Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

In 1918 the National Park Service founding mission describes its role “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Nowhere in these discussions were the implications of the carbon footprint of traveling to enjoy these places and the significant investment required for maintenance. Furthermore, the importance of these lands, not as a resource to be enjoyed, but a resource for carbon sequestering and global environmental security was not considered. These lands have seen an incredible increase in use, increasing wear and putting more pressure on these fragile lands. Understanding that petroleum based modes of transportation will continue for some time, how can designers engage these sensitive places to have a significant impact on our long term sustainable occupation of these lands? Can our occupation and enjoyment of these places shift from the mentality of “leave no trace” to one of mutualistic benefit? This paper presents the studio framework to develop design strategies that address how the infrastructure of occupying and maintaining these lands can improve the ecology through mutualistic inhabitation. Projects were situated in fragile and remote places that require infrastructure as a means of examining the larger context of inhabiting the rapidly growing Mountain West. The studio pedagogy provided agency to the students to realize performative space making can be mutually beneficial to the environment.