Learning & Practicing Landscape Design

My Blog for Landscape Design Works As A Second Year Architecture Student in METU My Main Architecture Blog My Basic Design Works (Abandoned)

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Final Comments on the Landscape Design Course and Landscape Architecture

This semester I have learned a lot of new concepts about architecture and landscape was one of them. I have never thought that landscape design can be this important and this sufficient in terms of architecture. We have seen examples of landscape design in this course for sure but not just in this course, architectural design and in the history of architecture as well. I have to say what I saw really fascinated me because unlike architecture, defining and creating a new environment actually captured my interest more then architecture. Because in landscape architecture, what you design becomes an environment, a scenery that everyone can see, enjoy and participate. But in architecture I always belived that even if the exterior facade becomes a part of its surroundings and environment it will still be most of the time more private and serve only a certain group of people. Also I started to belive that an architectural design without a properly planned landscape design looks quite unfinished to me. Because I now belive that landscape is like a frame for you to hang your picture. A landscape design creates the perfect bed for your architectural design to lay on top of the earth. It provides the much need representation that a building deserves. I am very happy and pleased to take this course and I have to admit I most of the enjoy it more than I enjoy the actual architectural design classes because of the fact that you don't have to put elements around you in order to provide the necessary enclosure. I want to free of the walls and roofs in my designs and I think landscape design provides this; also a bonus, it gives me a chance to manipulate a site a living environment and change a scenery for all citizens to see. I think it gives a person the feeling of power and also it makes you feel more immortal because you know that the site will be visited by a lot of people and it will live for many many years. I honestly wish that one day I hope I can work on several landscapes and landscape design projects. So that I would know and be pleased with the idea of I have become a part of the city with my idea and I changed the way people live in an environment.

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Sketching Problem Final Poster Submission

Three stages of the Basic English Department G Building through the semester Fall 2015

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“Traces of Time” Final Jury Critics

In the jury, first of all we discussed about the general purpose of the design. Me and my friends talk about the qualities of the design. Jury members in total, actually liked our project but of course there were some problems. For example we only had one way that leads people to the exhibition area, which is the restored Garden House of the Botanical Park. We told them there is already an existing road that leads people there but they told us that we should have shown it on the plan so that part was missing on our plan drawing unfortunately. Speaking of plan, another problem that we had was the lack of height levels in our plan drawing. Not just us but almost all of the groups didn't thought of putting level differences into the drawings such as plans and sections, so that was another problem that we have faced. Also in our design we were told that the scenery that the upper part of the design provides was not used efficiently. At that critic we argued back with the jury members and we tried to convince them to believe that the scenery we provided was sufficient enough and I think we managed to make them see from our point of view. At the end like I said it was a very successful jury and I hope the results of it will satisfy us.

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“Traces of Time” Final Jury

Posters of Our Project

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Preparing The Final Jury Project Last Group Meeting

  A week before the final jury we started to get prepared for the final jury and in order to do this we had to revise our existing pre-jury project which was a very successful design. First of all we knew that we didn’t really have to change too much of our previous design especially the lower parts of the design. However we knew that the upper part should be changed, we at least needed a main entrance and also a more functional space for serve people more. In order to do this we first started with designing a new upper part with better new functions. We needed a place for different events to take place for different purposes so we decided that we needed a closed space for people to have events every season in a year. But we also wanted an entrance which provides an open area for people to spend their time for example for meetings or sitting and resting. So the first thing we designed was a triangular shaped entrance. We also figured that it should not be a solid hard ground for a large area so we placed a soiled part inside with lots of trees that can provide shadow and scenery so we ended up with that kind of an entrance we also placed sitting areas under the shadow of the trees. 

  The other improvement was the closed space. We created an events area with a building which has curtain rail walls and a angled roof for an interesting design that would attract people around. It also has a triangular form just like the previous design because we didn’t wanted to change our initial idea too much. Other than this two significant changes, our designed stayed the same. We added more street lines and arranged some of our vegetation in a better way but for the final jury we actually wanted to focus on our jury posters. They were our biggest problems in the previous jury, especially our plan and section drawings. So I can say that this was the shortest meeting for a model. However our posters were taking our time very much as well. They were not so hard but we struggled a little bit. Nevertheless we managed to finish everything in time.

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Lanscape Approaches in Baroque Period

Academic Speaking Skills Course Final Presentation:  ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY BAROQUE MOVEMENT

As the second year students we are expected to take a course which is named Academic Speaking Skills and in this course we were expected to choose a topic and make a presentation about that topic. So I decided to make a presentation about Baroque architecture because this year we are also taking a course which is about the history of architecture and in this course our lecturer Ali Uzay Peker is teaching us the architectural periods such as Islam, Renaissance and Baroque periods. During the lectures I was very amazed with the Baroque period so I decided to do my final English presentation about the baroque architecture. But especially when talking about baroque what comes into my mind is actually the landscape plannings in that period. So when I divided my presentation into three sub topic one of them was the site organization during that time and I talked about how they valued the landscape design as much as architecture. Also I told them hoe this landscape planing affected the scenery and how they experiment with the perspective. Lastly I talked about how people during that period used this aesthetic approach as a propaganda for the Catholic church to spread its beliefs around Europe. 

