Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook Volume 14.1 | Page 40

Goodbye Hills House

Student Essay / University of Massachusetts Amherst

Unive rsity of Ma ss a chu s e tts a t Am herst
Goodbye, Hills House. Hello, Integrated Design Building.

A S t ep C lo s er t o t h e Fi el d

For University of Massachusetts, Amherst alumni, the 2016-2017
academic year is bound to be bittersweet – particularly if you
toiled away many hours in Hills House. It is expected that the
Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
(LARP) will relocate to a new Integrated Design Building.

It is true. Hills House, which has been on the University’s
demolition slate for many years, will finally come down. Plagued
with air quality concerns, not all of the faculty can even enter the
building. The structure, originally constructed as dormitory space,
and refashioned into studio space many years ago , no longer
effectively serves the purposes of the Department.
LARP will join the Architecture program and the Building and
Construction Technologies program in the new Integrated Design
Building. With an anticipated 49,000 gross square feet and
80,000 gross s.f. building size, the State has authorized up to $50
million for the new building.
The Department is excited to have Leers Weinsapfel
Associates of Boston as the architect and Stephen Stimson
Associates, led by a UMass alumnus, as the design team. Plans
are currently being developed for two options: a new building at
the current parking lot across from the Fine Arts Center on North
Pleasant Street and for upgrading and connecting to Clark Hall.

Ngoc Doan

Overall, I see my academic and professional
experiences creating a series of stepping-stones to
discover my own values in Landscape Architecture. I
believe that the sustainable playground landscape
environment and social justice components are
deeply interrelated. With the skills I have been
attaining over the years, I want to return to my
earlier concern for designing children’s playgrounds
or gardens, especially those within struggling
communities.

Plans are now underway for sponsorship opportunities.
These funds will supplement the building fund. There is even
talk of having an alumni event, where for a modest fee
you can swing a sledgehammer at the building once the
Department has moved out– that is if the attorneys can be
satisfied. You may even be able to take home a souvenir brick.
For those of us who endured the sleepless nights and
relentless critiques in the Procopio Room, it is well known that
the program is not defined by the facility, but by the faculty.
Graduates of UMass have been fortunate to learn under
many landscape architecture academic luminaries. That
tradition will continue. Students will now have the additional
advantage of having one of the premier educational facilities
to in which to learn.

Your work is your vision.
We will keep it thriving all year long.
Call 781.834.1000 to find out how our partnership will grow your business.

As a young designer, I
continue to strive and discover the
field of landscape architecture as
a life-long learning experience.
Academically, I recognize the
importance of understanding
history and theory, so I continue
to take extra classes outside of
the Department—such as Artificial
Wetland and Sustainable Study
Tour in Berlin and Copenhagen—
to gain a better understanding
of technical skills and professional
works. My summer internship as
a landscape designer at Shadley
Associates gave me insight into
public project development. I
contributed to the completion of
two public park bid sets, made
revisions to site renderings and
illustrated plans for park signage.

My goal is to utilize my knowledge in Landscape
Architecture to support a non-profit organization
by providing landscape infrastructure that is
economically beneficial and sustainable. I plan to
travel to Vietnam after graduation with the Catalyst
Foundation to prepare and construct a sustainable
playground for the children who live in the dump
in Ninh Thuan, one of the poorest provinces in
Vietnam. I strongly believe that the Foundation will
benefit from an innovative, sustainable playground
and a community garden, which will both improve
the quality of lives for the children and faculty, and
provide education on resourcefulness for the new
school. This project will support over 100 students
and faculty per year. My mission is for the school to
become a model for poor communities not only in
Vietnam, but also across the world.

During my winter break,
I interned at Stephen Stimson
Associates, where I gained
invaluable experience in
engaging professional work. I
was fortunate to work on the
schematic design phase of the
new UMASS LARP building for the
public presentation during
my internship.
781-834-1000 | www.paragonlandscape.com | North Marshfield, MA

38

BSLA

Moving from a rural village in Vietnam to the U.S. at the age of
twelve, Ngoc experienced and witnessed poverty from a young
age. She quickly saw the value of education and made it her
goal to help struggling communities. Ngoc holds a Bachelor
of Arts in Studio Art with a minor in Mathematics from Boston
College. Her passion for nature, art, and problem solving led her
to the MLA program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst,
where she is currently in her last semester of study.

PARAGON
Landscape Construction | Property Management

2014 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook

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