On the Right Path:

A Student Reflection on Designing for Sustainable Environments

Shelley Vrchota
Master of Design in Sustainable Environments
Iowa State University

On the Right Path: A Student Reflection on Designing Sustainable Environments

Background
Just when I thought I wouldnt find my way back to the path of
sustainable practice, I discovered the Master of Design in Sustainable
Environments (MDesSE) program at Iowa State University (ISU). I was
searching for a design program that emphasized sustainability as the
core focus. My background is in community and regional planning. I
began to explore community sustainability in the city planning
program, and knew that I wanted my continuing education to focus on
sustainable design.
Many different definitions of sustainability exist, theorized by different
academics and practitioners who develop their own understanding of
sustainability through their experiences. The definition that I subscribe
to, which thoughtfully summarizes the key fundamentals of
sustainability, is from the Report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development: Our Common Future (1987), and
asserts:
Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
The concept of sustainable
development does imply limits not absolute limits but limitations imposed by
the present state of technology and social organization on environmental
resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human
activities. But technology and social organization can both be managed and
improved to make way for a new era of economic growth. The Commission
believes that widespread poverty is no longer inevitable. Poverty is not only
an evil in itself, but sustainable development requires meeting the basic
needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to fulfill their aspirations for a
better life. A world in which poverty is endemic will always be prone to
ecological and other catastrophes.

The World Commissions definition addresses the importance of finding

a balance between the basic principles of sustainability. I will share my
experiences in the MDesSE program through a discussion of program
intent, program context, core learning, and elective opportunity, and
demonstrate the ways in which sustainability principles were
addressed and applied throughout the program.

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On the Right Path: A Student Reflection on Designing Sustainable Environments

Program Intent
The MDesSE program has been a unique compliment to my
background discipline allowing me to explore innovation in sustainable
design. This interdisciplinary program has enabled collaboration with
students from other design backgrounds contributing different
perspectives to sustainable practice. The MDesSE program includes a
rigorous core curriculum, and elective course options allowing me to
explore individual interests relating to sustainability. The MDesSE
program has prepared me for a career path in sustainable design
practice through its interdisciplinary approach, dedicated faculty, and
focus on exploring innovative design strategies.

Program Context
The MDesSE website summarizes program context by saying, The
program addresses ways to envision, make, and remake landscapes,
communities, buildings, objects, and images that conserve resources,
ameliorate ecological problems and promote social, political and
economic justice.
The program addresses sustainable design at
multiple scales, engaging both systems and artifacts.

Core Learning
Colloquium
Sources of interests and passions are sometimes forgotten as we
progress through life. It is important to recall those memories and
realize how our individual life experiences often shape our academic
and professional careers. The fall colloquium in the MDesSE program
was a place to connect those life experiences, inspirations, and past
learning with our passion for sustainable practice. Our professor, Jamie
Horwitz, shares the importance of connecting background to a practice
of sustainable design from her own writing Leaky Walls: Challenges to
Sustainable Practices in Post-disaster Communities (2005) by
expressing, Sustainable design is not a technological fix. It is a slow
and shifting reconstruction that cannot afford to shut out the past as
we imagine alternative futures. We explored multiple vehicles for
making these connections including: peer interviews, image
autobiographies, portraiture, and class discussion. My childhood and

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On the Right Path: A Student Reflection on Designing Sustainable Environments

