Jess VanNoy
landscape designer. coffee enthusiast.
COWGILL PLAZA DETAIL
materials and construction processes class
The final project for our materials class was to redesign a site on campus and provide details of some of the features we included in our designs. My site, Cowgill Plaza, is located next to the bottom floor of Cowgill Hall, home to the school of architecture + design at Virginia Tech.
PLAN
The design accomplishes several things that this area of campus needs. First, it creates a pedestrian gateway. Northwest of this site are 2 large parking lots and 5-story parking garage, making those first set of stairs a major throughway.
Second, it makes this part of campus ADA accessible. Normally someone in a wheelchair would have to use the elevator in Derring Hall or find an out-of-the-way route to get across this part of campus.
Third, the nooks located around Cowgill Hall provide opportunity for outdoor learning, presentations, and outdoor exhibitions so that students outside of the school of architecture + design can begin to understand the type of work we do.
TREE DETAIL
BENCH DETAIL
STAIR DETAIL
RETAINING WALL DETAIL