Lucy Humphreys

Courtyard

Harvard GSD Department of Landscape Architecture, Core I

Instructor: Jungyoon Kim

This three-week project was our first in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the GSD. Rather than starting with a specific program, this project began with a randomly selected material, date, and time. I received ice, in January, at 7:03am. What interested me initially about ice was its temporality and dynamic nature. Since ice as a material is not particularly tactile or inviting, I began thinking through ways of highlighting its expansion.

In Providence, I noticed that ice froze between the sidewalk bricks, leaving beautiful evidence of its movement throughout the season. I wanted to recreate and control this effect in my courtyard, facilitating movement of the ice, while exhibiting its beautiful material qualities, and of course allowing circulation through the space in an enjoyable and straightforward way. I started working with these tiered layers to allow the ice to freeze up between the cracks (volume of expansion is around 9% for a body of water), allowing a pedestrian to view the phenomenon across the season. The walkway holds the same formal qualities as the lower tiers, but is a continuous raised surface to promote proper circulation. In the summer months, the water level will recede to expose an additional layer, allowing users to interact with the waterfront on a variety of levels. I included this single tree to provide shade by the water.

As I worked through these studies and models I explored different formal ways to express my idea, playing with different shapes and configurations. I settled on these tiered linear stone blocks, feeling their regularity would best dovetail with my intention. The result of this exploration led me to a seasonal dialogue between the icy months, when interaction with the courtyard would be more transient and less tactile, and the warmer time of year. The final model shows the courtyard in January, and the process models show the grass growing to meet the water’s edge as the weather gets warmer. Much of my linework is drawn from glacial images and those of icy coastlines. My “Super Section” referenced ultrasounds taken of ice core samples and aimed to show the ephemeral qualities of ice and the seasonal dialogue that takes place between freezing and thawing.