travel experiences contributed more to my interests in community

planning and sustainability than I realized before taking this course.
Exploring my background uncovered unique indicators linking
experience with passion. I grew up in a historic and economically
diverse neighborhood that was well-connected within a mid-sized,
Midwestern community. Walkability was the way of life. I could access
a wide variety of basic needs, cultural amenities, green spaces, and
public spaces within a few minutes walk as a child. I was fortunate to
travel across much of the U.S. during my childhood as well, visiting
places in all regions of the country and experiencing many different
cultures.
My undergraduate study was in community and regional planning at
ISU, a choice I now attribute to early life experiences. I remember
watching a documentary on the threats to traditional community
design. The idea that we, as a nation, were heading in the wrong
direction with the form of community and neighborhood development
resonated with me. I found courses in growth management and urban
form to reinforce those concerns. I established an early understanding
of how many American cities had developed unsustainably in the past,
even though I had not been exposed to the term sustainability as it
applies to city planning. I was fortunate to study abroad in Rome, Italy
and travel to Athens, Greece during my collegiate career. Italian and
Greek cultures, as well as many European communities I assume, place
great value in historic preservation, public spaces, access to local food,
investment in local economies, and community lifestyle. I found these
values incredibly refreshing and important to healthy and sustainable
communities. Many cities in the U.S. progressed away from these
types of values in the mid to late 19th century, and actually developed
places that fundamentally challenge these types of basic, sustainable
community principles.
Later in my graduate work in city planning, I was first introduced to the
term sustainability. I connected my undergraduate interest in growth
management and urban form to the larger idea of reimagining and
creating sustainable communities. I enrolled in a course on sustainable
communities, which was a thorough introduction to the sustainability
challenges confronting many American cities, and the best practices
that a few had adopted to overcome those obstacles. I also enrolled in
a studio tasked with finding sustainable design solutions for a site that
existed on the urban fringe of a larger metropolitan city. The studio
site had many unique contextual elements including: EPA superfund
brownfield designation, a settlement of homeless people, a defunct
railway, and many abandoned industrial buildings scattered throughout
the site. We developed a design solution that balanced the basic
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On the Right Path: A Student Reflection on Designing Sustainable Environments

tenets of sustainability and addressed all elements of the site in a

thoughtful and sensitive redevelopment strategy. Social justice and
local food system theory was reinforced by a visit to Growing Home
urban gardening initiative, and green building innovations were
explored at Chicago Center for Green Technology, all on a studio trip to
Chicago.
A significant part of the fall colloquium was also devoted to
interviewing faculty within the MDesSE program, documenting those
interviews on video, and producing them for presentation on the
program website. Hearing the academic, professional, and personal
journeys of my mentors was truly inspirational. Learning the road
ahead was not always clear in the beginning for people who share the
same interests as me, was encouraging. Both Austin Stewart and Alex
Braidwood explored diverse interests and different places before
focusing on their current professional paths. Their explorations formed
them into well-rounded and cultivated people who each have unique
perspectives in relation to sustainability.
Through colloquium activities, it is now very apparent that my
childhood experience growing up in a traditional neighborhood,
combined with educational and travel experiences, have all
contributed to my passion for city planning, urban form, and creating
sustainable communities. Exploring these connections was crucial to
engaging with other curriculum in the MDesSE program, and will serve
me well in future endeavors.
Foundations
Exploring the foundations of sustainability reinforces an understanding
of how fundamental elements contribute to healthy ecosystems and
sustainable places. Soil, water, food systems, and acoustic ecology are
fundamental elements that can be examined individually, but
understanding how they all depend on each other in creating a
complex global ecosystem, is essential. We learned that sustainable
design often depends on an understanding of the relationships
between these elements. Applying unique exploration methods can
change a designers perception and expand their interpretation of how
each foundational element supports a larger, interconnected system.
Finding another lens to explore each of these elements sparked my
interest in reexamining things I thought I knew so well, and some ideas
I hadnt even considered. Xi Zhang, another student in the MDesSE
program this semester, also felt this course was a unique learning
experience allowing her to explore tactics she had little experience
with prior to this program.
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Soil. We began the soil component by collecting and studying samples

