silverstein: design portfolio
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silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
C O N T E N T SA B O U T
1. PARCHMENT TO TOUCHSCREEN: LANDSCAPE JOURNEY & EXPERIENCE FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING MLA Thesis: UniversiTy of MAryLAnd, CoLLege PArk
YOSHI SILVERSTEIN, MLA, ASSOC. ASLA
2. TENSION | RELEASE: DESIGN + BUILD finALisT
LeiChTAg foUndATion “sUkkoT AT The rAnCh” sUkkAh design CoMPeTiTion
3. MOONGATE CHUPPAH Wedding CAnoPy for JeWish+Chinese Wedding CereMony MiTsUi design
4. FOREST HEIGHTS PUBLIC WORKS & POLICE STATION CoMPLeTed As LAndsCAPe ArChiTeCTUre inTern neighborhood design CenTer: riverdALe, Md
5. RIVERDALE HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT: RAIN GARDEN SEQUENCE CoMPLeTed As LAndsCAPe ArChiTeCTUre inTern neighborhood design CenTer: riverdALe, Md
6. CASEY TREE FARM STABLES RETROFIT CoMPonenT of sTUdio iii groUP ProJeCT
UniversiTy of MAryLAnd: CoLLege PArk, Md
Joshua “Yoshi” Silverstein is a landscape designer, writer, and educator. He specializes in developing place-based learning through design and education. Yoshi holds over thirteen years’ experience in
both Jewish and secular outdoor, food, farm-based, and environmental education. His written work has been published in ArchDaily, ASLA’s The Dirt, Haaretz, and Green Prophet, and featured by Planetizen, ArchNewsNow, and the American Planning Association. Yoshi recently completed his masters degree in landscape architecture at the University of Maryland. His interdisciplinary thesis project, Parchment to Touchscreen: Landscape Journey and Experience for 21st Century Learning, creates an innovative hybrid of landscape design and pedagogy to strengthen personal and communal relationships to landscape. As a student, Yoshi also founded Mitsui Design, an ongoing project that strengthens place-based Jewish learning through ecological landscape design, curriculum development, workshops, and programs. Mitsui Design’s submission, Tension | Release, was a finalist in the Leichtag Foundation’s National “Sukkot at the Ranch” Design Competition. Yoshi directed the build of this structure during a public volunteer build day.
Yoshi was Summer Communications Associate at the American Society of Landscape Architects, where he wrote numerous articles for The Dirt, revised and updated the ASLA Guide to Green Infrastructure, and co-edited ASLA’s Landscape Architect’s Guide to Sustainable Portland, which launched in October 2014. He was also landscape architecture intern with the Neighborhood Design Center in Prince George’s County, who provides pro-bono design and planning services in support of community-sponsored initiatives. Before graduate school, Yoshi worked extensively as an experiential educator throughout the U.S. and abroad. Yoshi was Education Director at the Pearlstone Center – a leader in the field of Jewish agricultural and environmental education. As a Dorot Fellow in Israel, he studied at the Pardes Institute for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem, and was trained in Permaculture Design, Eco-Village Design, and Natural Building at Kibbutz Lotan. Yoshi has worked as an environmental educator at the Teva Learning Center, Olympic Park Institute, the McCall Outdoor Science School, and the WaterLife Discovery Center. His specialties include inquiry-based ecology programming, trip leading (particularly camping, backpacking, and canoeing), teambuilding and ropes course training, songleading, and martial arts.
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
PARCHMENT TO TOUCHSCREEN:LANDSCAPE JOURNEY & EXPERIENCE FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING
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Experiences of landscape journey are informed and mitigated by modalities of place-based practices. Historically, documentation and transmission
of landscape knowledge was limited to narratives of those with power and influence. Today, the democratization of power and decentralization of knowledge, particularly as affected by technology, are projected to affect powerful changes for our future.
This project creates innovation in place-based learning through an interdisciplinary approach combining landscape design for outdoor learning environments with collaborative curriculum development. Educators from Gesher Jewish Day School in Fairfax, VA were involved in this collaboration that has yielded an exciting, fresh approach to engaging student relationships to landscape. Students connect to narratives of landscape journey and experience in Jewish tradition while engaging in guided personal explorations of place. In the process, new wisdom, the “Torah of Place,” is generated, documented and transmitted through both traditional sense-of-place activities and pedagogies integrating modern mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets.
