Sareh Moosavi | Université catholique de Louvain (original) (raw)
Papers by Sareh Moosavi
Land use policy, Oct 1, 2024
Urban Climate, Dec 31, 2023
Social Science Research Network, 2022
Landscape and Urban Planning
Environmental Science & Policy
The role of Design Experimentation has been increasingly recognized in dealing with uncertainties... more The role of Design Experimentation has been increasingly recognized in dealing with uncertainties inherent in Nature-based Solutions and designing performative systems.The term Design Experimentation has been widely used in Design Research scholarship. However, there is no agreed common definition and criteria to clarify what it entails in terms of both epistemology and methodology. This paper aims to address the lack of definition, criteria, and methodological approaches for designing, operationalizing, assessing, and learning from Design Experiments for creating climate resilient Nature-based Solutions. Through a Delphi method, a Design Experimentation Taxonomy is developed based on conceptual and empirical understandings of the term. A three-round Delphi survey with 15 experts across 8 countries was undertaken to capture expert knowledge and perceptions of the role of Design Experiments, as well as key criteria and characteristics of Design Experiments. The findings informed the development of a Design Experimentation Taxonomy. Results show that Design Experiments should be purposive, bound to context and solutions-oriented, and have practical relevance while driven by a strong research agenda. They help linking intuitive approaches used in design, to scientific inquiry, which can lead to innovative and performative outcomes. In the quest for evidence-based approaches to integrate nature in our built environments, Design Experiments offer more agency to nature and natural processes in design. The developed taxonomy is the first step in establishing a reflexive, data-driven and performance-based practice, as well as advancing experimental agendas in landscape research and practices related to Nature-based Solutions. "A good experiment is not one that offers some definitive knowledge, but one that has allowed the researcher to trace the critical path along which it will be necessary to pass so that the following iterations will not be carried on in vein." (Latour, 2004, p. 196).
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2022
The design opportunities made possible through leveraging dredging infrastructure have been a poi... more The design opportunities made possible through leveraging dredging infrastructure have been a point of interest for designers, academics and government bodies. Sea level rise, increased storm surge frequency and intensity caused by climate change mean that the 80 % of the world's population living in coastal communities face the effects of land loss, flooding and erosion. Landscape architects have begun to explore the possibilities of working with dredging resources through engaging with scientific data and employing engineering methods of physical and digital testing as part of an evidence-based design process. This paper explores the potential of using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation tool (Autodesk CDFD) in design experimentations for proposing solutions, which leverage vast resources of contemporary infrastructure dredging systems. Through design explorations and scenario testing, a new dredging paradigm was proposed for a selected site at the Gippsland Lakes,...
This Masterplan for the Seacombe West project was developed in 2016 by a design team informed by ... more This Masterplan for the Seacombe West project was developed in 2016 by a design team informed by a LENSES-facilitated workshop.
With around 85% of Australia’s population living in coastal areas, rising sea levels and increasi... more With around 85% of Australia’s population living in coastal areas, rising sea levels and increasing storm surges will continue to have significant impacts on many of the continent’s coastal communities and landscapes. This presents great challenges to urban planners, urban designers and landscape architects responsible for creating safe, functional, and robust built environments for coastal communities. In preparation for sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise, nature-based solutions and soft ecosystem-driven approaches are increasingly considered at the micro scale of design, but less explored at the planning level. This research investigates the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) at the planning level for a proposed development project in the coastal city of Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, Victoria. We examine whether the draft strategic plan for the redevelopment of Point Henry-Moolap coastal area in Geelong, incorporates principles of nature-based approaches to addr...
Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2021
Sustainability literacy should be embedded in built environment higher education. We explored the... more Sustainability literacy should be embedded in built environment higher education. We explored the contribution of interdisciplinary studios to students’ sustainability literacy. We ran a studio with Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture students, focused on a coastal brownfield renewal in Victoria, Australia. Studio activities and assessments were designed based on constructivist and experiential learning principles. Students’ learning experiences were evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews, and analyzed against an integrated framework. Results show that simulating real-world situations, game-based and role-playing activities, and applying sustainability principles to a complex site encourage creativity, shared control, and negotiation, which foster experiential sustainability learning.