on a chosen site, and then analyzing and classifying the samples
according to their unique characteristics. Utilizing technology to map
soil conditions afforded me new site analysis perspective. Ill be the
first to admit that I overlooked soil as an ecosystem in itself, comprised
of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and countless organisms;
all of these elements working together to support plant life. This
component led me to the realization of how important soil quality is for
sustaining life on this planet, and how often it is overlooked and
misused. In Just Ground: A Social Infrastructure for Urban Landscape
Regeneration (2013), Julie Bargmann presents a social perspective that
reminds us soil isnt a one-dimensional foundation asserting, All land
is not created equal. She goes on to say, Contaminants from
everyday consumption lurk beneath inner city neighborhoods. All too
often, marginalized communities live and work on this derelict land.
Poor soils, poor people. This is unjust ground.
I studied the soils on a site close to the ISU Insectary and proposed
retrofit of the land for a bioswale that would filter and absorb
stormwater from surrounding parking lot infrastructure. Currently
stormwater from this area drains directly to storm sewer systems. One
of the unique challenges of this assignment was to propose a land use
that would require different soil characteristics than what were present
on the site. Since the soil on the chosen site was primarily a clay loam,
which has a poor drainage classification, my proposal included a soil
amendment necessary to adapt the proposed land use. My proposal
would benefit the surrounding community in a sustainable way by
diverting stormwater that ultimately reaches an adjacent watershed
harming aquatic ecosystems and degrading water quality, and allows
filtration and ground absorption of the stormwater through
environmentally sensitive methods.
Water. Water was a major theme of the degree program. Water
quality in Iowa is threatened by human impacts like agriculture and
urban development where excess amounts of nutrients and chemicals
are introduced into watersheds. Excess nutrients and chemicals can
inhibit aquatic life, and challenge the ability of aquatic ecosystems to
function (IDNR, 2012). Iowan communities also devote an increasing
amount of resources to purifying water to potable standards for human
consumption.
Climate change poses threats to the way freshwater is distributed
throughout the world. Some places, such as the U.S. Northeast and
Midwest, are experiencing more frequent flooding, while others, such
as the U.S. West, are in severe drought for longer periods of time.
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Scientists expect climate change to continue to have an impact on

water levels and distribution throughout the world (Union of Concerned
Scientists, 2009). Water is another misunderstood and exploited, but
vitally important, element of our ecosystem.
A change in human
consumption of water resources and human impact on watersheds will
be necessary to sustain life on this planet.
Two projects in the foundations course focused on water. My first
project engaged a community I have frequented throughout my life,
Clear Lake, in a historical and cultural context. I compiled a collage
that visualized the communitys water interaction over several years.
Clear Lake has a history of challenges to its water quality, landing it on
a list of Iowan impaired water bodies several times in its recent past.
Lake restoration began with the CLEAR project in 1995, and progressed
through the early part of this century. The CLEAR project involved
many partners, stakeholders, and strategies for improving its
watershed and quality of lake water. Water quality continues to be
closely scrutinized to evaluate results of the project, and to determine
whether restoration methods were successful. Later in the semester,
we revisited a more complex consideration of a water-related issue by
designing a kinetic sculpture to visualize the topic. The sculpture
required incorporation of moving water.
I chose water quality
enhancement using mineral and plant filtering, and demonstrated the
filtration process sculpturally. Engaging with other students collage
and kinetic sculpture projects allowed me to think about water in
different cultural and geographic contexts, and reminded me of the
fundamental importance of water in sustaining life.
Unexpected Outcomes. Unexpected outcomes are often unwanted
results from a particular action, like epidemic nutrient water pollution
from industrial agriculture processes or bee colony collapse from
agricultural pesticide use. But, as other students in this course
demonstrated, unexpected outcomes can also be valuable new
perspectives and ideas towards a subject like a plan to end hunger by
using food waste and food trucks for culinary education and
distribution of food relief.
For this assignment, I documented the current phenomenon of
degrading, vacant suburban buildings that were once the primary
mode of suburban commercial development in the U.S., not long ago.
This concept presents an unsustainable outcome for community
leaders and developers, as many of these developments remain vacant
and are no longer desired by business owners. Our class used video
documentation and production to address this topic. The movie I
produced was three minutes in length and titled The Strip Mall:
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Suburban Wasteland. Film footage included three commercial sites in