I was very satisfied with my presentation and I am glad that I chose this topic. It is so fascinating to see how a landscape design can change the appearance of a building. I guess I can thank the baroque trend for introducing us the landscape design understanding.

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Landscape Organization in My Architectural Design Final Jury Project

In my architectural design final jury project, I designed an Aquatic Plants Research Center in Eymir Lake area. My site in the lake area was named bridge and you can see how it looks like in my site plan. So in this project I also designed my landscape according to the sun movement and entrances of the the area. In the entrance, East part of the site I have stairs which can also serve as sitting area and this is the place where you enter an open space area which offers you three paths to choose. You can either go one of the piers on the lake surface or you can go inside the building. 

The other structure with the same concept of stairs also serving as sitting area is the other entrance to the building which is the West part of the design. In this facade the stair organization is so much bigger because this entrance is less functional than the other part of the design. Because as you can see the West part of the land is not much and leads you to the lake. So I thought instead of killing this area I can use it with this kind of a landscape design understanding.

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Sketching-3 

In the last step of the sketching problem I went to the Basic English Department G Building and the first thing I noticed was how the snow changed the landscape as you can see when I went there it wasn’t raining heavily so it just adds a white color in to the scene but also it puts forward the pine trees. The big tree near the wall also has some snow on its branches. But other than the snow the landscape actually stays the same like in the second step of sketching problem.

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TRACES OF TIME

Our posters for the jury

 On the December the 25th we had our pre-jury. The Jury was generally very successful for our group because the jury members actually very liked it. But of course there are some parts that we need to fix before the final jury. The biggest problem as we were told was the lack of entrances. We had 2 entrances for our design but the jury members thought that actually there was a need for more entrances to the design especially at the open exhibition area. 

 Another problem was the lack of some concepts for the usage of exhibition areas because we were told that they should have more purposes than just that one function for public to use. 

 Lastly we have been told that we need to work more on our posters and presentation. We will work on our sections and plans. Also for the next time we will be more prepared for our speaking parts as well. But over all it was a success and we hope to keep it!

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Preperation For Jury

 For the pre-jury of landscape design we decided to make a design which will serve as a exhibition area with multi-functional properties. We first created a pool as the center of our design. This pool is a references to the old pool which was at the back facade of the old shopping mall. The new pool which is quiet larger than the older one is there for creating an isolated world within the landscape. We imagined it as a passage way from the city and noise to the Botanical Park which is one of the few peaceful places in the city. Also around the pool there are some decorative plants with different colors and smells so we also aimed to create different senses for people as they experienced through the pool. 

 Between the pool and the cross road we decided to make an exhibition area which is semi open and for public use. this area along with the whole design consists of different geometrical shapes which are originated from triangles and hexagons but in free formal qualities. We did it like that because we wanted to create differentiation in our spaces. This variety helps us to create a original design. And for this area lastly we designed an entrance for the Atakule as well which looks like our exhibition area. 

 Under the pool our way to Botanical Park starts. First of all we lead people to a long staircase with huge tall tress surrounding the stairs. This creates a sense of suffocation and fear but it is also an isolated long journey which is an interesting experience for the visitors. This staircase then leads people to an open air way which creates a sense of surprise. People can watch the scene of the park from here and they also fell elevated and more relaxed, free. Then the way leads people to make a choice between 3 roads. the first option is going to the isolated resting areas. In there you feel lonely and in peace, you can relax and have an alone time. The second option is that you can go to the playground area of our design which is quiet the opposite of the first one. In this part you can socialize and have multiple activities such as biking and skating. It has a ground with different forms and levels, a great place to experience different activities. And the last road option is the closed exhibition area which is originally the old garden house of the Botanical Park. 

 We totally removed the old, damaged garden house and instead of it we placed a new area which is totally new and in our design style but also reminds you of the old garden house. we closed this area with a glass facade concept like it were a garden house. This place will held lots of exhibitions and will be open through all the seasons in a year unlike our other exhibition area. 

 We placed the trees according to our understanding of scenes and vistas. When we wanted people to see the botanical park we placed the trees lower or we used the small trees. But when we wanted to create an isolated or mysterious space we used long trees. Also we have lightnings in our formal order. So both in vertical and horizontal we have our interesting geometrical order.

 Lastly I want to mention that since our first analyse topic was “time” so we used the history of the area for references and also Atakule itself. We bring back the public and social properties of the site and also we wanted to emphasize the Atakule itself by making it a place which will held events. We also rebuild the garden house which was highly damaged so in conclusion we can say that we worked with the destroyed, abandoned and damaged figures of the site.

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Sketching-2

In the second stage of our sketching problem work, we went to the places that we worked on in the beginning of the term. We redraw the landscape and made observations. I have to admit that my landscape hadn’t really change at all. The most noticeable change was the big tree next to the wall had lost its leafs. Also the grass under the small pine tress had turned into brown. But other than these there is not much difference for me to observe unfortunately.

