Yulan Mia LI

0127

First Group Meeting

Before the meeting we read carefully on the file outlining the things that need to be covered for the topic ‘develop or control’ provided by Barry, hopefully gaining initial understanding on a term we rarely touched on before. During the meeting we brainstormed detailed issues under the topic, from glossary checking/debating to example finding. We formed initial direction of using real cases for presenting the term and related actions. Yet it is not determined which case we will use. We set up a google document where group members can upload whatever they found useful for opening up our thought. Also we decide to make comparison between Hong Kong and Mainland China cases on their different ordinance and practice on ‘development and control’ of landscape design.

0220

Second Group Meeting

We had a vacation of nearly 1 month and no meeting among the group because of Chinese New Year and the less urgent deadline… Today’s meeting was basically about information sharing and discuss on the form of presentation. We reached a decision on taking Tung Chung New Town as the site of interest and do research as well as assume several cases on different places or circumstances to illustrate various requirements in development process.

Dorin found on government’s website Updated background brief on Tung Chung New Town Extension (LC Paper No. CB(1)817/16-17(05), a document that demonstrate preparation before development and what needs to be controlled during development.

We sticked on the idea of comparing mainland and Hong Kong cases, separating into groups of two. Dorin and I are responsible for the mainland China cases and we decide to wait for HK group to find their detailed ordinances and cases and then we search for corresponding cases. Next group meeting will be hold 5 days later.

0225

Mini Quiz 1 Reflection

It is our first time to take the mini quiz. There are lost of questions of multiple choices. Sometimes we may not be so confident in making the choice because ‘all/many answers seems correct’. Another reason is that we have not been so well informed about the topics covered over the course.

Among all the questions the most impressive one to me is question 10. It is such a practical question related to business operation, ‘Throw a big party for your clients and increase the time commitments to marketing and promotion.’ & ‘Call your past Clients, understand what they see coming up in the future. Remind them how you can assist with their programs.’ are within the correct answers.

Third Group Meeting

This time we finally achieved a clear outline and distribution of tasks. From identifying administration and legislation, to forming a ‘developers’ tour’ when the conduction of tree preservation, heritage impact assessment and environmental impact assessment can be shown. My task is using EIAO to demonstrator the feasibility of a new construction along Tung Chung River.

After today’s meeting I did numerous research on EIAO, mainly looked at the EIAO detail page of EPD website

https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/tc_chi/register/aeiara/island.html

0302

Forth Group Meeting

Presentation PowerPoint was set up. Everyone will make their own pages because our focusing parts are relatively independent. Finally the pages will be organized together.

I kept digging in the part of EIAO and read some real cases and reports provided on EPD website. I used the original flowchart of the assessment statutory process as a base to make my own site-specific diagram, and also tried to make it cover every aspect of EIA.

0304

Final Group Meeting

Last round of oral presentation practice in the morning before the class began.

Group Presentation

Reflection on the presentation: I actually know that the part of EIAO would be kind of boring because there are not many vivid examples I can show and animation and beautiful graphics I can make. After all it is a process that requires careful reading through the long guideline and strict compliance to it.

Barry commented that it is the truth that in our future career we may not spend much time on design, instead this type of approval process may need much more effort and time.

Visual impact assessment is a part that I should have talked in detail but I missed some content actually. It was probably because the information gap when I do research on my own, neglecting this part to some extent or seeing it equally important as other key steps. From Barry’s comments I realized that the visual impact assessment is exactly the part landscape architects can engage with most. I will do further research on that.

0401

Virtual Office Tour to Urbis

I took detailed notes in class out of my own interest in the topic and the company we had today. They may not have so much personal reflection of mine but I was recording them down to help me memorize.

In the first session of today’s class, I gained an overall understanding of tendering, including the three types of tendering, the process in which landscape design firm participate in, and documents required etc. This knowledge is kind of unfamiliar to me because my working experience are all as internship and have never taken part in a tendering stage of a project. The presentation of Pink team provided me with a comprehensive insight on the complicatedness and practicality of landscape projects, which I am willing to engage with in my future professional career.