suburban Des Moines that were built using the strip mall development
design, and had been on average 80%-100% vacant for at least six
months prior to the time of filming. Assembling video footage into a
short documentary turned out to be an interesting way of investigating
the theme of unexpected outcomes. Video trailers often present new
concepts, so this medium was ideal for communicating new
perspectives on often unexposed and undocumented topics.
Acoustic Ecology. Acoustic ecology was completely new subject
matter for me. I had never considered sound as a way to investigate
or measure the ecology of a place. We were introduced to this topic
through the work of Bernie Krause and R. Murray Schafer, among
others. Krause and Schafer are both pioneers in the field of acoustic
ecology. In Music of the Environment (1973), Schafer says, The
soundscape of the world is changing. Modern man is beginning to
inhabit a world with an acoustical environment radically different from
any he has hitherto known. The new sounds, which differ in quality
and intensity from those of the past, have already alerted researchers
to the dangers of the imperialistic spread of more and larger sound into
every corner of the mans life. During this component we attempted
to answer the question that Schafer poses, What is the relationship
between man and the sounds of his environment and what happens
when these sounds change?
My project documented the sounds of an urban park in Des Moines at
various times of day. Sounds of wildlife were evident even with the
overwhelming presence of man-made (anthrophonic) sounds, but the
urban environment seemed to lack biodiversity. In three hours of
recording, only the sounds of a handful of species could be detected.
What Krause and Schafer had theorized was evident in my acoustic
observations, humans have changed the sounds of their environment.
Stopping to listen to the sounds in my environment wasnt something I
considered important before this assignment, but is now a thought that
frequently enters my conscious. Acoustic ecology has been utilized to
explore the intricacies of many different types of ecosystems, and will
continue to be an important medium for identifying the absence, or
abundance, of elements within an environment.
The Food System. The logistics behind contemporary food production
in many places in the U.S. contributes to unsustainable communities
through substantial energy consumption and over-processed,
unhealthy food options (Campbell & Lopez-Ortiz, 2014). Some of the
current issues in Iowa, and elsewhere, include food insecurity and
childhood obesity (FoodCorps, 2015). FoodCorps, which is part of the
AmeriCorps network, promotes childrens access to healthier food
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options through the farm-to-school movement.

The farm-to-school
movement advocates for school gardens and educational food
programs that engage children in behaviors that will lead them to
make healthier food choices in the future.
Our class used infographics as the tactic for addressing this issue.
Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data, or
knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. They
are an essential way to promote awareness and illustrate concepts
quantitatively. Our class partnered with the Iowa FoodCorps project to
create infographics products for their potential use. FoodCorps staff
identified needs important to their mission and programming. The
project I created with my partner focused on initiatives for community
outreach and education, and incorporated data on the number of
meetings, meeting attendees, and volunteers FoodCorp staff projected
to be involved in upcoming efforts. Since our topic was based on
community outreach and education, our design strategy focused on
organizational keywords and engaging graphics that would motivate
and mobilize support from volunteers and stakeholders. Each student
groups products were unique, but all provided the FoodCorps with
unique designs to elevate their cause.
Human Dimensions
One of the most important capacities we have as humans is the ability
to communicate to each other. Narrative is incredibly important to
design professions, and is often a complex human dimension. The
initial part of the semester of this course focused on narrative and
storytelling as part of a design and planning strategy grounded in
sustainable outcomes. Storytelling enables people of all backgrounds
and abilities to frame a sense of what is, reflect on what needs to be
done, and then engage with others about the sensibility of their
stories (Beauregard, 2003). Storytelling can be understood as a
critical vehicle for obtaining and interpreting public participation
typically integrated into the design process. In Making Space: Stories
in the Practice of Planning (2003), Barbara Eckstein says, Carefully
told and carefully heard, stories do have the potential to act as a
bridge between engrained habits and new futures, but their ability to
act as transformative agents depends upon disciplined scrutiny of their
forms and uses. Disciplined scrutiny is the responsibility of the
professionals involved in the process.
Other human dimensions are revealed through narrative, and those
stories often indicate a persons beliefs, perceptions, values, and
attitudes towards a subject. These are basic tenets of environmental
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psychology. (Bell et al. 2001) We explored the effort of restoring