The built environment is responsible for significant environmental impacts. It is therefore a cen... more The built environment is responsible for significant environmental impacts. It is therefore a central research area to balance ecological and built systems and allow them both to thrive. While the majority of previous and existing attempts have targeted minimising environmental impacts, regenerative development goes beyond reduction and aims to restore and support environmental, social and economic flows. Yet, very few projects to date have been able to demonstrate a regenerative outcome. This is because few consulting firms currently offer regenerative design thinking, which is in turn linked to a lack of understanding of processes that support decision making in regenerative development projects. This paper uses a 680 hectares regenerative development project in Gippsland, South East Australia as a case study to investigate how implementing a regenerative development approach from the onset affects the decision-making process. A series of workshops were facilitated by the authors ...
Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptati... more Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise has been a growing concern for coastal management authorities, engineers, ecologists, urban planners and designers. A shift from ‘coastal armoring’ and hard engineered ‘defense systems’, to ecologically informed infrastructures has created opportunities and challenges in designing structures that can perform beyond engineering goals and provide ecological and social benefits. Emerging studies determine the importance of ecological knowledge and landscape-based solutions in informing the design of coastal infrastructures; however, there are limited number of projects that demonstrate the most effective design approaches. This paper reviews existing and emerging projects that propose modified coastal structures including bioengineered breakwaters and living shorelines with natural and nature-based features that have multiple benefits such as reducing flood risks and mi...
This masterplan was proposed in 2003 for the Seacombe West on Lake Wellington (Murla) in Gippslan... more This masterplan was proposed in 2003 for the Seacombe West on Lake Wellington (Murla) in Gippsland, Victoria.
This paper addresses the role of performance testing in the design of river spaces in drylands th... more This paper addresses the role of performance testing in the design of river spaces in drylands through an examination of dryland river regeneration projects. Through a case study method, we investigated two restorative wadi projects in the arid lands of the Arabian Peninsula across two different scales; the water catchment scale, and the urban landscape scale. The case studies selected were the Wadi Hanifah Project, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Wadi Adai Project, in Muscat, Oman. Both locations have experienced considerable urban regeneration and modernization within urban areas, and the wadis are considered as potential public spaces that can change the image of the city. In-depth analysis of the projects’ brief, documents and reports, and personal interviews with the engineers, designers and decision makers involved in the projects, were undertaken and two major aspects were interrogated and analyzed: the system-based approaches to design across different scales, and t...
Journal of Landscape Architecture
Wadi Hanifah is an award-winning rehabilitation project in Arriyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ‘story’ of... more Wadi Hanifah is an award-winning rehabilitation project in Arriyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ‘story’ of the design process is unfolded through an in-depth investigation and analysis of the project. An in-depth investigation of the design process, including unpredictable events during the design and implementation phase, external disturbances that changed the direction of design, and trials and errors to find the best solutions, reveals the untold story of a fuzzy and iterative design process. The interdisciplinary nature of the process is uncovered and trade-offs and compromises are discussed. The investigation highlights the importance of considering the dimensions of time, threshold, and trial or design experimentation in landscape architecture. Unfolding the true stories of this project reveals the necessity of moving away from often impeccable representations of final design images, which are insufficient in disseminating the knowledge inherent in design thinking.
Landscape Research
ABSTRACT Dryland rivers (wadis in Arabic) are characterised by high levels of flow unpredictabili... more ABSTRACT Dryland rivers (wadis in Arabic) are characterised by high levels of flow unpredictability due to their severe dry-wet hydrological regimes. In the Arabian Peninsula, recent attention has focused on revitalising the socio-ecological values of wadis by rejuvenating them as linear public parks. In this paper, we review the key hydro-ecological characteristics of wadis and examine a range of design responses to address their dynamics in urban areas. Three case studies of recent and ongoing rehabilitation projects in Muscat, Oman, were spatially analysed and interviews with stakeholders involved in the projects were conducted. Design strategies and system-based approaches were suggested, including taking account of the hydro-ecological processes and relationships across multiple spatial and temporal scales, interdisciplinary collaborations, and testing the systems’ performance through design experimentation. The findings can be applied to the rehabilitation of ephemeral rivers in dry and drying environments globally.
