Operation: Reclamation

Operation: Reclamation is an adaptation of the UTK Bioswales. Operating as a strike against campus beautification projects, its goals are to re-create a more natural and native landscape to the campus, while cultivating and enhancing the natural beauty of the site. While beautification projects are not inherently evil, they will sometimes remove the inherent value of a landscape in a quest for the beautiful and sublime. This project focuses on proposing a reclamation of the campus landscape, with a focus on the Bioswales of Volunteer Bld. Focusing on revitalization, hybridization, and transformation, this project will focus on re-introducing native species, the user experience, and the overall performance of the landscape. Focusing first: the first stage of the project was focused on analyzing the area, performing studies on the ground-scape and environment, and finally making overarching design decisions that will shape and focus the remainder of the project.

Amongst the goals of the project, the installation of decking and permanent outdoor classrooms is included within the final design. By including the additional buildings, the project is hoping to achieve an overall more fluid design that would be able to be easily included within the current existing buildings of the campus. Additionally, the creation of the interior and exterior space would allow for the replacement of all of the tents and temporary structures that had been erected to help alleviate the stress of COVID. These changes would also help in case of any future situations that may also arise. It will provide tailgating space and make up for any space that is subject to reclamation.

Instead of focusing slowly on a single area or interest of focus, the whole of the site was explored, to allow for a better integration of ideas into the existing plans and campus. This will be a designed space, and the attempts by the project will include the appropriation of the A&A Building to provide and create a landscape that will incorporate the Landscape Architecture department that shares the space.

This project was designed to benefit the ecosystem first and foremost by focusing on enhancing the living environment around it. It was designed to incorporate local and native vegetation and to increase the relative abundance of the flora and fauna. By increasing the number of native species and also increasing the abundance of species, the goal was to create an ecosystem that would reach stabilizing populations quickly and efficiently. It would also provide habitat for the native species, which could hopefully help create niche environments. It hopes to tackle the challenges associated with the site, primarily through the combination of architecture and landscape, in such a way that it allows for the boundary between the bioswales and the rest of the campus to blur.