sustainability in communities, which often involves a commitment to
revisiting vernacular lifestyles. Historically, narrative was the primary
way traditions were passed from generation to generation.
Reexamining
traditions is possible because those stories have
transcended time, and are still referenced in modern society.
Interpreting that narrative in a meaningful way is the challenge of our
time. I believe those stories will give us the key to sustainability.
Our capstone project in this course included a comparative case study.
My case study research involved comparing community sustainability
plans between three cities: Omaha, Kansas City and Des Moines.
These communities were chosen for comparison based on their
locations within a similar cultural context of the Midwestern U.S.
Alternatively, each of these communities exists within different
governmental boundaries and has unique administrative frameworks,
both of which offered dynamics of interest to this comparative
research.
While each community had slightly different agendas,
strategies, and timeframes for achieving sustainability, they all
understand that this is a critical time to rethink how their cities
function. They are beginning to accept changes to the status quo of
community development. The differences in approach were often due
to varying leadership styles, and also a product of the degree to which
various organizations and stakeholders were involved in the
sustainability planning process. As my evaluation of this case study
research concludes, identifying the roles each person or organization
performs in the planning process is necessary for an effective outcome.
Ensuring the sustainability of those outcomes is the responsibility of
the people who engage in the process.
Design Studio
Water quality enhancement methods are discussed more frequently
than ever, as watersheds suffer the impacts of human development
and global population increase, for example the Ganges River
watershed in Asia, and the Mississippi River watershed here in the U.S.
Vegetated floating islands (VFIs) are a remedial solution that is gaining
traction as a way to restore water bodies experiencing eutrophication.
With carefully selected plant material and thoughtful island design,
VFIs have been scientifically proven to significantly diminish nutrient
accumulation within small lakes and ponds.
Our MDesSE spring design studio researched, designed, constructed
and implemented VFIs in order to research their potential to enhance
water quality in ISUs Lake LaVerne. Our project was awarded a 42K
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grant from the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB) to

accomplish this work. This grant was also contingent on a plan for
water quality monitoring over the entire growing season to quantify
changes in the nutrient content of the lake.
To understand Lake LaVernes current state, it is helpful to know the
history of the lake. It was constructed on a wetland site in 1916. The
lake has been a focal point of the campus for many decades, but over
time its natural watershed has been altered in an attempt to keep it
unpolluted and to maintain an anthropocentric desire for aesthetic
splendor. What has resulted is a water body, rich in excess nutrients
and pollutants, which struggles to support aquatic life. Methods like
aeration and alum treatment are currently being administered in order
to inhibit nutrient proliferation and algal growth. VFIs are a low-cost
and effective alternative to chemical and mechanical processes, which
naturally absorb nutrients from the water through plant root uptake.
Public engagement with VFI innovation was a primary intent of the this
project, as well. We accomplished this by incorporating an element of
public art into VFI design that would attract public interaction and
inquiry, and which would ultimately translate into a learning
opportunity for observers. Our studio group created a project website
that provides users with project background, watershed learning, VFI
educational material, instructions to build a low-cost VFI, and other
public outreach components. In addition to our website, we wanted to
reach as many people as possible, so we created a social media
campaign to promote the project, share milestones during the design
process, and provide project updates on island maturity throughout the
growing season. We designed and presented a research poster at the
2015 Iowa Water Conference, which allowed us to reach an audience of
interested and concerned stakeholders involved with water resources
in Iowa. The anticipated outcomes from public outreach are watershed
education, increased exposure to VFIs, and proliferation of VFIs among
pond and small lake owners interested in improving water quality.
The WIRB grant, in partnership with the Story Soil and Water
Conservation District, elevated the quality of project results.
Our
group agreed on a formal consensus decision-making process as a way
to structure and conduct studio proceedings that were equal and fair
for all participants.
We then began to research water quality
impairment in context of the State of Iowa, so our group could
understand the local challenges to water quality and primary sources
of water pollution. The next steps were to create a vision and mission
for our project, and to draft a problem statement that conveyed our
understanding of water quality issues in Iowa, the sources of those
impairments, the extent to which humans impact water quality, an
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introduction of VFIs to our audience, and the science behind VFIs as a

