A NATIONAL STUDIO PROJECT | UN PROJET NATIONAL D'ATELIERS 2021-22
Dalhousie University
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
LARC 4002 | LANDSCAPE STUDIO II
WINTER 2022
Ed Versteeg
Instructor, Landscape Architecture
Edward Versteeg is an instructor of landscape architecture at Dalhousie University and practicing landscape architect. He has been a full member of APALA and the CSLA since 2005 and moved through all executive positions on the APALA board between 2005 and 2013. During that time APALA (with support from the CSLA) documented the case for landscape architecture education based in Atlantic Canada. In 2012 APALA established their first scholarship in partnership with LACF; a second scholarship was established in 2017 and Ed remains involved with their administration. He served as a director of the CSLA from 2011-2013. Since then he has been a director of LACF and awards juror from 2012 to 2018. He currently serves on four board committees and recently helped to develop LACF’s scholarship program. He is an active volunteer in his community.
Rick leBrasseur
Assistant Professor
Dr. Rick leBrasseur is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at Dalhousie University within the Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences. A licensed landscape architect, environmental psychologist, researcher, and peri-urbanist, he is the Director of the interdisciplinary Green Infrastructure Performance Lab and is a member of the Clean Technologies Research Institute applying investigative knowledge towards climate adaptive reorganisation of multifunctional landscapes. His research encourages designers to to think about complex landscape-individual processes in relational terms, whereby integrative urbanisms can apply diverse frameworks to understand built and natural morphologies of people and place. Rick has received research grants from the Canadian Tri-Council, the US Environmental Protection Agency and Britain’s Arts & Humanities Council (AHRC).
He received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Connecticut. Prior to his academic appointment, Rick worked at Hargreaves Associates, Charles Anderson Atelier, SWA Group, CRJA, EDAW, RHAA and contributed to multiple internationally recognised and award winning projects including the Olympic Sculpture Park. His collaborative designs and research has been, published, reviewed, and featured in Landscape Journal, Journal of Landscape Architecture, Sustainability, CNN, The New York Times, The Royal Institute of British Architects, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Urban Land, among others.
STUDIO BRIEF
Studio Problématique
This studio is also a part of the Studio Problématique, a nationwide platform to encourage the exchange of experience in the teaching and research of landscape architecture in Canada. Design studios in landscape architecture programs will engage with different projects but be unified in their exploration of contemporary issues including: climate change and biodiversity loss, heritage and identity and Indigenous matters. Participating instructors and students are encouraged to “explore an optimistic reemergence in environmental thinking and design” and to share their final work on a public platform.
Project
The semester project asks students to develop design proposals for the revitalization of Shubenacadie River Park, a 3 ha riverfront park site in the heart of the village of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia (population 2000). Shubenacadie River Park has a long history of community use and has recently been transferred from a non-profit community group to the Municipality of East Hants which is interested in design proposals for the revitalization of the park for community recreational use.
Client
The Municipality of East Hants (MEH) is a large (1787 km2) community of 24,000 people located in central Nova Scotia with an economy that historically relied on the exploitation of natural resources through agriculture, forestry and mining. While these industries remain important to the local economy, increased growth in parts of the municipality has been spurred by increasing suburban, commercial industrial activity. Our project contacts at the Municipality are Debbie Uloth, Project Planner and Evan MacDougall, Manager of Parks and Buildings. The community is represented on Municipal Council by Ian Knockwood. Please direct any questions for the client to a course instructor.
Project Site
The project site is a triangular 3.23 ha community park located in the heart of the village of Shubenacadie and on the bank of the Shubenacadie River. The park contains 2 buildings, 2 softball fields, a small performance stage, a picnic shelter, a new dock providing river access for canoes and kayaks. Other aged recreation facilities have been removed. A children’s wading pool is no longer in use. In recent years the largest event held at the park space was annual Canada Day celebrations (Hay Days) which include a children’s entertainment, music performances, and a substantial fireworks show at night. Decades ago the softball fields were heavily used. A community museum owned by the municipality is located nearby.
