Open Space Essay

You have two options for the Open Space Essay. You can choose from either one – when you submit your essay, please indicate the option you have chosen.

Please note: “open spaces” may contain buildings in the landscape, but they are not exclusively comprised of architectural structures.

Option 1: Universal Influences in Open Space Design

You have been learning about different places and periods in history and the “universal influences” that were responsible for those places: those external a. cultural (politics, religion, social customs, shared belief systems etc.) b. geographic or climatic agents, and/or c. other influences that may be unique to the site and community that have an influence on design decisions made and have given your chosen place a specific design. Intentionality is key here.

You will explore an inspiring public place/ landscape and identify the universal influences represented in that place, providing background as a way of explaining the design to a stranger. In a short essay (750 words min.) discuss the influences and how they are expressed in the design, use, setting etc.—much as we describe designs in the lectures.

Choose any place not discussed in the lectures; this could be a street, a park, an outdoor nook, a square, a plaza as long as it’s not represented during this course and is open to the public. If you are abroad or come from another country, maybe this is a site you know from your travels. We love hearing about places we haven’t visited yet.

1) Include a photo and write a paragraph introducing the selected space, describe its physical presence, why you made this choice.

2) Next, consider your chosen site and think of it in terms of the universal influences expressed here. Write a paragraph that connects the influences to specific elements in the design or to the overall design if that is more applicable.

3) Write a concluding paragraph. Discuss how lessons of the past relate to contemporary designs.

Your response to the above points should be in essay form, with a title, introductory paragraph, body and conclusion. Submit as either an attached pdf, or Word document pasted into the response area. The submission link is on this page. Well-written, college-level essays are expected; please use at least one image to accompany your narrative. It could be a photo, a plan, or even a sketch of that place. Post questions about this activity to the message board.

750 words, minimum

Cite one (1) outside peer-reviewed source that helps explain or support your assessment and include a bibliographic reference. This could be a journal, book, newspaper article, A/V source, or any other source deemed reliable.

Option 2: Meaningful Place

This course has also introduced different spaces that acquired a significant importance within the surrounding setting through specific design decisions that were made.

– What makes a space a place?

– How does a place become meaningful?

– How is meaning evident in a place?

For this assignment, you will explore an inspiring public place/ landscape that has special meaning to you, and possibly others who use it. In a short essay (750 words) discuss why the space resonates in terms of its design, elements, function, setting etc. Apply the ideas and use design vocabulary from an earlier lecture to analyze the place you have chosen.

Choose any place not discussed in the lectures; this could be a street, a park, an outdoor nook, a square, a plaza as long as it’s not represented during this course and is open to the public. If you are abroad or come from another country, maybe this is a site you know from your travels. We love hearing about places we haven’t visited yet.

1) Include a photo and write a paragraph introducing the selected space, describe its physical presence, why you made this choice, what you think the designer intended and what it means to you.

2) Next, consider your chosen site and think of it in terms of a lesson you found interesting. Write a paragraph that connects, compares, or contrasts, your site to at least one idea, place, design element, or person from that lesson. In this paragraph, you may connect or contrast your space to some development in landscape architecture, something that ultimately led to its existence or has otherwise impacted it.

3) Write a concluding paragraph. Discuss how lessons of the past relate to contemporary designs. Discuss the significance of meaning in public places.

Your response to the above points should be in essay form, with a title, introductory paragraph, body and conclusion. Submit as either an attached pdf, or Word document pasted into the response area. The submission link is on this page. Well-written, college-level essays are expected; please use at least one image to accompany your narrative. It could be a photo, a plan, or even a sketch of that place. Post questions about this activity to the message board.

750 words, minimum

Cite one (1) outside peer-reviewed source that helps explain or support your assessment and include a bibliographic reference. This could be a journal, book, newspaper article, A/V source, or any other source deemed reliable.