remedial solution. Our group then divided project work and organized
project goals into categories to individually assign.
My specific project responsibility involved the creation of a social
media campaign. I also worked collaboratively on strategies for public
outreach, including tactics for engagement with local high school
students. We then decided as a group that each group member would
present their own vision for island design, and we would subsequently
combine the most popular aspects of each design into a final VFI
design. We sourced materials to use in construction, and referenced
academic research on the most effective native plantings for aquatic
nutrient uptake. We modeled our final island design and then ordered
materials to begin fabrication.
The final design solution included three VFIs, for a total of 170 square
feet of surface area. Each island includes an arrow structure made
from a steel framework, with all arrows gently angled pointing towards
the waters surface. The arrow structure symbolizes the arrow one
would see on a watershed map indicating the direction of water flow
over the land in relation to a body of water. We felt the symbolic arrow
was a unique opportunity for observers to learn about the importance
of watersheds and their relation to water quality. We held a launch
event where members of the community and stakeholders participated
in final assembly of the first island and its launch. Members of the
studio group designed educational literature for the event, as well as
informational signs, which are posted around Lake LaVerne to educate
observers that frequent the lake.
Water samples will be collected from water columns below and around
each island throughout the growing season in order to test water
quality. The islands will be removed from the lake at the end of the
2015 growing season, and plants will be harvested so that pollutants
are completely removed from the lake. Harvested plant material will
also be tested for pollutant concentrations.
Testing results will
contribute to the knowledge base and understanding of the ability of
VFIs to improve water quality.
Before working on this project, I was not exposed to water quality
impairments in specific detail. I was also not aware of VFI technology,
or the ability of VFIs to improve water quality. I knew only basic
information about water quality issues. Involvement with this project
has exponentially increased my knowledge and understanding of the
sources of water pollution in Iowa, which can be applied to other
locations with a similar context. Exposure to an innovative remedial
water quality solution has reminded me to think creatively and
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consider the potential of design solutions that, on the surface, may

seem unconventional. This project also reinforced my experience in
coordinating a public outreach strategy. The knowledge base and skill
I acquired in this studio can be practically applied to a future career in
sustainable practice.

Elective Learning
The opportunity to take elective courses in the MDesSE program
allowed me to explore interests related to sustainability that arent
explicitly included in the core curriculum. I chose courses that would
develop supporting themes to sustainability, which I had little exposure
to in past learning. The elective subjects I studied were Environmental
Law and Planning, Sustainability and Green Architecture, and
Designing for Health.
Environmental Law and Planning. Environmental Law and Planning
provided me with a connection between sustainability and the
practicality of policy and law in relation to environmental issues.
Understanding the history and evolution of environmental policy in the
U.S. is very important to an understanding of the current
administration and law that guides actions, provides support, and
authorizes governance with respect to our environment. The practice
of sustainability looks to the support of environmental laws and policies
more than ever as the effects of climate change and altered
ecosystems are continually apparent everyday.
Green Architecture and Sustainability. Our built environment is
possibly the element most exposed and investigated in relation to
climate change, due to the energy inefficiency that is evermore
apparent in traditional building design. Much of the construction and
development that was completed in recent decades was solely
designed for aesthetic purposes, rather than with a sensitivity to the
impacts of those designs on the physical environment. Studying
green architecture revealed new innovations and technology related
to building design and development, but also looked to vernacular
designs to inspire energy efficient and environmentally sensitive
development going forward.

