A Revelatory Landscape: Wind through the Senses

Abstract

Technology has been an ever evolving component of society and civilization, making our life easier but simultaneously creating problems. Now we have become the tools for our tools. It is the reaction to this technology that has led our society to become more and more mechanized and engineered, detaching us from the natural processes and the natural phenomena that make up our interesting world. However, because of the landscape'­s potential for communication and demonstration, it is a critical time for landscape architects to use the landscape, highlighting the interaction between the human and natural processes and create a heightened sense of ecological awareness. This thesis design explores how technology can be integrated into the landscape in order to reveal the natural phenomena of wind on the site. The revelation of wind is achieved through the engagement of the airplanes landing and taking off from Reagan National Airport and one's senses as one can hear wind, see wind, feel wind, smell and taste wind. The sensory experience is one that focuses on the overlapping of the senses in a type of synthesia, creating a rich and dynamic fabric for exploration, interpretation and understanding of wind, its movement and its unique cycles.