ABSTRACT
“META-FORMS” - HEBREW ALPHABET & KABBALAH
PROCESS SKETCHES
The three mother letters represent, respectively, Air, Water, and Fire, the three primary elements from which all else is created. Holiness moves
sequentially through these three realms of space, time, and soul. This project aimed to facilitate student experience across all three, beginning with the spatial.
Torah is a direct inspiration for the design of the Gesher landscape, both in physical form and in the sense of becoming an expert in the navigation of Torah. If landscape is
a palimpsest, with multiple layers of “text” enriching its history and meaning, this wisdom can be understood and navigated only through frequent and meaningful engagement that reveals these hidden treasures, just as in the study of Torah text.
Concept development identified key activity and
engagement areas based on site analysis. These hubs were then connected along circulation lines. The form of these hubs and connectors is similar to diagrams mapping out the Kabbalistic sefirot and their vector connections. They are also reminiscent of the Torah scroll with scroll wheels and parchment ribbons circulating throughout the site.
Activity areas and circulation routes were then refined and determined by modes of travel and degree of student independence (strongly versus loosely guided). Natural flow patterns began to sync with topographic and vegetative patterns. Curvilinear physical design features serve to highlight the cyclical ebb and flow of hydrological patterns through the site, particularly in the vernal wetlands areas.
Navigational cues and design features organize the north woods area and loosely guide students without prescribing a set path. Curling parchment ribbon patterns were mapped across spiraling movement patterns centralized around the sanctuary area at the site’s high point. The resulting grid-like framework organizes the area with vegetative plantings and navigational stone cairns inspired by wilderness-navigation trail-markers. Materials, forms and movement patterns are found across scales – from intimate schoolyard scale for the youngest students, to the site-wide implementations for the oldest students.
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
“META-FORMS” - HEBREW ALPHABET & KABBALAH
SCHOOLYARD
PARCHMENT TO TOUCHSCREENT
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DOUBLE LETTERS ELEMENTAL LETTERS
The seven double letters of the alphabet are associated
with the creation of physical space. In particular, the seven dimensions of place – North / South / East / West / Up / Down and precise location – may be mapped out using the double letters. The term “double” refers to a double pronunciation. Each of these letters has two possible pronunciations – one with the dot in the center (hard), and a second without (soft). When considering place-based education, the seven dimensions of place are critical components of facilitating experience.
The final twelve “elemental” letters are associated with
emotion and sensation - speech, thought, motion, sight, hearing, action, sex, smell, sleep, anger, taste, and laughter. They serve to facilitate experience with the physical and spiritual worlds around us. Temporally, they act as the diagonal boundaries below/between the spatial dimensions of the double letters. They are associated with the twelve months of the year, and the twelve constellations of the Zodiac.
The main schoolyard is an introduction to the themes and vocabulary that play out
through the site at large:• Stone pathways and bench-walls of wood & weathered steel take form from the curvilinear patterns of the Torah scroll; activity hubs are created between intersecting curves. • A small labyrinth takes its form from the letter tzadi, whose Kabbalistic meaning is associated with exploration and mystery. • A barefoot path, organized by panels, connects students to the physical sensation of various landscape materials. • Stepping stones allow access to a riparian ecolab bioswale even at high water. • The forest garden establishes a nature-inspired ecosystem for food production and education.
Schoolyard Aerial: orchard, bridges, sports, & playground
Perspective: Gaga pit with mini-labyrinth behind
Perspective: Barefoot path in the sensory garden
Perspective: Stepping stones lead to the eco-swale
Schoolyard Aerial: Sensory journeys at the Gaga court, mini-labyrinth, and sensory garden
Section-Elevation: North-South showing main sections & schoolyard spaces.
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
PARCHMENT TO TOUCHSCREENT
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SCOURTYARD & BOSQUE CYCLICAL VERNAL WETLANDS CYCLES & SACRED SPACES
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Revealing cycles of time in the landscape strengthens understanding of place. The ebb and
flow of water, in particular, is a strong and familiar element for students to monitor and experience. Boardwalk and weathered steel forms in the vernal wetlands bring organization to the landscape to help students gauge the cycling of water throughout wet and dry seasons. In the outdoor beit midrash (house of learning), an amphitheater provides gathering and event space. Tables and benches mirroring the Torah scroll form provide space for chevruta (partner) learning pairs. The natural sanctuary, located at the site’s high point in the north woods, utilizes weathered steel banners suspended between pillars of mature trees to heighten the solemn, awe-inspiring atmosphere of this place as students emerge from the narrows. The courtyard and bosque (left) provide a comfortable microclimate for students and teachers to eat, socialize, and gather.