Procedia Engineering
Abstract Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable... more Abstract Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise has been a growing concern for coastal management authorities, engineers, ecologists, urban planners and designers. A shift from ‘coastal armoring’ and hard engineered ‘defense systems’, to ecologically informed infrastructures has created opportunities and challenges in designing structures that can perform beyond engineering goals and provide ecological and social benefits. Emerging studies determine the importance of ecological knowledge and landscape-based solutions in informing the design of coastal infrastructures; however, there are limited number of projects that demonstrate the most effective design approaches. This paper reviews existing and emerging projects that propose modified coastal structures including bioengineered breakwaters and living shorelines with natural and nature-based features that have multiple benefits such as reducing flood risks and mitigating the loss of intertidal and shallow water biodiversity. Two case studies of coastal management projects in the U.S. and Singapore are investigated, which take a ‘design by research’ approach through testing innovative approaches to achieve multiple benefits. Opportunities and challenges associated with the design and construction of coastal structures with different levels of integrating landscape-based solutions are identified across projects, and guidelines for the design and construction industry are provided.
Land use policy, Oct 1, 2024
Urban Climate, Dec 31, 2023
Social Science Research Network, 2022
Landscape and Urban Planning
Environmental Science & Policy
The role of Design Experimentation has been increasingly recognized in dealing with uncertainties... more The role of Design Experimentation has been increasingly recognized in dealing with uncertainties inherent in Nature-based Solutions and designing performative systems.The term Design Experimentation has been widely used in Design Research scholarship. However, there is no agreed common definition and criteria to clarify what it entails in terms of both epistemology and methodology. This paper aims to address the lack of definition, criteria, and methodological approaches for designing, operationalizing, assessing, and learning from Design Experiments for creating climate resilient Nature-based Solutions. Through a Delphi method, a Design Experimentation Taxonomy is developed based on conceptual and empirical understandings of the term. A three-round Delphi survey with 15 experts across 8 countries was undertaken to capture expert knowledge and perceptions of the role of Design Experiments, as well as key criteria and characteristics of Design Experiments. The findings informed the development of a Design Experimentation Taxonomy. Results show that Design Experiments should be purposive, bound to context and solutions-oriented, and have practical relevance while driven by a strong research agenda. They help linking intuitive approaches used in design, to scientific inquiry, which can lead to innovative and performative outcomes. In the quest for evidence-based approaches to integrate nature in our built environments, Design Experiments offer more agency to nature and natural processes in design. The developed taxonomy is the first step in establishing a reflexive, data-driven and performance-based practice, as well as advancing experimental agendas in landscape research and practices related to Nature-based Solutions. "A good experiment is not one that offers some definitive knowledge, but one that has allowed the researcher to trace the critical path along which it will be necessary to pass so that the following iterations will not be carried on in vein." (Latour, 2004, p. 196).
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2022
The design opportunities made possible through leveraging dredging infrastructure have been a poi... more The design opportunities made possible through leveraging dredging infrastructure have been a point of interest for designers, academics and government bodies. Sea level rise, increased storm surge frequency and intensity caused by climate change mean that the 80 % of the world's population living in coastal communities face the effects of land loss, flooding and erosion. Landscape architects have begun to explore the possibilities of working with dredging resources through engaging with scientific data and employing engineering methods of physical and digital testing as part of an evidence-based design process. This paper explores the potential of using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation tool (Autodesk CDFD) in design experimentations for proposing solutions, which leverage vast resources of contemporary infrastructure dredging systems. Through design explorations and scenario testing, a new dredging paradigm was proposed for a selected site at the Gippsland Lakes,...
This Masterplan for the Seacombe West project was developed in 2016 by a design team informed by ... more This Masterplan for the Seacombe West project was developed in 2016 by a design team informed by a LENSES-facilitated workshop.
