Category: M.Sc Students

Orni Bloch

Masters degree program

Enhancing experience of nature in urban park through design

Abstract

The expansion of urban space in Israel and around the world is an ongoing process that is expected to intensify. Currently, most of the growing population occurs in cities. As a result, two major problems arise: first, urban development deletes and degrades natural ecosystems leading to rapid species extinction and contribution to the growing biodiversity crisis.  Second, people who live in crowded urban spaces live in isolation from the natural environment. This phenomenon was described as the “extinction of experience” and is very concerning, as a growing body of research shows that interaction with natural environments is essential for maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.  In addition to the loss of well-being and health benefits resulting from this alienation from nature, studies have also shown that living away from nature can reduce people’s affinity to nature, feeling of connection to nature and as a result their willingness to support nature conservation. Therefore, in my thesis I seek to understand how multispecies design intervention can enhance the experience of nature in urban parks on its social and ecological benefits. First, I intend to do a design process of developing some interventions that draw visitors’ attention to the nature around them, to small details that happen by them . By redesigning elements of an urban nature park , I would like to explore the possibility of influencing human interaction with nature in the park. I will compare two different designs of this experience using observations and interviews.

Supervisors

Dr.Daniel Metcalfe & Prof.Assaf Shwartz

Email

ornibs@gmail.com

Sofy Mahagna

Masters degree program

Supervisors

Prof. Ezri Terezi
Yoav Shterman

Examine the Craft form in the technology age by developing a new system consisting of combining handmade design along with digital tools for CNC manufacturing. Modern technology reduces the need for manual work, today’s design making and the process relies on mechanization rather than hand-operated, thus traditional crafts are disappearing even though human skills are diverse the machine has replaced the craftsman as the industrialization material replaced traditional ones.
In my project I will present an integration practice of traditional craft and contemporary making that creates a dialogue between the craftsman and technological tools, by merging the aesthetic, structural qualities of the hand work and the deep material knowledge among the Craftsman alongside with digital process and production, thus the inherent value of the Hybrid Craft produced by a machine and craftsman working together, not by craftsman or machine alone. Linking between hand and machine in producing the Hybrid Craft made by adopting new color use technique, the craftsman/user draws 2D painting with special grey-scale palette set, the technological tools (Scanner, Grasshopper Code, CNC machine) convert the 2D painting and produce it to 3D model, the developed code reads the 2D painting according to grey-grading scale, the darker it is the thicker it is, while preserving ratio difference between the layers. Moreover, the code is also able to read gradient painting and converts it accordingly. this technique requires not only new methods of making but also of thinking and designing as the craftsman must relate to the color as a 3D tool while drawing in 2D.

Email: sofymaha@campus.technion.ac.il