Student Design Competition

Honor Award
Analysis and Planning: Graduate Division
Michael Averitt
University of Texas, Austin

Project Statement:
This project addresses problems developing from and for major industries in Wise County by developing new water-based industries on the approximately 5000 acres of querry site. The nested sustainable industries proposed generate materials as well as revenue for large-scale reclamation, protect groundwater resources and rural industry, and also develop the land for commercial and recreational use by expressing the legacy of land use of the site.

Merit Award
Research: Undergraduate
Colleen E. Price
Texas Tech University

Project Statement:
As members of ASLA, it is our social responsibility to create an aesthetically pleasing design that represents the natural environment, while at the same time appeals to the users in the present and the future to establish a journey for each person directly relates to their cultural aspects. As traditional methods of teaching focus on the process and the fundamentals of the design process, they seem to misplace the need to understand service-learning and our impact/relationship to the community involved. A study abroad program for landscape architect students can provide this opportunity to emphasize the cultural aspects of design in a setting very different from the traditional classroom or studio. Based on the experiences of the students who attend the Eco-Tourism Study Abroad program, I will demonstrate a connection between the ASLA Environmental Code of Ethics and the TIES Principles of Eco-Tourism.

Honor Award
Analysis and Planning: Graduate Division
Cameron Campbell, Eli Pearson, Erin Tyson
University of Texas, Austin

Project Statement:
Beyond the Walls, a proposal for the establishment of an archeological park outside Sevastopol, seeks to recreate the spatial experiences of a cultural landscape that has been contested and occupied for thousands of years. The park was the site of ancient Greek agricultural plots, farmhouses, and systematic division walls. Beyond the Walls proposes interventions to address stakeholder concerns, to establish a regional precedent for an archaeological park, and to combine management and display of cultural and natural
resources.

Honor Award
General Design: Undergraduate Division
Peter C. Shaw
Texas Tech University

Project Statement:
The unique design of the project provides more recreational opportunities within a city that has one of the highest obesity rates in Texas. As a team we gathered and analyzed data in order to come up with the best scenario for the layout of the land. When all the analysis information was put together we were asked to work individually to determine and form our own site designs for the land. The design provides adequate biking and waling trails and a sporting complex that would allow for state competitions to be held within the Lubbock area.

Merit Award
General Design: Undergraduate Division
Jared Ferguson & Laramie Coggan
Texas Tech University

Project Statement:
After extensive research on the current entrance to the student Union Building, we discovered that the plaza was being used frequently by students, faculty, and staff for breaks throughout the day. We discovered that the site did not have enough seating or shade by interviewing frequent visitors. The naturalistic design we have created meets the need for seating and shade and would add tranquility and peace to the Texas Tech Campus.

Honor Award
General Design: Graduate Division
Michael Averitt
University of Texas, Austin

Project Statement:
Reimers Ranch has been operated as a park facility open to the public for activates such as rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking. Recently, Travis County purchased the property and now operates and maintains the land as a park and nature preserve. In an effort to preserve the land from development in perpetuity, Travis County has been considering a plan for developing a relatively small portion of the property as a cemetery to achieve cemetery classification for the entire land parcel and protect it for development. The park land lies on the banks of the Pedernales River near its confluence with the Colorado River in Lake Travis. The site is characterized by geologic, ecologic, and hydrologic conditions representative of much of the central Texas hill county. The Reimers grew hay in a couple of areas chosen for agricultural production due to their deep soils. They created terraces using berms to stabilize the slopes and slow erosion. However after years of neglect, storm water had created a large Resaca on the eastern side of the property from trying to find a way downhill through the berms. Resacas represent deteriorated land conditions from general neglect of the property. This design attempts to take an area formerly used for agriculture and create both a final resting place and newly productive space. The Resaca will be a spine for nourishment rather then a sign of neglect.

Core Components of the Design:
1. Wind pumps that draw up water from the near surface aquifer for use in irrigation
2. Reservoirs constructed to store irrigation waters temporarily prior to release.
3. Distribution network to automatically irrigate terraced orchards that contain burial plots.
4. Infiltration basin to recharge the aquifer with excess irrigation or storm water.

Each of these components contain design details that create the defining character of the spaces by using functionality as an opportunity to facilitate emotional connection the place.

Merit Award
General Design: Undergraduate Division
Kellen Green & Lonnie Hill
Texas Tech University

Project Statement:
The redesign of the student union building plaza accomplishes all requirements of creating an aesthetically pleasing and functionally useful plaza in campus design. Specific goals and criteria were created through the process of post occupancy evaluation and accomplished through the redesign. The design brilliantly connects the West Texas environment and ambiance into a formal plaza setting that can be enjoyed by students, faculty, and staff alike.