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This course also presented an examination of green building standards

and certification programs, which continue to evolve. In the early
2000s, the U.S. Green Building Councils Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certification was the one of few, and the
most prevalent, green building certification programs available. Before
taking this course, I wasnt familiar with The Living Future Institutes
Living Building Challenge, or PassivHaus, which are two standards
programs becoming more widespread and accepted by the design
community for their recognition of innovative practices and
perspectives on the future of sustainable development. All of these
green building certification programs will contribute to an evolution in
the sustainability of our built environment.
Designing for Health. I was able to relate many of the topics
discussed in Designing for Health to concepts I studied in community
and regional planning, as well as in core curriculum of the MDesSE
program.
For example, the importance of walkabilility is often
referenced in community comprehensive planning, and has obvious
positive impacts on physical human health. What was less obvious to
me before taking this course, was how thoughtful design, or lack there
of, can greatly impact mental health in humans.
More and more
research is showing that humans are significantly effected by their
environments, and those effects are often psychological.
A good
portion of the most recent research demonstrates that environmental
injustice, income inequality, and social injustice have debilitating
effects on human mental and physical health.
People often suffer
from toxic stress due to their living environments, which begins to
affect them both mentally and physically, and they often may not
understand the cause of their ailments. Human health should be a
basic element considered during the planning process for any sort of
design project.
The elective courses one chooses to study can greatly influence the
academic experience. I believe it is important to carefully choose
courses that will strengthen or benefit ones career path in sustainable
practice. As was true in my experience, I found many connections
between my elective course subjects, and what I was learning in the
core curriculum of the MDesSE program.

Capstone Studio
The MDesSE capstone proposal was an opportunity to apply a
sustainable design intervention to an environment that one selects for
enhancement or restoration.
The design solution was grounded in

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academic research that supports ones premise regarding sustainability.

The capstone studio was also a chance to synthesize what I had
learned thus far in the MDesSE program and apply it to a practical
situation. Sushmita Kotta, a cohort of mine in the MDesSE program
this semester, enjoyed the capstone studio allowing her to express her
individual design voice and combine her architecture background with
a sustainable design solution. Her final design reimagined a campus
street as a public space that accommodated food bikes, activities, and
offered healthier food options for ISU students.
My capstone project represented my interests in environmental
education, and environmental enhancement. I proposed a design that
recognized an opportunity to transform a portion of Lake LaVernes
watershed to improve the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem of the site,
and to exhibit the changed landscape as an educational experience.
Water quality enhancement in Lake LaVerne has many potential
environmental benefits including a higher quality natural resource for
recreational use and enjoyment by ISU students and Ames community
residents; a more functional aquatic ecosystem for wildlife in and
around the lake; and an improved water quality contribution to
receiving waters downstream. I can attribute my knowledge of water
issues to program course work in Foundations, and Studio. Both
classes explored water in new ways that developed a passion in me for
considering innovative solutions to raise awareness of water pollution
and freshwater scarcity. People engaged with my proposed water
quality intervention system will have the opportunity to observe and
interact with enhancement processes; learn valuable lessons about the
importance of watersheds; observe lake ecology; and will ultimately be
exposed to sustainable design strategies that exhibit environmental
and social sensitivities.
The land on the southern edge of Lake LaVerne provided the best
opportunity for a transformation in land cover and the most space for
an integrated, place-based educational experience. The topography of
the land, which slopes from the sites southern border along Lincoln
Way, to the lake, also made this site a candidate for a stormwater
filtration system. The existing land cover was largely mown turf grass
surrounding many trees and shrubs that also existed on the site. Any
transformation in land cover worked in harmony with existing trees and
shrubs, as they would remain on the site. The overall environmental
goal of this proposal is not to start with a clean slate on the site, but to
enhance the existing landscape by adding vegetation conducive to
retaining and filtering stormwater. This change in land cover would
ultimately support the lakes water quality and ecosystem, once the
University accomplishes a broader lake restoration project.

