s a wild space in the middle of the city, giving a bit of Chennai back to Mother Nature.” At this moment, I was amazed by what landscapes like this can do to ameliorate a place, and I wanted to become someone who could do that.
I believe our actions impact the world around us, and I hope to make a positive difference wherever I can. I aspire to design landscapes for streets, parks, and cities and partner with local communities to create sustainable and resilient landscapes that will evolve but endure.
contents _01
The
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Red
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Assembly building at Amaravati Undergraduate thesis Landscape study Professional project Competition project Academic dissertation Graduate studio project Understanding nature in the city CEE GEE engineering office Thideer Nagar project Informality as Pattern
Commons Collective
restoration
Bison
05 THE COMMONS COLLECTIVE
Project
Type : Graduate Studio
Guide : Prof. MaryPat McGuire
The military axis sits in between extraordinary academic buildings but belies these functions and appears as a nothing landscape. The site is neither a front door nor a back door. Yet the site is also place of great activitiy, with students, faculty and staff moving through the space to get to their next class or meeting. This design explores the site, to lift out its meaning, to give it definition, and to develop a site design concept that establishes presence, performance, and purpose. The concept of THRESHOLD is used here to describe a sequence of spaces and experiences through the site.
Water
Source-
Grass
Interactive
Gravel
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Project
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Pavements dont have to be black. Photo by Steve Weinik.
digital display boards. Source- Google
Fibre optical LED lights. Photo by floerbra.
and stones for ground cover and pathways.
google
mounds. Photo by Stoss Landscape.
fountains to beat the heat.
Google
SCD GIES SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Art wall Adaptable activity space Interactive notice boards Wind pavilion Primary pathway Wind pavilion Tree garden School of education Luminescence garden Tree garden Aqua garden Exhibit spaces Adaptable activity space Exhibit spaces SECTIONS Interactive Site Plan Section accross the site Section B B A A B Section A
A view of the wind pavillion
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A view of the interactive display boards
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A view of the luminescence garden
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06 RED BISON
Red Bison focuses on practicing restoration ecology throughout native Illinois landscapes in Champaign-Urbana. We maintain local grasslands and forests by controlling invasive species, promoting native species, performing prescribed burns, and learning more about native wildlife. Red Bison also often collaborates with other ecological student organizations on campus, with a focus on sustainability. Like the Red Bison of folklore, we also hope to be a positive agent of change in what is left of Illinois’ natural landscape. Apart from meeting on Saturdays, we also have book clubs, prairie project and gardening.
Registered Student Organization , University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
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Red Bison activities in 2022 - Bush Burning and cutting back invasive honey suckle
