RICE ARCHITECTURE SPRING 2024

Seeing the Land

Part Two

ARCH 402 Watkin Degree Project Studio (Section 2)

M W F 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Anderson Hall, Room 143/144

Zhicheng Xu
Wortham Fellow
Anderson Hall, Office 222
Email: zx50@rice.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment. To schedule a meeting, send an email to zx50@rice.edu

2024 ARCH 402 Watkin Degree Project Studio Seeing the Land
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2024 ARCH 402 Watkin Degree Project Studio Seeing the Land
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This final design studio of the four-year BA in Architecture focuses on architecture’s relation-
ship to site and landscape, probing environmental considerations and relationships between
systems and processes across the scales of the building, the city, and the territory. The course is
conducted as a design research studio in which students pursue a topic and develop a brief
under a conceptual umbrella provided by the instructor. Situated in the contested landscape of
the Black Rock deserts and the Truckee River watershed in Nevada, Arch 402 Studio Section
II serves as a direct continuation of the Arch 403 Seminar. In this phase, students will delve
further into their research topics, developing design projects that effectively respond to their
thesis questions.

Overview
The Black Rock Desert, often perceived as a monolithic, inhospitable wilderness, conceals a rich tapestry
of ecologies and civilizations that have shaped its landscape for over 9,000 years.

Our ongoing research has uncovered many tales pertaining to the various constituents of this land,
which originally belonged to the Paiute, Shoshone, and Washoe tribes. The creation of national parks
and the enactment of the Wilderness Act from the late 19th to early 20th centuries expedited the
displacement of these native peoples from their ancestral lands. The National Reclamation Act of 1902,
championed by President Theodore Roosevelt, further transformed the region’s ecology by financing
irrigation projects throughout the American West. These policies, aimed at preserving what was per-
ceived as untouched nature while foregrounding the land’s productive utilities, overlooked the millennia
of sophisticated land stewardship by the native people and many other-than-human constituents of the
land. Such conservation tactics are rooted in a confused notion of nature, simplifying rich ecosystems
into basic concepts while permitting environmental exploitation.

Over the past 50 years, the Black Rock Desert region has witnessed various uses of the land: resource
extraction, agriculture, urban development, and recreational activities. This varied use highlights the
friction of human interaction with, and impact on, the land. The recent proposal by the Biden adminis-
tration to build solar and geothermal energy plants in the area represents a pivotal move towards sustain-
able energy. However, this initiative clashes with the efforts of both the Burning Man organization and
the Paiute Nation, who are campaigning to preserve the desert’s natural state to promote tourism and
recreational activities.

This ongoing friction between renewable energy development and the preservation of natural recre-
ation areas reflects the complex dynamics of land use in the region. Amid a climate crisis marked by
dwindling resources, severe droughts, and rampant wildfires in the American West, a reevaluation of
conservation, building practice, and land management strategies in the Black Rock Desert is imperative.

Brief
This studio course builds upon our prior research, challenging students to offer an alternative narrative
for the future of the Black Rock Desert region by redefining our relationship with the land and reconsid-
ering our roles as researchers and designers at this crucial historical juncture.

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The objective is to further explore the students’ research question(s) developed last semester and narrate
their research findings through a design project in a selected location within the Black Rock Desert
and the Truckee River watershed region. Integrating local material ecology, the project should uncover
narratives that have been historically overlooked in this region and offer a different perspective of seeing
the land.

Students may choose to work individually or in pairs for the final project.

Learning Objectives
– To further independent design and research and explore design as a form of research.
– To develop an undergraduate thesis and anchor the work in a broader historical-intellectual context.
– To introduce students to extra urban spaces and to infrastructural and territorial scales.
– To gain a broad understanding of the multifaceted forces that shape urban transformation.
– To embrace effective critical thinking, professional communication, and social responsibility.
– To develop a critical approach to a broad range representational and design techniques that are relevant to the field.

NAAB Learning Objectives

- PC.2 Design
- PC.4 History and Theory
- PC.5 Research and Innovation
- PC.8 Social Equity and Inclusion

Methodology
The 402 studio is designed as a singular self-motivated design project, unfolding around three intercon-
nected research and design modules that respond to students’ research from the 403 Seminar. Three
reviews will be organized throughout the semester, corresponding to the three successive modules.

As a research and design-focused studio, our activities will progress through two primary modes of
engagement: individual desk critiques and group pinups for sharing and discussing ideas.

Detailed requirements and specifics for each assignment will be communicated throughout the semes-
ter. Please note that the due dates outlined in the syllabus are tentative and may be adjusted provided
there is adequate prior notice.