The second session is virtual visit to Urbis, including a presentation on SENT project and an office tour. Actually I learned quit a lot from the presentation.

1) The South East New Territory (SENT) Landfill project was initiated and coordinated by EPD, who is in the role of employer. This time Urbis does not work for client as usual, they are employed by Green Valley Landfill Limited as their specialist consultant for landscape design. Notably, in this project ARUP acts as employer’s representative, basic project manager at the same time. They prepare the contract documentation and help manage the project – which is another layer of the working process that I had no idea of before.

2) One of the practical constraint: landscape architects want complicated, naturalistic, subtle landform that can blend in with the surrounding environment, while engineers think like ‘simple is best’. They wanted the airspace to be as much as possible so as to make most profit. Eventually landscape architects and engineers reached compromise of that – such a typical issue in practice.

3) The Environmental Impact Assessment, a term I am particularly familiar with compared to other terms in the professional, is led by the consultant in this project. Urbis was responsible for the visual impact assessment and the most important part if the proposal of mitigation methods after the assessment is completed, providing outline for what should be achieved via landscape restoration.

Some may think this output of visual impact assessment is not design, but actually it can be seen as concept design that will be further handed to detail design process.

4) The associate of Urbis, David, argued that the SENT landfill is the real landscape project, which represents science in design, rather than simply ‘pattern making’. It deals with real and consequent environmental issues. Compared to the design of fancy malls, this type of project is incredibly meaningful and satisfying, not from the perspective of pecuniary reward.

5) Project in this scale and complexity requires continuous effort, which has actually lasts for more then 20 years. The phases were done sequentially. Establishment, management, planting works, and future design are in different status of different phases.

Office tour

1) Voice from HKU grad: The transition from student to professional is challenging and sometimes frustrating, but it’s also fun and awarding. It takes time to adapt to a new environment. Student can do imaginary project and do whatever is your personal interest, but in the work you need to compromise to constraints of various projects. They are very realistic issues.

2) What is important when you look for an employer? Firm scale, types of projects etc

3) Test on her skills on Rhino – the firm’s demand in special skills

4) If you are rejected by one company, it doesn’t not necessarily mean that you are not good enough – it’s may just because they are not hiring people. It’s just not the correct time. Don’t feel discouraged.

5) Personal interest: Urbis has a ‘special project space’ in which specialized staff help to design website, presentation etc, including editors and photographers – the type of work I’m also interested in.

0408

Virtual Site Visit to SENT Landfill

Again, I took detailed notes in class out of my own interest in the topic and the visited project we had today. The first session of today’s class is about the topic ‘Delivering a Project’, demonstrating by a Cosplay game. Groups are assigned to roles of client and its supervising officer, main contractor, contractor site manager, lead consultant (refers to landscape architect in this scene), and sub-contractor (landscape planting team).

Some Explanation:

Client’s supervising officer: the client (government in this case) may be very busy thus require someone to be his representative, who can be from another design firm or someone in the client’s management team.

Contractors site manager: they are the manager of the construction site who control and coordinate everything, on behalf of the contractor, and organize all the sub-contractors.

What client (government) do in the kick-off meeting of a project (e.g. a park): they represent the public, to make sure public’s interest is fulfilled, e.g. complete on time, on budget; to del with complaints on noise & pollution. Summarily they need to maintain the reputation of government among public.

Virtual site visit to SENT landfill

We are lucky to have the opportunity to know so much about such a pioneer project in Hong Kong.

The first phase of the landscape restoration on site started from 1997, which is one of the most important part of the overall restoration. What we see now in patchy and straightforward forms will eventually blend in with the surroundings.

If you want o enter the site, you need to be certificated via specific construction safety training.

NGT tubes for protecting plants from widened and densification, as well as providing good microclimate for plants to grow.

Exotic species as ‘nurse species’, being tested as nursery and then native species will be added.

Different site visit collecting different types of data: inspection report, monitoring report etc.

Knowing site manager for engineer department: his work is to coordinate with Urbis and contractor on planting work.

Management of subcontractors on site: restrict them on area and time through preparing a schedule.