r2/
Unmaking a
Tree Pit
MAR 2023
8 weeks
Graphic Narrative, Data Modeling
A graphic dissection of a tree pit. This project explores how humans control natural forces through urban infrastructure and the gaps that occur. This project uses data modeled from a tree pit’s contextual narrative and material anatomy to create visual representations of the relationship between human control and natural growth.
This relationship is examined in three phases: “Man vs. Nature,” “Dispute,” and “Bridging the Gap.” Each phase approaches the breakdown of the urban object in a certain lens as to comprehensively map its internal and external dynamics.
How do we control nature?
Whether it is to provide shelter from harsh elements or tame unruly spaces for human use, built infrastructure has historically been used as a tool to exert man’s domination over the natural landscape they reside in. The tree pit is a synechdotal example of this dynamic. It embodies the historic tug-of-war between man’s desire to bring nature into urban spaces, on their terms.
This project hopes to reframe the historical perspectives of urban infrastructure and read the function of a tree pit from the tree’s perspective. By analyzing the natural and infrastructural developments of this object and its dichotomy, we can discover how to replace the desire for control with the intention to create healthier and more productive urban ecosystems.
Data Modeling
To begin mapping the tree pit as an object, I created data sets to deconstruct the object into individual variables. From historical context to spatial organization to its anatomical breakdown, these data sets comprehensively describe the tree pit’s past, present, and futures.
1. Man vs. Nature
events - history examines the historical relationship between humans and trees.
parts + origin unfolding maps the components that contribute to growth, control, and measurement.
2. Dispute
action sequences animate the sequence of actions that create error in a tree pit.
tree pit mapping maps a sample of 37 tree pits in Ann Arbor’s downtown area through the factors of pit size, trunk size, design, and lift (error).
3. Bridging the Gap
decision taxonomy describe the range of design decisions to encourage the nurturing of the tree and the placemaking of the urban space.
events - futures projects the possible issues a tree pit can face within its lifetime and the design choices that can address them.