Mycelium, Soil, Sustainability, Pollinators, Columbus Indiana, Climate Change, Microbes, Fungi, Carbon Sequestration
Soil Resurgence
by Ben Wemesfelder
B.S. Arch ‘21, M.Arch ‘22 University at Buffalo
Soil Resurgence builds on the growing realization that in order to allow nature to thrive we must introduced it with forethought and care. It is crucial to pay close attention to soil conditions, microbial health and nutrients as they can inform and influence our design decisions, creating nurturing spaces for plant life and ourselves alike.
The project looks to act as a proof of concept; proving how a less human centric and more nature optimizing approach could be taken to landscape and city design resulting in urban soils being adequately supplied with the resources and conditions required to maintain sustainable plant growth.
by Ben Wemesfelder
B.S. Arch ‘21, M.Arch ‘22 University at Buffalo
Soil Resurgence builds on the growing realization that in order to allow nature to thrive we must introduced it with forethought and care. It is crucial to pay close attention to soil conditions, microbial health and nutrients as they can inform and influence our design decisions, creating nurturing spaces for plant life and ourselves alike.
The project looks to act as a proof of concept; proving how a less human centric and more nature optimizing approach could be taken to landscape and city design resulting in urban soils being adequately supplied with the resources and conditions required to maintain sustainable plant growth.
NEW NATURES: NEW MIDDLES
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
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UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
ECOLOGICAL PRACTICES RESEARCH GROUP GRADUATE STUDIO
In parallel with the 2020-21 Exhibit Columbus cycle, titled “New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis,” the Spring 2021 UB Ecological Practices studio explored the city of Columbus Indiana, its legacy of architecture and landscape design as civic projects, and developed speculative architectural interventions that reflect on Columbus’ design history while also responding to contemporary social and ecological conditions in the city and region. The sites for each proposal are centered in/around the city, but the aim is to speak more broadly to ways that design can impact the future of the American heartland and regions connected by the Mississippi Watershed. In the words of this year’s curators Mimi Zeiger and Iker Gil, “New Middles builds upon Columbus’ legacy as a laboratory for design as civic investment. In a moment when we most need reflection, creativity, and innovation to envision new ways of being, New Middles considers Columbus a place to destabilize assumptions, and imagine new architectures and landscapes as a way to positively move our cities forward.”
In parallel with the 2020-21 Exhibit Columbus cycle, titled “New Middles: From Main Street to Megalopolis,” the Spring 2021 UB Ecological Practices studio explored the city of Columbus Indiana, its legacy of architecture and landscape design as civic projects, and developed speculative architectural interventions that reflect on Columbus’ design history while also responding to contemporary social and ecological conditions in the city and region. The sites for each proposal are centered in/around the city, but the aim is to speak more broadly to ways that design can impact the future of the American heartland and regions connected by the Mississippi Watershed. In the words of this year’s curators Mimi Zeiger and Iker Gil, “New Middles builds upon Columbus’ legacy as a laboratory for design as civic investment. In a moment when we most need reflection, creativity, and innovation to envision new ways of being, New Middles considers Columbus a place to destabilize assumptions, and imagine new architectures and landscapes as a way to positively move our cities forward.”
UB ARCHITECTURE
FACULTY
Joyce Hwang, Associate Professor, Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellow 2021
STUDIO STUDENTS
Nicholas Blackwell
Cristian Copete
Bethany Greenaway
John Henning
Samanatha Kalinski
Marietta Koeberle
Mitchel Mesi
Gabrielle Morales
Madelaine Ong
Yogesh Ravichandar
Ayushi Vora
Ben Wemesfelder
FACULTY
Joyce Hwang, Associate Professor, Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellow 2021
STUDIO STUDENTS
Nicholas Blackwell
Cristian Copete
Bethany Greenaway
John Henning
Samanatha Kalinski
Marietta Koeberle
Mitchel Mesi
Gabrielle Morales
Madelaine Ong
Yogesh Ravichandar
Ayushi Vora
Ben Wemesfelder