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MA + WABI-SABI
Client: University of Oregon
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Campus outdoor learning and community space
LandCurrent was tasked with renewing the courtyard of McKenzie Hall at the University of Oregon. The courtyard blends the natural vegetation of the Pacific Northwest, Japanese design principles and functional requirements. Two Japanese concepts were used the concept of “ma”- emptiness and "wabi-sabi"- the balance of perfect and imperfect, new and old, pristine and worn with age.
Ma was achieved by removing existing elements from the existing garden, Only a small island of plantings, and a solitary basalt column remained.
The principle Wabi-sabi was found in the brutalist concrete architecture of McKenzie Hall, the existing basalt column and the existing courtyard wall. All of these have developed a distinct patina over time which has been sought out and juxtaposed with new precisely crafted elements and surfaces
Team
University of Oregon (owner)
LandCurrent (landscape architect)
Illustrations: Mike Hopper
Diagrams: LandCurrent
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