Weekly group pinups will be held in the studio. It is crucial for students to come prepared with their
work for each session. Absence of work during a studio session or pinup means forfeiting the oppor-
tunity for feedback during that class. Adherence to deadlines for presentations and reviews is essential.
Students are expected to present their projects on the scheduled review dates. Exceptions will be consid-
ered only in cases of health emergencies or other urgent circumstances.

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Modules
Module 1: Situate

1.1. Working in pairs, students are tasked to build upon their research from the previous semester,
focusing specifically on the Truckee River watershed and the Black Rock Desert region. The aim is
to identify one or more sites that align with the findings of their initial research.

Students should contemplate how their chosen location can augment the narrative established in
their research. Key considerations include identifying current challenges the site faces, potential
constituents of the project, a suitable list of programs to be implemented, and the availability of local
construction materials.

During this module, collaborative efforts will be central as students work together to create a com-
prehensive collection of documents and resources. This collection will include base maps, data sets,
and general site models.

The module is designed not just to accumulate foundational material and information for the studio
brief but also to stimulate new inquiries and avenues for exploration. These will then be developed
into speculative proposals in the subsequent phases of the project.

1.2. Working in pairs and incorporating additional material research and precedent studies, students
are tasked with rapidly designing and fabricating an occupiable pavilion that addresses the needs
identified in their Module 1 research.

Students are encouraged to consider the use of raw and irregular materials from the site for con-
struction and to think about how the pavilion can fit into a longer timescale. They should also
explore how it can accommodate entities beyond humans.

This module is designed to quickly generate ideas and build a collective material knowledge base in
the class while reducing the pressure of making early design decisions in the design process.

Module 2: Develop

2.1. Working either in pairs or individually, students are required to revisit their initial research and
develop a written thesis along with a design stance that addresses the thesis.

This thesis will be examined and expanded upon through various schematic options. The emphasis
of this phase is on volumetric massing and material exploration.

2.2. Building on the discoveries from section 3.1, the focus shifts to the development of a detailed

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design proposal that aligns with the project’s thesis. During this phase, design should be viewed as a
platform to explore and manifest the temporal, material, tectonic, and spatial possibilities suggested
by the thesis. This is also an opportune moment to delve into the social, political, and environmental
ambitions of the project. It underscores the conviction that innovative methods in material usage,
architectural design, and conservation can facilitate the portrayal, integration, and creation of new or
previously underrepresented narratives, encompassing both human and nonhuman perspectives.

Module 3: Narrate

In Module 3, students are assigned to explore methods to effectively communicate their projects to
an audience. They will engage in experiments with various forms of representation. The primary fo-
cus will be on storytelling. While no new deliverables will be introduced during this phase, students
are expected to further refine and/or transform the materials they have previously presented.

Site
Students will self-identify a site or sites to intervene with within the Truckee River watershed and its
adjacent Black Rock Desert region.

Program and Constituency

Building from the research conducted during the 403 Seminar, students will define their projects’
primary constituency (audience, users, institutions, organizations, bodies, species, “who is it for?”), and its
program (function, use, “what is it for?”).

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Black Rock Desert

Pyramid Lake

Truckee River

Reno

Lake Tahoe

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Calendar
A schematic outline of the semester along with dates of significant reviews and deadlines is provided below. Please note, this is only an outline—the
schedule is subject to change with reasonable advance notice.

Jan 8 Jan 10 Jan 12

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<ŎĬšŋĉĦĀ

Jan 15 Jan 17 Jan 19

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Module 1:
Situate
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Interim Review

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Module 1 Review + Intro to Module 2 ŋŎĉĦĀ˘‡êàêŔŔ

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Develop
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„ĉĦ˘šŋ

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Penultimate Review (Tentative)
Module 3:
Narrate

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Charrette Week

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„êĦàĉğŔ˘æĬŸĦ˘ÃŜ˘ʒʩʍʍ˘„^ Final Review / Time TBD

