Minimal intervention. How do landscape designers approach the task of intervening in the landscape while also protecting it? This project utilizes a series of boardwalks that provide the user with a unique way of interacting with the natural environment while also minimizing the overall ecological change in this site. 

My capstone studio project revolved around an Education Center sited on the cliffs in Half Moon Bay. The project limits surrounded a beautiful natural ravine, but required incorporation of 3 dorms, 4 classrooms, 1 exhibition center, a parking lot with vehicle accessibility through the site, and an auditorium fit to seat at least 150 people. 

The dorms, classrooms, and exhibition center design were predetermined. However, in an effort to focus the school around studies in urban agriculture, this design incorporates rolling agricultural elements along the tops of the building in the hopes that students will be able to analyze the production and yield of different crops at various sun exposure, water use, and things of the like.  Above, Section A exhibits said urban agriculture.

Creating an environment that brings you close to the ecological system without interfering too much is beyond important in this design. By mimicking rolling landscapes and integrating boardwalks that do not require regrading of the site, Perspectives A and B show how people begin to feel a new level of connection to the site. Similarly, minimizing vehicle interaction was a crucial element of the site and therefore resulted in a sited parking lot near the entrance of the site from the highway on the east side of the site. 

Utilizing "Off the Grid" power sources was a critical element in this site. I created bike stations for the parking lot and the auditorium, which mimic the initial provided design, and have battery packs attached to them. As users pedal through the landscape, kinetic energy is stored in the packs and used to power the site once the bikes are re-docked at one of the stations. (Docks are also located in dorms, classrooms, and the exhibition center).