Margaret is from Columbus, Ohio and in her final year of the 5+1 program.
3. What was your undergraduate degree and how did it influence your decision to
pursue a MLA?
I am a 5+1 student receiving both my Bachelor’s of Architecture and my Master’s of Landscape Architecture at the University of Tennessee. As I first entered my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to pursue the 5+1 – it was too good of an opportunity to pass up - but at the heart of it, I always knew I would be more drawn to the world of landscape architecture. Throughout my architecture studios, I was always interested in tying the project to large scale systems and understanding how architecture could respond to broader conversations across the environment. This thinking set me up well for the world of landscape architecture and has really helped me embrace the regional scale aspects landscape architecture can bring. I am grateful to my undergraduate degree for providing me with a solid design framework and to both degrees for giving me the opportunity to be prepared for future cross-disciplinary conversations!
5. What will you miss about Knoxville?
The coffee shops! While I drink coffee now, I wasn’t always a coffee drinker. However, the coffee shops in Knoxville are some of the best places to study and work (especially when I was needing a break from the Architecture building!) Back in undergrad, my roommates and I would choose a new coffee shop every weekend to try out. We have a pretty good running list of all the coffee shops in Knoxville….and it just keeps growing!
13. What’s the most significant assignment/project you have worked on, and why is it the most significant?
I am currently working on my MLP (Master of Landscape Project) and it is titled HYDROscape: The [Re]Embrace of Water in a [Re]Imagined Landscape. HYDROscape is the most significant project I have worked on, because it feels like it is the culmination of all six years of my design education and my 15+ years as a competitive swimmer. The project itself is an exploration into alternative Western hydrosocial ontologies, grounding it’s research in speculative design, policy analysis, and environmental theory.
Having been working on this project for the last year, my MLP has always been about sharing a new perspective about the Ocean and has stemmed from the love I have for the water. I have taken the grit, passion, and determination I learned from my years of collegiate swimming; I have leaned on the climatic, systematic, and graphic skills I gained from my undergraduate degree; and I have embraced the regional and environmental skills I have taken from my time in landscape architecture.
For me, HYDROscape is about combining everything I have learned as a designer and as a swimmer and making something of that knowledge. I really encourage anyone who goes through this program to use the opportunity of an MLP to explore something they are passionate in, no matter what it is!
33. What’s the coolest place you’ve traveled to?
I studied abroad in Finland for my undergraduate degree and we had a 10 day break between the two semesters. During this time, my friends and I travelled to Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest. We also took a few weekends to travel to Tallinn and Stockholm, and at the end of the study abroad, I went to Ireland to spend a weekend with my roommate and her family. The best part of having the opportunity to travel to over 10+ countries in one summer was the exposure to so many different people, cultures, and foods!