A Progress Report Over Zoom

Image provided by CUIT – Columbia University

On April 6, 2020 the Greening Acopian team presented an updated version of the Lafayette Gardens to an audience of three Lafayette College professors: Professor Mary Wilford-Hunt, Professor Jim Toia , and Professor Joe Biondo, all of whom have assisted in the development of the project this semester by offering advice from their areas of expertise. The purpose of this informal presentation was to provide the team with a chance to receive feedback on their progress since the Midterm Update before finalizing their designs for the end-of-semester presentation on May 11. The slides, which can be viewed by following this link, follow a layout similar to the March 11 presentation by starting with the current design before expanding on the updated structural, environmental, and economic aspects. In total, the presentation and the following discussion lasted for thirty minutes during which the panel of professors offered their compliments on the progress made and the team’s ability to respond to the technical issues brought up in the previous presentation. The audience also gave several comments and recommendations to help advance the existing design further, which can be read in more detail in the following descriptions.

Comments on the wall – 

The layout of the wall and the structural system to support it have been confirmed since the end of March, but the list of plants that will be included on both the wall and the ground remains in development. As specified in a previous post, majority of the species had already been determined but due to concerns about the seasonal changes experienced on campus, it was recommended that the team adds a selection of evergreen plants to the current assortment to ensure a green appearance year round.

Comments on the Spires and Wires – 

When first presented, the spires and wires had been an unknown and were one of the main causes of concern for the audience. Fortunately, in the one month duration between then an now, the team had developed a clearer vision for this portion of the design as stated in this post (this is the same one as linked above). All three professors were happy with these improvements but there was a general consensus that still more could be done. One suggestion made by Professor Biondo was for the team to develop ways that would make the spires more playful, either by altering their heights or placement to change the way the space is defined. Professor Toia expanded on this recommendation by mentioning that the team could pick up on lines from the surrounding buildings to use as reference points. It was also recommended that the team consider the manner in which the proposed wires will connect to the wall but overall, even with these proposed alterations, this was a huge improvement for the team.

Comments on the Ground – 

The ground surrounding the northeast wall of Acopian has become an essential piece to the welcoming space motivating this project. Because of its role as an area for students and faculty to interact, there are many challenges that the team will need to work through in order to make it  a truly effective space. One of the key steps Professor Wilford-Hunt recommended is to determine the purpose of the space. Only by fully understanding the types of activities that will occur in the space can the team properly design it. Once the team establishes whether the location is for studying, hanging out, or classes, they will move on to determining any additional needs, such as alterations to the ground plane in order to reduce the slope of the hill. Another example would considering the implementation of sound mitigation and traffic calming strategies, methods that will be necessary if the space is to be used at a high frequency. Seating might also need to be reconsidered depending on the decisions made as it will influence the number of people the space can accommodate at a time.

Miscellaneous Comments – 

The last of the recommendations supplied by the audience focused on logistical aspects on the project. They strongly encouraged the team to focus more on how they can link the project to the school’s Climate Action Plan as a way to strengthen the team’s argument for the creation of the Lafayette Gardens. Additionally, it was suggested that the team members create a document for the purpose of distribution. This document would likely describe the benefits of the project and would serve as a way to encourage people to support the project. Lastly, members of the audience proposed that the team develop short vignettes to describe the potential future of the wall and the impact it will have on the campus.

The feedback received on April 6 was incredibly helpful and will be used by the team as they complete Phase 3 and look towards Phase 4 of the project.