2024 ARCH 402 Watkin Degree Project Studio 8 Seeing the Land
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Guest Lectures
As part of this course, we will have the opportunity to learn from scholars
in various fields and institutions. Students will read a selection of essays
written by the speaker and participate in a question-and-answer session
following the presentation.
Absence Policies
Students are required to demonstrate regular attendance and punctuality
by attending all classes for the entire duration of the scheduled class time.
Attendance will be recorded, and if a student arrives more than 15 min-
utes after the start of the session, they will be marked as late. Accumulat-
ing three late markings will be considered equivalent to one absence.
Students are expected to prioritize their attendance and should only miss
class under reasonable circumstances. Reasonable causes for missing a
class include
(a) Illness or hospitalization,
(b) Family illness or death, and
(c) Observance of a religious holiday.
In the event that a student needs to miss class due to one of these reason-
able causes, it is important that they notify the instructor via email before
the class. Missing class without a reasonable cause will have a negative
impact on the student’s academic standing in the course.
Deadlines
Established deadlines must be met for the successful completion of
the studio. Such deadlines are indicated in the course schedule and on
specific project assignments. Note that Pencils Down is xxx, at 5:00
pm. All final presentation materials must be completed by this time and
uploaded to the digital course archive, with no exceptions.
Assessment
This design studio is a project-based curriculum. Students will re-
ceive regular verbal feedback on their work and project development
throughout the semester. Simple fulfillment of requirements is insuffi-
cient for successful completion of the course. Students are expected to
maintain an iterative process throughout the semester, actively engage in
each studio session, and produce a complete project in response to the
studio brief. Grades will be assessed based on the degree of innovation,
ambition, intellectual accomplishment, and overall quality of the project
as determined by the course instructor.
Grading
Final grades for the course will be based upon the following standards of
assessment (inflected +/- where appropriate):
2024 ARCH 402 Watkin Degree Project Studio
SPRING 2024
A excellent work—Project surpasses expectations in terms of originality,
conceptual rigor and craft. Work is complete in all regards.
B good work—Project is thorough, well represented, diligently pursued,
and work is complete in all regards.
C required work—Project meets the minimum requirements but lacks
rigor in one or more areas.
D poor work—Project contribution is insufficient. Level-appropriate
skills are lacking and work is incomplete in one or more regards.
F unacceptable work—Project contribution is unacceptable. Minimum
objectives are not met. Work is incomplete in multiple regards.
NOTE: Final grades are contingent upon documentation submitted
at the semester’s conclusion. Instructions as to the proper format and
final deadline for such submission will be provided and must be met for
successful completion of the course. Students are reminded that it is their
individual responsibility to guard against the loss of their work, including
digital files.
Disability
Any student with a documented disability seeking academic accommo-
dations is requested to speak with the course instructor during the first
two weeks of class. All such discussions will remain as confidential as
possible. Students with a documented disability that may affect academic
performance should also make sure this documentation is on file with
Disability Resource Center (Allen Center, Room 111 / adarice@rice.
edu / x5841), which can help to determine the accommodations needed.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to the Rice Architecture Studio Culture
Policy and the Rice Honor Code, as described in the student handbook,
and uphold the highest standards of academic integrity. The course
instructor will do the same.
A Note on A.I.
In the architecture discipline, we find ourselves at a juncture where we
must redefine the concepts of authorship, integrity, and ethics con-
cerning the utilization of AI-related tools in creating both creative and
scholarly works. This class will not prohibit students from employing
generative AI platforms in their work but rather encourage responsible
and cautious use of such tools.
For instance, students may leverage generative AI tools for brainstorm-
ing, organizing thoughts, checking grammar and style, as well as verifying
citation styles. However, students should not rely on AI to compose
entire essays or use these platforms for generating creative works like
drawings, diagrams, renderings, and similar outputs. Additionally, stu-
dents should refrain from directly obtaining “answers” from AI platforms,
and instead, they should always inquire about references and sources
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RICE ARCHITECTURE SPRING 2024

when seeking information from AI.

Students should only use AI in their works in ways that do not violate the
Rice Honor Code.

Title IX
At Rice University, unlawful discrimination in any form, including sexual
misconduct, is prohibited under Rice’s Policy on Harassment and Sexual
Harassment (Policy 830) and the Student Code of Conduct. Please be
aware that all employees of Rice University are “mandatory reporters,”
which means that if you tell a faculty or staff member about a situation
involving discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating
violence, domestic violence, or stalking, they must share that information
with someone, including the University’s Title IX Coordinator (titleix@
rice.edu). Although they have to make that notification, you will control
how your case will be handled, including whether or not you wish to
pursue a formal complaint. Our goal is to make sure you are aware of the
range of options available to you and have access to the resources you
need.
To explore supportive measures and other resources that are available to
you, please visit the Office of Interpersonal Misconduct Prevention and
Support at https://safe.rice.edu.

Student Mental Health

The well-being and mental health of students is important; if you are hav-
ing trouble completing your coursework, please reach out to the Well-
being and Counseling Center. Rice University provides cost-free mental
health services through the Wellbeing and Counseling Center to help
you manage personal challenges that threaten your personal or academic
well-being. If you believe you are experiencing unusual amounts of stress,
sadness, or anxiety, the Student Wellbeing Office or the Rice Counseling
Center may be able to assist you. 713-348-3311 (24/7).

Syllabus Change Policy

This syllabus is only a guide for the course and is subject to change with
advanced notice.

