Official SUNY ESF DLA Off-Campus Blog

The SUNY-ESF interns have now returned from Martha’s Vineyard and the six other off-campus groups have made it back to the country.  Many thanks go out to all the blog viewers who have made the official SUNY-ESF DLA Off-Campus blog a monumental success in the inaugural year.  We currently have 900 views and counting.  This blog will be updated again when the next group of off-campus students begin their adventure.  Happy holidays, travel safe, and thank you again to all of the blog viewers.

Cheers,

Tim

The natural beauty of Martha’s Vineyard is the main asset and attraction of the island.  The landscape is not themed as a beach resort island, but is instead a working landscape intertwined with lakes, bays, estuaries, forest, and idyllic beaches.  Below are samples of sketches from various locations on the island.  

– A home on the coast of Chappaquiddick

– Private driveway on Squibnocket Beach

– Vegetative thicket conceals homes in Aquinnah

Live well and be well,

Tim

The images above represent the current conditions, and landscape potential of Morgan Woods, generated in the Adobe Creative Suite. While Morgan Woods is the largest, most ambitious affordable housing project on the island to date, there are many flaws to the design approach. The current conditions feel cold due to vast open lawns, poor material choice, and foundation plantings.  All of the homes on the site are prefabricated units imported to the island.  There are three clusters of buildings arranged according to the concept of a farmstead approach represented by what is intended to be a farmhouse, barn, and outbuildings.  This arrangement creates three large common areas of open land.  The design proposal approved by the Marthas Vineyard Commission left the common land areas with existing vegetation, however they were clear cut during the construction process.  In an effort to remediate the clear cutting, a gazebo, plastic play ground, and circular planting beds have been “dropped” in the centers of the clear cut areas and have drained the budget for grounds improvements.  Pictured below is an example of the barn houses on site, arguably the largest flaw of the project.

Never actually used as a functioning barn, the structure is detailed to appear as it once was.  The architecture of the barn is Dutch Colonial, which has no relevance to the architecture of barns of Martha’s Vineyard, and is indicative of a Vermont farm.  Additionally, Greek columns are placed at the entry to the homes making the structure look more out of place.  With smarter material detailing choices, and an architectural style that speaks to Martha’s Vineyard, the barn homes of Morgan Way could have been much more successful.

Always remember the importance of placed based design and planning.

Best Wishes,

Tim

The image above is the visual piece that accompanies a blog posting based on American’s love of “stuff”.  To read the full blog post, and learn more about creative action for collective good, visit The Living Principals blog. Award winning product designer Yves Behar says it best –

“As designers we need to really think about how we can create a different relationship with our work and the world…I think it’s the values that we put into projects that ultimately create the greater value.”

In relation to the landscape, our stuff has to go somewhere.  Projects should be focused on the creation of timeless spaces, replacing the quick fix approaches that will require maintenance in the future.  As we get closer to 2011, the out of sight / out of mind mentality becomes more outdated and must come to an end.  Living from a suitcase for the past seven months has brought a fresh outlook to previous dependency on my “stuff”.

Until next time,

Tim

An artificial opening is excavated yearly so that the brackish water of Chilmark Pond darkly stained by tannins can reach the ocean and recirculate.  The water depth of the pond is significantly shallower in the months following the yearly opening excavation.

The area is a topographical low point in the area, as made evident by the map above.  The Chilmark Pond area, and the 200 feet of barrier beach are owned by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission.   Surrounded by private property and beaches, the section of beach owned by the Land Bank is only accessible by canoe or kayak via Chilmark Pond.  The area is frequented by bird enthusiasts, swimmers, hikers, and fishermen.  The frequency of use, access point to the public beach, and improved water health justify the yearly to excavation to island residents.

Until next time,

Tim

During the next two weeks, my colleague and I will be formatting and producing our final document focused on community character areas of Martha’s Vineyard.  The image above is the visual piece for the cover of the project.  Once the document has been produced, it will be posted on the blog in full.

Live well and be well,

Tim