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Water quality improvement and ecosystem enhancement was achieved

by transforming a portion of the southern lakeshore of Lake LaVerne
from mown turf grass to vegetation that acted as a stormwater
filtration and absorption system. Transforming the landscape restored
wildlife habit, which had been overlooked as necessary part of the lake
ecosystem in the past. This system combined elements of green
infrastructure, vegetated shoreline buffers, and pervious surfaces in
Lake LaVernes watershed to filter, or allow ground absorption, of
stormwater runoff before it reaches the lake. Nesselli-Flores (2008)
contends, Natural shoreline vegetation has a direct influence on the
ecological integrity of a lake, as it provides shade, leaf litter, woody
debris, protection from erosion, and littoral habitat.
My proposal provided educational value by allowing people to engage
with an interactive watershed model, unique green infrastructure
demonstrations, and lake ecology. Interaction with water happened
through in-water observation, watershed learning, and human-powered
water pumping, all combined in an outdoor educational space.
In-water observation offered viewers a unique perspective of
the lake by putting them at eye level with the waters surface
to observe aquatic life, without actually requiring entry in the
water. This experience was achieved through a platform
structure that extends into the water from the lakeshore, and
includes glass and cement walls that separate observers from
the water.
The watershed learning space brings the Mississippi
Watershed to life in a human-scale, interactive model
demonstrating the path water follows from its source,
gathering nutrients in various watersheds along the way, and
ultimately accumulating in the Gulf of Mexico causing
eutrophic conditions and hypoxia.
Interactive green infrastructure displays demonstrated green
roof systems, stormwater collection and recycling systems,
and a bioretention swale. To achieve project goals of
engagement and interaction it was important to demonstrate
the connection between green infrastructure and watershed
improvement.
The intended audience for my intervention is anyone interested in
learning about green infrastructure and watershed improvement. The
intent of my project was to engage people with an attractive and
interactive landscape that invites them to explore. Lake LaVernes site
location invited situational observation and interaction with my design
intervention, considering the lakes urban location on a college

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campus. My final design included educational programming geared

towards children that can be facilitated by an instructor, or explored
individually by participants. Visual information guides were designed
for comprehension by all age groups with components for adults and
children. Interactive green infrastructure displays will be of interest to
any age group as many may not be aware of current green
infrastructure and watershed improvement strategies.
The final design was an interactive learning experience showcasing
watersheds as the larger system that impacts water quality and
riparian ecology.
An understanding of watershed systems can
translate to any riparian environment, although this project was
located on a site adjacent to Lake LaVerne and connected to the
unique ecosystem of that lake. This project has the ability to change
the publics perception of Lake LaVerne, and demonstrates the
potential for landscapes to be reimagined and transformed to
environmentally sensitive places.
Green infrastructure, water
observation, and landscape elements were designed in a way that was
intended to be engaging to participants. Uncovering and presenting
the layers of a bioretention swale, and developing an interactive
watershed learning space, were a few of the design interventions
included in my project that offer new ways of visualizing concepts. The
success of the final design outcome was dependent on a deliberate
and thoughtful synthesis of environmental education programming and
watershed improvement strategy.

Conclusions
My experience in the MDesSE program was truly invaluable. I was
exposed to, and learned a great many concepts that promote
sustainability which weave a meaningful and thoughtful approach to
my future career path. Studying sustainability isnt just to understand
our human existence in terms of environmental sensitivity, economic
viability, or social justice, but to know that the decisions we make
today will effect future generations of people. The MDesSE program
was a well-rounded complement to an incomplete passion. A study of
sustainability is a commitment to making a difference in a world often
too contented to realize fundamental change is imperative.

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