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VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL by Maya Lin

For the next assignment we were assigned to make research and a presentation of a well known landscape design as groups. As the ArcheScape group, since our analysis topic was Site&Time we were assigned to -which we chose- Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washinton D.C., U.S.A. by the designer Maya Lin.

First of all we tried to understand the concept of her design and we found so many meanings in the simple looking memorial. We found how it only wants to show the importance of the loss of people and is not just a propaganda of American glory. When you look at the names you feel the loss and because of its reflective you see yourself and you face with the name and this just connects the past and the present perfectly. Also it was actually built for the returning veterans for them to find what happened to their friends and remember them. That is why the memorial is not in alphabetical order but in chronological order. So that it would be easier to find the people who died together. Moreover at the apex the start and finish date of the war writes and written names follow a circular path and this again brings past and present together. Lastly in the concept, the memorial reminds us of a healing scar as Maya Lin states. Also its reflecting surface reflects the National Mall’s green environment and that creates a never ending landscape.

One side of the monument points tho the Washington Monument and the other part points to the Lincoln Monument. As you saw earlier the memorial is in a v shape, it is actually a retaining wall and its surface is composed of black granite panels. Today it is on the Top 10 Americans Favorite Architecture list at the tenth rate and it attracts around 3 million people every year. And despite all the negative critics she got through the years her design is huge success. 

Lastly, I would like to show you our jury posters as the ArcheScape group to give you a one last better information.

 References 

1) http://prelectur(.)stanford.edu/lecturers/lin/images/3_9.jpg

2) http://c1038.r38.cf3(.)rackcdn.com/group1/building9147/media/04pb50p.jpg

3) http://blog.constitutioncenter(.)org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/wall1.jpg

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High Quality Version of the Jury Poster

This is the higher quality of our poster which you can observe our sections, photos and diagrams more clearly.

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Desk Critique, Finishing The Poster & Jury Presentation

Last week we had a desk critique session and we were told that as the ArcheScape group, since our topic is Site & Time we should be focusing on the chronological changes of the Atakule site. We gathered lots of information about how we should use the knowledge we have about the site from our instructor and we started to shape our minds according to that. We focused on the details we should mention and decided not to use some unnecessary information that we thought we had to use.

The day before the presentation we finally finished our poster. Through the week we worked on our section drawings and also our graphics of daily information about the Atakule site. Also we observed the photographs from 1966,1976,1988,1999 and 2011. We noticed the differences and we decided to draw graphics, sketches and write our thoughts on the poster. We also spend time on how should we design our poster and what topics that we should focus on. In the end we put a timeline for better understanding and also put our section drawings and sketches of detailed information as well and also added a part where we can show the general information about the daily cycle of the site. 

We couldn’t be able to take photographs during our presentation but our presentation went smoothly for the most part. It was successful and we mostly got positive feedback about our research and studies. But also in the critics we learned that some parts of our poster design were not as strong as it should have been and there were some missing information on the poster as well. We also talked about our future plans for the next step of the assignment and got feedback about it. So overall we are satisfied with our presentation but it could be even better so we will keep working for the next part and we plan on getting a better result.

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Old Photographs of Atakule

As the Group ArcheScape, we finally have gotten our much needed photographs of Atakule from years 1966, 1976, 1988, 1999 and 2011. We will be studying on these records in the following days to prepare our project and poster.

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Group Meeting for The First Time

 As we have discussed before we met on friday to have our first study on the area. Firstly we talked about how we can study the site generally like every other group and for the general analysis we prepared an outline.

 After that we started with the basic observations of the site. First we study on the map, take our notes and draw our basic ideas on the site map for preperations.

 We made decions on what we can do for now and also what we can ask the instructors for help. We also decided to go and buy some old photos and plans of the site from Harita Genel Komutanlığı. So we called them and decided to get the maps from years 1965,1975,1985,1995,2005 and 2015 for our project. That way we can show the differences through the last 50 years of the site. We also distribute a task for each person for a better and quicker study. And lastly we decided what to do through the week and for our next meeting. Over all it was a very successful meeting for our project.

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Atakule Site Trip & First Observations

In the third week we had a trip to our site which is Atakule and as the ArcheScape group we first started our observations with the tower itself.

Later on we started to explore the area itself and our first destination was the junction in the middle of the site and we found a statue of Muhammed Ali Cinnah. Today the Cinnah Road is named after that person.

After that we decided to go down the Çankaya Road and the first building that we noticed was the Government House. Also we observed the military and embassy buildings as well.

And then lastly we went to the Botanical Park which is one of the most important areas of the site. Since our time in Atakule was limited this area became our last destination and we made a lot of observations and decisions for the future.

This is the boundary between Çankaya Road and Botanical Park and from here you can see a great height difference between these two areas.

And here you can see the scenery of Botanical Park from the Çankaya Road. By looking at it you can see how enclosure the park is. So we had to see the inside of the park.

The park itself has a lot of options for different human activities. Also it provides a lot of views for humans where they can socialise.

So in the end we decided to have a discussion later to find the best method of studying and searching for our project. We will also come here again later on but after the first visit we all have at least a basic idea for now.