The purpose of this activity is to visualize the design elements, so that the participants who are not trained in landscape can have a basic understanding of how the design elements look like, and to help the participants to better organize the design elements on the field
(highlighted in bold are the phase or phases most applicable)
Vision and goals
Site exploration
Program development
Co-design
Design evaluation
Implementation
Copy of base map(site)
Copy of design elements page (e.g. planting materials, children playground or seating area)
Scissors and glue sticks
Marker, colored pencils or crayons (optional)
PREFERRED FORMAT:
workshop (1 hour)
SUGGESTIONS:
Do clarify the process of the collage and show the examples
Do give effective facilitation and help during the collage activity
Do collect and analyze the design results and summarize feedbacks from the participants
Overview
Creating collages is an activity in which participants collage design elements in the form of images on the base map of design site to express their organization, planning and vision of the furture landscape. This activity is useful for understanding the needs of the participants in the co-design phase, because it is difficult for participants who are not trained in landscape architecture to use drawings to express their own imagination of the future landscape, but by using this way, the participants can visualize the design elements, have better understanding of the elements and express their needs of the organization. The activity was developed from the idea of TWS team members Madine and keeli, because it enabled K-5 students in TWS to better understand the basic characteristics of plant materials such as color, texure and height and to express their own plans for future pollinator gardens in co-design。This activity focuses on collecting the participants' graphic plans for the future landscape. By collecting this information, the designers will better understand the participants' ideas and merge the results with a professional perspective to achieve a democratic landscape design master plan.
1.Design elements initial investigation and collage activity material preparation
Before the collage activity, the designer needs to conduct a survey of design elements such as dot voting activity to the participants, and analyze the results of the survey, and select the top design elements according to the budget and the needs of the participants. After that, according to the conclusion, prepare materials such as images of design elements and others in the material list.
2.Lecture on the collage creation process and collage examples
At the beginning of the presentation, show the results of the design element survey to reflect the democratic nature of design. Then the designer conduct a presentation of the basic method and process of making a collage with examples of the collage.
3.Active and ready to answer questions from participants and pass out materials and tools for making collages during the production process
4.Collect the collage results from participants and integrate them into a design plan
The designers analyze and rank the results in a democratic manner. Ultimately based on the majority preference and professional insight, the designer integrates the complete solution.
The primary goal of the project is to design a pollinator garden for the school's staff and students outside of the new TWS building, which will provide opportunities for nature education for K-5 students and further support the development of pollinators and native plants. In addition, K-5 students and some TWS staff will be actively involved in the design, combining the professional assistance of the UGA design team to create a pollinator garden that is functional, scientific, and aesthetically pleasing. The UGA design team was given the opportunity to work on three Engagement activities. The Making a Collage Floor Plan activity was applied to the second Engagement activity in the TWS project. After conducting the first phase of site analysis and an online meeting on native plant material awareness, the K-5 students gained an understanding of the design elements of a pollinator garden. The UGA team decided to learn about the participants' vision of the graphic design elements (mainly the pollinator garden plant materials and seating area) in the second engagement activity, and introduced a collage plan-making activity to help the students better understand the characteristics of the plant materials and help them present their vision of the future pollinator garden. In addition, the results of the collage were more convenient for the designers to analyze and summarize the results.
In the second engagement activity, the UGA team first took turns explaining the importance of elements such as color, texture, height and seasonal changes in plant design. Then we introduced the five types of plants we would be studying, including shrubs, perennials, grasses, groundcovers and trees. Finally, we briefly discussed furniture with them as well as the importance of considering people and the way they move through the space. Afterwards, with the UGA team handing out materials (see materials list) the students began the activity of creating their own personal planting pool collage. The students quickly got into the swing of things and the UGA team was on standby around the students ready to answer their questions and pass out materials. We ended up with a dozen great planting plans by the end of the hour-long session!
At the end of the event, we analyzed the students' planting plans and combined each student's plant choices to come up with a final list of 12 native pollinators, and determined the format of the seating area and the need for pavement in the planting pool.
Student work 1
Student work 2
Student work 3
Student work 4
The understanding and creativity of K-5 students should never be underestimated. After receiving fifteen great student designs, we analyzed and derived the participants' key preferences, plans and imaginations for the future landscape, providing evidence to inform our native plant selection, site traffic division and seating space settings