The site located in the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, a property occupied 300 acres to the northeast of the University of Michigan. It is close to the service entry along the middle way of the west side of Matthaei’s and will serve as a pleasant space for caretakers as long as protect the private residential area from public interruption within the site. .
To use plants to create visual corridor and develop different sense of spaces, which will create significant transitions beween land uses but still maintain visual continuity across the whole site, the concept of this design is to use plants to architect visual corridor to screen, frame and introduce public view. Different planting styles, methods and layers offers various dimensions of experience with different ways to explore.
3 Planting Styles: Wild - Natualistic - Modern
3 Planting Methods: Block Planting - Matrix Planting - Modular Planting
3 Planting Layers: Trees - Shrubs/Small Trees - Perenials/Grasses/Ground cover
3 Ways to Explore: Driving - Biking - Walking
3 Dimentions: Height - Distance - Angle
Using groups of plants as block and screen to direct people’s view direction, creating “visual corridor” and selected landscape to present to visitors. Even when people drive/walk/ride along the same road, they will experience differently because they are on the different speed, at different view height, and with different view angle.
Visual & Space (Public)
This analysis gives a sense of how you feel when you are on the road, different heights of canopy will create close or open spaces. Trees illustrated here are within R=100 feet circle of view stops.
Visual & Space: Distance
This is to evaluate the effect of plants in distance. Plants grow in different distance and with different colors will create eye movement, which help workers relax from office work and worth experiencing.
Visual & Space Angle
Whether to look up at leaves on trees or look down at flowers on the ground; it is a choice. However, sky, soil and other natural features are also worth looking at.
This analysis labled the open angles on the road. Within this angle there are various plants and colorful sky.
Matrix planting design method is used for a pollinator garden designed within the site, and Star of Persia is used as an stand out plants in pollinator garden, which brings seasonal interests and its architectural beautity go consistant with the building.