Section-Elevation: North-South wilderness journey from sanctuary to wetlands
Perspective: Scrolling bench-walls divide space Perspective: Vernal wetlands at high water Perspective: Amphitheater and outdoor beit midrash
Perspective: From the narrows, explorers emerge into the open, sunlit space of the sanctuary where weathered-steel mesh banners refract light and add stately beauty
Perspective: The courtyard is shaded by the bosque and is a lovely area for picnics and gatherings.
Perspective: Vernal wetlands at low water
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
TENSION | RELEASE: DESIGNF
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This “sukkah,” a temporary Jewish structure, responds to the competition theme of “Release,” a literal translation of Shmita, the name of the Jewish sabbatical year. Its structural integrity is created through tension, which creates a
reflective spiritual space inside. The metaphor suggests that without the tension created through six years of work during which we build and create in the world, the release of the sabbatical year is not complete. The sukkah’s frame is constructed of hemp cordage tension-strung around 36 bamboo poles. The roof is covered with palm fronds, and the walls formed from woven willow branches.The cordage reflects San Diego’s maritime heritage, while 36 is a symbol for “double-life” in Judaism & also represents the completion of a cycle (360 degrees).
ABOUT
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SECTION SCHEMATIC:
“Meta-form” - Hebrew letter “Tet”
Interior with green bamboo spire, before willow weaving
Bamboo poles dug into ground at 45-degree angles; cordage tension-strung to central bike-wheel ring
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
TENSION | RELEASE: BUILDTension | Release was built during a public volunteer build day at the Leichtag Ranch in Encinitas, CA.
Post-holes were dug with a soil auger tractor attachment. All subsequent work was performed by volunteers.
Weaving of the myrtle, curly willow, and citrus branches to create the walls was given to volunteers to execute their creative vision.
Myrtle branches, palm fronds
Interior from entry
Sukkah at sunset
Curly willow, myrtle, citrus branches, palm fronds
Central spire from green bamboo representing 7 dimensions of place
Curly willow & myrtle branches woven at entry
Base of bamboo spire - six pointed star with river rockFIN
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MOONGATE CHUPPAHI had the good fortune of designing the chuppah—wedding canopy —for our traditional Jewish wedding. A classic feature that frames the entry to traditional Chinese gardens, the Chinese moongate is built into the front entry of the traditional, four-sided open wedding canopy to honor the groom’s Chinese heritage.
The moongate chuppah was masterfully fabricated and decorated by Pavi Designs in Cleveland, OH.
The welded steel frame is woven through with curly willow.
Here, the structure beautifully frames the exchange of wedding rings.
The moongate was designed to eventually be placed in the couple’s yard, where it will serve as the entry to their sukkah.
An early concept sketch. The chuppah symbolizes the home the newly married couple will create together. It is open on all four sides to reflect the hospitality modeled by Biblical figures Abraham and Sarah.
The well-known “breaking of the glass” also happens under the chuppah, usually as the last act of the wedding ceremony.
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silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
Town of Forest HeightsHome conversion to Public Works & Police StationCAD drawings_existing garage facadesJoshua “Yoshi” Silverstein
FOREST HEIGHTS PUBLIC WORKS & POLICE STATIONN
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SITE PLAN EXISTING FACADES(DRAWN TO SCALE)
The Town of Forest Heights, MD, purchased this former mayor’s home to convert it to a new Public Works office and Police station. A team from NDC worked with a volunteer architect worked to record site measurements inside and
outside the building. I used these measurements to draw up the scaled CAD facade drawings (below, right). Forest Heights also needed a site plan that provided public parking at front, protected police parking with vehicle access to the rear (to bring suspects to detaining), and vehicle access to City Hall directly to the north. The town also requested siting for rain gardens and other stormwater & environmentally sound practices such as “living” retaining walls.
AutoCAD 2013, Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6 AutoCAD 2013
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Rain Garden 3Birds & Butterflies
Overflow to existing stormdrain
Rain Garden 2Fragrant Habitat
Rain Garden 1Fragrant Habitat
Wet/Dry Streambed
Sitting Area
Exist. Flagpole & Hydrant
Overflow Underdrain
Existing Stormdrain Outflow
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Rain Garden 1Fragrant Habitat
Min 300 cu. ft. storage capacity
Rain Garden 2Fragrant HabitatMin. 280 cu. ft.