With around 85% of Australia’s population living in coastal areas, rising sea levels and increasi... more With around 85% of Australia’s population living in coastal areas, rising sea levels and increasing storm surges will continue to have significant impacts on many of the continent’s coastal communities and landscapes. This presents great challenges to urban planners, urban designers and landscape architects responsible for creating safe, functional, and robust built environments for coastal communities. In preparation for sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise, nature-based solutions and soft ecosystem-driven approaches are increasingly considered at the micro scale of design, but less explored at the planning level. This research investigates the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) at the planning level for a proposed development project in the coastal city of Geelong, south-west of Melbourne, Victoria. We examine whether the draft strategic plan for the redevelopment of Point Henry-Moolap coastal area in Geelong, incorporates principles of nature-based approaches to addr...
Journal of Planning Education and Research, 2021
Sustainability literacy should be embedded in built environment higher education. We explored the... more Sustainability literacy should be embedded in built environment higher education. We explored the contribution of interdisciplinary studios to students’ sustainability literacy. We ran a studio with Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture students, focused on a coastal brownfield renewal in Victoria, Australia. Studio activities and assessments were designed based on constructivist and experiential learning principles. Students’ learning experiences were evaluated through surveys and focus group interviews, and analyzed against an integrated framework. Results show that simulating real-world situations, game-based and role-playing activities, and applying sustainability principles to a complex site encourage creativity, shared control, and negotiation, which foster experiential sustainability learning.
The built environment is responsible for significant environmental impacts. It is therefore a cen... more The built environment is responsible for significant environmental impacts. It is therefore a central research area to balance ecological and built systems and allow them both to thrive. While the majority of previous and existing attempts have targeted minimising environmental impacts, regenerative development goes beyond reduction and aims to restore and support environmental, social and economic flows. Yet, very few projects to date have been able to demonstrate a regenerative outcome. This is because few consulting firms currently offer regenerative design thinking, which is in turn linked to a lack of understanding of processes that support decision making in regenerative development projects. This paper uses a 680 hectares regenerative development project in Gippsland, South East Australia as a case study to investigate how implementing a regenerative development approach from the onset affects the decision-making process. A series of workshops were facilitated by the authors ...
Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptati... more Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise has been a growing concern for coastal management authorities, engineers, ecologists, urban planners and designers. A shift from ‘coastal armoring’ and hard engineered ‘defense systems’, to ecologically informed infrastructures has created opportunities and challenges in designing structures that can perform beyond engineering goals and provide ecological and social benefits. Emerging studies determine the importance of ecological knowledge and landscape-based solutions in informing the design of coastal infrastructures; however, there are limited number of projects that demonstrate the most effective design approaches. This paper reviews existing and emerging projects that propose modified coastal structures including bioengineered breakwaters and living shorelines with natural and nature-based features that have multiple benefits such as reducing flood risks and mi...
This masterplan was proposed in 2003 for the Seacombe West on Lake Wellington (Murla) in Gippslan... more This masterplan was proposed in 2003 for the Seacombe West on Lake Wellington (Murla) in Gippsland, Victoria.
This paper addresses the role of performance testing in the design of river spaces in drylands th... more This paper addresses the role of performance testing in the design of river spaces in drylands through an examination of dryland river regeneration projects. Through a case study method, we investigated two restorative wadi projects in the arid lands of the Arabian Peninsula across two different scales; the water catchment scale, and the urban landscape scale. The case studies selected were the Wadi Hanifah Project, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Wadi Adai Project, in Muscat, Oman. Both locations have experienced considerable urban regeneration and modernization within urban areas, and the wadis are considered as potential public spaces that can change the image of the city. In-depth analysis of the projects’ brief, documents and reports, and personal interviews with the engineers, designers and decision makers involved in the projects, were undertaken and two major aspects were interrogated and analyzed: the system-based approaches to design across different scales, and t...
