Studio Method/Process Overview

During the fall semester of 2007, graduate students began a process of design and planning that has culminated in the retention of a professional firm for the development of a master plan for the new campus. Students offer a number of creative ideas that can inform and inspire dialog about the future physical form of the campus. An important step in the planning process was to host a charrette, which brought numerous stakeholders and Clemson faculty and students together to begin the visioning process. Many insights were compiled from that event, including a set of guiding principles to form the basis for the student designs.

During the studio process, students were asked to develop a Restoration Research Campus as an attractive and safe place for people and wildlife. Students proceeded through all phases of design: data gathering, data analysis, data synthesis, concept development, design development and presentation.

Initial Impressions

The initial step was to visit the campus to view the site and assess its potential. During the visit, students were able to have an intuitivenavy yard encounter with the project site. After a short briefing and site tour, studio participants were asked to choose an area on the property that was significant to them. They then marked that location and sought to discover what made that place special. Students considered the view, a spatial quality, or a combination that fascinated them. By focusing on that specific aspect, they documented their initial connection to the site to help create a sense of place.

Case Studies

A series of case studies from other cities and countries were considered as a reference point and to spark new ideas for the campus. Widely utilized in various professions, this body of work helps lay out some of possibilities and serves as a collective record of the advancement and development of knowledge in landscape architecture. These landscapes can be viewed for their visual features, spatial composition and function, as well as their environmental, social and economic performance indicators.

Case study examples include:

  • Downsview Park, Toronto, Ontario
  • MIT Campus, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Oerliker Park, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Toronto Portlands, Toronto, Ontario
  • Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For more information:  Case studies

Site Analysis

An inventory of the site was conducted to foster a better understanding of the site's character and its physical, biological and cultural linkages with the surrounding landscape. Key factors were investigated: student in action

  • Archeological and biological:  vegetation, significant wildlife habitats
  • Historic
  • Hydrology:  possible impacts of hurricane season, climate change, high tides, excessive rain, flooding elevations
  • Social and economic factors:  demographic information, land use, circulation, infrastructure, scenic views, noise, and chemical hazards
  • Soils and topography

Design Workshop

A workshop was held over a period of three days in North Charleston. The Restoration Institute and the Department of Landscape Architecture invited practitioners, planners, engineers, managers, together with university professors and students, representatives of localdesign workshop groups and authorities to participate. Six groups were formed centering on the following topics:  community outreach; programming and outreach; health, safety and the environment; historic and natural resources; character and campus distinctive; and financial plan.

Some of the guiding principles articulated by the groups were to:

  • Recognize historic patterns to respond to the campus restoration and educational component
  • Incorporate some of the existing patterns and forms to reflect on the underlying industrial and military uses, while creating a new layer with the progressive and innovative technologies
  • Assure there is a constructed wetland for storm water management and reveal the landscape through natural processes
  • Achieve community integration through a "village research campus" that connects the new campus to the surrounding community
  • Incorporate a phased in approach which would connect the current two parcels in the early phases



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