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Wet/Dry Streambed Channels Overflow from Rain Gardens 1 & 2 to Rain Garden 3
Rain Garden 3Birds & Butterflies
Min. 300 cu.ft. storage capacity
Underdrain for overflow from
Rain Garden 1 to Rain Garden 2
Overland flow / Streambed Channel
Stormpipe flow
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Plant List A Chionanthus virginicus FringetreeB Ilex opaca American HollyC Rosa Knock-out 'Radrazz' Knock-Out RoseD Clethra alnifolia ‘Sixteen Candles' SweetspireE Cephalanthus occidentalis ButtonbushF Ilex verticillata Winterberry G Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflowerH Iris virginica Southern blue flag I Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal FlowerJ Phlox subulata Moss floxK Aruncus dioicus Goat's Beard L Pennisetum alopecuroides Fountain GrassM Muhlenbergia cappilaris Pink Muhly Grass
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Wet/Dry Conveyance Streambed
Stormdrain from Roof
Downpipe to Stone Water-Calming Device
Overflow Underdrain to Rain Garden 2
Stone Water-Calming Device
Compacted & Planted Earthen Retention Berm
RIVERDALE HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT: RAIN GARDEN SEQUENCEN
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Plant ListA Cornus florida Flowering dogwoodB Ilex opaca American HollyC Aesculus parviflora Bottlebrush BuckeyeD Clethra alnifolia Sixteen Candles' SweetspireE Calycanthus floridus Carolina allspiceF Ilex verticillata WinterberryG Eurybia divaricata White wood asterH Spiranthes odorata Fragrant Lady's Tresses I Phlox stolonifera Creeping PhloxJ Dryopteris erythrosora Autumn fernK Aruncus dioicus Goat's BeardL Muhlenbergia cappilaris Pink Muhly GrassM Pennisetum alopecuroides Fountain Grass
Existing OakWet/Dry Streambed Channels Overflow to Rain Garden 3
Compacted & Planted Earthen Retention Berm
Wet/Dry Streambed to Stone Water-Calming Device
Downpipe to Stone Water-Calming Device
Underdrain from Rain Garden 1 overflow
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Plant ListA Magnolia Virginiana Sweetbay magnoliaB Cornus sericea Red-osier dogwoodC Vaccinum corymosum Highbush Blueberry D Hemerocallis hybrids Daylily hybridsE Amsonia tabernaemontana Blue-star flowerF Amsonia hubrichtii Narrow-leaf Bluestar FlowerG Wildflower Mix: 50% Tradescantia virginiana Spiderwort 20% Aquilegia canadensis Columbine 20% Scenecio aureus Sneezeweed 10% Lilium superbum Turk's Cap Lily H Muhlenbergia cappilaris Pink Muhly Grass I Carex stricta Tussock sedgeJ Pennisetum alopecuroides Fountain Grass
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Wet/Dry Streambed Channels Overflow from Rain Garden 2
Compacted & Planted Earthen Retention Berm
Existing Flagpole & Fire Hydrant
RAIN GARDEN 1 DETAIL
SITE PLAN SCHEMATIC SECTION-ELEVATION
RAIN GARDEN 2 DETAIL RAIN GARDEN 3 DETAIL
The Riverdale, MD, Fire Department asked for designs to expand their
existing rain garden to better handle stormwater volume. During our site visit, we also noticed major erosion down the hillside above the existing rain garden. I therefore proposed a sequence of three rain gardens to absorb stormwater and beautify the landscape.
Each garden’s overflow during major storm events riffles down a riverrock streambed to the gardens below, and eventually to the CSO if needed.
All graphics this page: AutoCAD 2013, Illustrator CS6
silversteinY O S H IP O R T F O L I O
STUDIO III: CASEY TREE FARM STABLES RETROFIT (COMPONENTS OF GROUP MASTER PLAN PROJECT)U
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Proposed plan with constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, courtyard planting design, & interior retrofit; AutoCAD 2013, SketchUp 8
Educational Programming PotentialAutoCAD 2013, Photoshop CS6, Illustrator CS6
Showerhouse Detail
Bunk Detail
Composting Toilets to Constructed Wetlands DetailSketchUp 8 (all)
