Network of Coalitions | Landscape Architecture Studio, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro
The following work was produced for a 700-level Interdisciplinary Landscape Architecture Studio in collaboration with a parallel studio at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitaria campus to reenvision the campus. My initial research focused on mobility and its relationship to culture and its movement through space. During our studio visit, we participated in a design charrette that produced mutiple intermediary projects; for my group of five, that project was "Project MUDA." My focus then shifted toward designing a space and program that created vernacular spaces of encounter, where carioca culture could manifest and be expressed and diverse coalitions formed. To achieve this, my partners and I developed a pedagogical approach to connect diverse stakeholders through dynamic coalitions that reflect the cultural, institutional, and ecological heritage of Rio and the campus in ways that improve university functions, establish a strong sense of place, address environmental issues, and facilitate social integration between the surrounding neighborhoods, the city at large, and the campus itself.
Regional Transit Analysis and Base Map
Concept Diagrams
Identifying the Latent Coalitions on the Island
Full Diagram Plan, highlighting six planned areas on the island believed to have the highest impact on the revitalization of the island.
Centro Fundo Full Detail Plan. The new central district is a mixed-use district that brings residents, students, and visitors within the island and into seeded gardens as spaces for encounter.
Isometric drawing looking northwest onto the new central district.
Detail section of the main Poets Garden, spaces in which the cultural phenomenon of "See and Be Seen" in Rio de Janeiro is reflected in the density of flora. As one moves from the west to the east, the tree canopy character shifts from plumerias to palms and gradually opens up to the beach, creating a dynamic experience that reflects the users desire to "see" others in the contemplative denser section, and "be seen" enjoying the more open space near the beach.