Journal of Landscape Architecture
Wadi Hanifah is an award-winning rehabilitation project in Arriyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ‘story’ of... more Wadi Hanifah is an award-winning rehabilitation project in Arriyadh, Saudi Arabia. The ‘story’ of the design process is unfolded through an in-depth investigation and analysis of the project. An in-depth investigation of the design process, including unpredictable events during the design and implementation phase, external disturbances that changed the direction of design, and trials and errors to find the best solutions, reveals the untold story of a fuzzy and iterative design process. The interdisciplinary nature of the process is uncovered and trade-offs and compromises are discussed. The investigation highlights the importance of considering the dimensions of time, threshold, and trial or design experimentation in landscape architecture. Unfolding the true stories of this project reveals the necessity of moving away from often impeccable representations of final design images, which are insufficient in disseminating the knowledge inherent in design thinking.
Landscape Research
ABSTRACT Dryland rivers (wadis in Arabic) are characterised by high levels of flow unpredictabili... more ABSTRACT Dryland rivers (wadis in Arabic) are characterised by high levels of flow unpredictability due to their severe dry-wet hydrological regimes. In the Arabian Peninsula, recent attention has focused on revitalising the socio-ecological values of wadis by rejuvenating them as linear public parks. In this paper, we review the key hydro-ecological characteristics of wadis and examine a range of design responses to address their dynamics in urban areas. Three case studies of recent and ongoing rehabilitation projects in Muscat, Oman, were spatially analysed and interviews with stakeholders involved in the projects were conducted. Design strategies and system-based approaches were suggested, including taking account of the hydro-ecological processes and relationships across multiple spatial and temporal scales, interdisciplinary collaborations, and testing the systems’ performance through design experimentation. The findings can be applied to the rehabilitation of ephemeral rivers in dry and drying environments globally.
Procedia Engineering
Abstract Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable... more Abstract Sea-level rise poses major challenges to coastal landscapes and communities. Sustainable adaptation to sea-level rise has been a growing concern for coastal management authorities, engineers, ecologists, urban planners and designers. A shift from ‘coastal armoring’ and hard engineered ‘defense systems’, to ecologically informed infrastructures has created opportunities and challenges in designing structures that can perform beyond engineering goals and provide ecological and social benefits. Emerging studies determine the importance of ecological knowledge and landscape-based solutions in informing the design of coastal infrastructures; however, there are limited number of projects that demonstrate the most effective design approaches. This paper reviews existing and emerging projects that propose modified coastal structures including bioengineered breakwaters and living shorelines with natural and nature-based features that have multiple benefits such as reducing flood risks and mitigating the loss of intertidal and shallow water biodiversity. Two case studies of coastal management projects in the U.S. and Singapore are investigated, which take a ‘design by research’ approach through testing innovative approaches to achieve multiple benefits. Opportunities and challenges associated with the design and construction of coastal structures with different levels of integrating landscape-based solutions are identified across projects, and guidelines for the design and construction industry are provided.
A positive vision for the future of humanity can be the basis for a needed change, a vision of op... more A positive vision for the future of humanity can be the basis for a needed change, a vision of opportunity, abundance and the potential for thriving. Regenerative development can provide a pathway towards this vision. Case studies are beginning to show that when applied, the concepts underpinning regenerative development can accelerate a transition to more equitable, sustainable, post fossil carbon societies. Net Regenerative Regional Development (NRRD) is development that supports the health and vitality of a region through mutually beneficial relationships between all the stakeholders and flows of the system. Though in its infancy in application, NRRD is based on the accumulation of millennia of human knowledge and provides us an opportunity to positively change the often negative future predicted. The potential of NRRD is being investigated using a large project called Seacombe West in Gippsland, Victoria and its masterplanning process. The masterplanning process is being informed by regenerative development theory and the facilitation process by the Living Environments in Natural, Social and Economic Systems (LENSES) framework. This study shows that planning NRRD through the use of LENSES supported the emergence of more holistic and systemic guidelines which informed a masterplan that has greater regenerative potential.
Reference - Hes, D., Stephan, A. and Moosavi, S. (2016) Net regenerative regional development: implementation in the master planning stage of a 680 hectares case study. Fifty years later: Revisiting the role of architectural science in design and practice: 50th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association edited by Zuo, J., Daniel, L. and Soebarto, V., Adelaide, Australia, 7-9 December.