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Research ArticlePeer-Reviewed Articles

Surface Design Operations in Landscape Architecture

Mary Pat McGuire
Landscape Journal, January 2019, 38 (1-2) 43-60; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.38.1-2.43
Mary Pat McGuire
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Abstract

This article investigates contemporary landscape architecture through a cross-case evaluation of design projects that focus on surface design operations (SDO). The SDO concept was developed to evaluate how designers apply design tactics and strategies to the ground surface, with a particular focus on how they transform urban sites (such as paved, fallow, and abandoned ground). Toward that end, this article defines surface and medium for the research context and focuses on the constructive purpose and meaning of design operations. Among 24 projects, five categories of SDO are identified and discussed in depth: deconstruction/reconstruction (D/R), geologic matters (GM), modular-hybridity (H-M), constructed-layered ground (C-L), and transitional/anticipatory (T/A). Explanations of each category focus on one project example. The article concludes with a discussion regarding how SDOs are useful for landscape architecture pedagogy and professional practice and suggests pathways for continued research and application.

  • Case studies
  • urban surface
  • design strategy
  • operations
  • categorization
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Landscape Journal: 38 (1-2)
Landscape Journal
Vol. 38, Issue 1-2
1 Jan 2019
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Surface Design Operations in Landscape Architecture
Mary Pat McGuire
Landscape Journal Jan 2019, 38 (1-2) 43-60; DOI: 10.3368/lj.38.1-2.43

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Surface Design Operations in Landscape Architecture
Mary Pat McGuire
Landscape Journal Jan 2019, 38 (1-2) 43-60; DOI: 10.3368/lj.38.1-2.43
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • INTRODUCTION
    • SURFACE DESIGN RESEARCH
    • SURFACE AS DESIGN MEDIUM
    • OPERATIONS AS PERFORMANCE AND OPERATIONS OF DESIGN
    • ANALYSIS AND CATEGORIZATION
    • DISCUSSION OF THE FIVE SDO CATEGORIES
    • CONCLUSION: PUTTING SDO INTO PRACTICE AND PEDAGOGY
    • AUTHOR CONTRIBUTION
    • PEER REVIEW STATEMENT
    • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    • Footnotes
    • REFERENCES
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Keywords

  • Case studies
  • urban surface
  • design strategy
  • operations
  • categorization
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