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Reading List
Nature

General Readings:
- Haraway, Donna. “Teddy Bear Patriarchy: Taxidermy in the Garden of Eden, New York City, 1908-1936.” Social Text
11 (1984): 20-64.
- Platform Art. “Manifest Destiny: Landscapes & Indigenous Art.” Platform Art. Accessed July 7, 2023. https://www.
platformart.com/features/manifest-destiny-landscapes-indigenous-art.

Context Reading:
Bureau of Reclamation - Lower Colorado Region, “the Birth of the United States Reclamation Service.” Bureau of
Reclamation. Accessed July 7, 2023. https://www.usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/AZ100/1900/topstory.html

Planetary Landscapes and GIS

General Readings:
- Osserman, Robert. “Encompassing the Earth.” In Olafur Eliasson: Surroundings Surrounded: Essays on Space and
Science, edited by Peter Weibel, 438-464. Karlsruhe, Germany and Cambridge, MA, USA: ZKM and MIT Press,
2001.
- Cosgrove, Denis. “Modern Globe.” In Apollo’s Eye: A Cartographic Genealogy of the Earth in the Western Imagina-
tion, 205-34. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
- Black, Megan. “Prospecting the World: Landsat and the Search for Minerals in Space Age Globalization.” Journal of
American History 106, no. 1 (2019): 97-120.

Context Reading:
- Corner, James. “The Agency of Mapping.” In Mappings, edited by D. Cosgrove. 1999.
- “Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Home.” University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. Accessed July 3,
2023. https://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/GIS.

Resources and Commodity

General Readings:
- Cronon, William. Preface, “Seasons of Want and Plenty.” In Changes in the Land. Rev. ed. New York: Hill and Wang,
2003, vii-x and 34-53.
- Odum, Eugene. “Applications: Natural Resources.” In Fundamentals of Ecology. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Com-
pany, 1953, 317-338.

Context Reading:
- “Bureau of Reclamation History Program. Reclamation: Managing Water in the West.” Accessed July 3, 2023.
https://www.usbr.gov/history/borhist.html
- “Black Rock Desert.” Gerlach Geothermal Development Project. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://blackrockdesert.
org/wiki/index.php?title=Gerlach_Geothermal_Development_Project
- “Who Owns the Water from Lake Tahoe & Truckee River? Part IV.” Tahoe Weekly. August 2021. Accessed July 3,
2023. https://thetahoeweekly.com/2021/08/who-owns-the-water-from-lake-tahoe-truckee-river-part-iv/
- “Truckee River Dams & Reservoirs Created to Capture Tahoe’s Water.” Tahoe Weekly. September 2021. Accessed
July 3, 2023. https://thetahoeweekly.com/2021/09/truckee-river-dams-reservoirs-created-to-capture-tahoes-water/
- “Paiute Tribe Wins Water Rights Victory; Truckee’s Water Overstretched.” Tahoe Weekly. September 2021.
Accessed July 3, 2023. https://thetahoeweekly.com/2021/09/paiute-tribe-wins-water-rights-victory-truckees-water-
overstretched/

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Preservation and Conservation

General Readings:
- Mark Dowie, “Miwok,” in his Conservation Refugees: The Hundred Year Conflict between Global Conservation
and Native Peoples (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2009): 1-14.
- William Cronon, “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature,” In William Cronon, ed.,
Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995), 69-90.

Context Reading:
- Gautam, M.R., Chief, K. & Smith, W.J. Climate change in arid lands and Native American socioeconomic vulnera-
bility: The case of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Climatic Change 120, 585–599 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/
s10584-013-0737-0
- Cagle, Susie. “‘Fire Is Medicine’: The Tribes Burning California Forests to Save Them.” The Guardian. Guardian
News and Media, November 21, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/21/wildfire-pre-
scribed-burns-california-native-americans

The Politics of the Land

General Readings:
- Mitchell, W.J.T. “Introduction,” “Imperial Landscape” [1994] in W.J.T. Mitchell, ed., Landscape and Power. 2nd ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002, 1-4, 5-34.
- Park, K-Sue. “Money, Mortgages, and the Conquest of America.” Law & Social Inquiry 41, no. 4 (December 27,
2018): 1006-1035.

Context Reading:
- “NPR.” “Burning Man Canceled: ‘Relief ’ As Burners, Locals See Bright Side Of Informal Events.” Accessed July 4,
2023. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/29/992172825/burning-man-canceled-relief-as-burners-locals-see-bright-side-
of-informal-events
-“The New York Times.” “Burning Man Becomes Latest Adversary in Geothermal Feud.” May 17, 2023. Accessed July
4, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/business/burning-man-geothermal-plant-nevada.html
- “SF Standard.” “Burning Man Joined by Paiute Tribe, Homeowners in Lawsuit Against the Feds.” Accessed July 4,
2023. https://sfstandard.com/arts-culture/burning-man-blm-lawsuit-ormat-geothermal-gerlach-paiute-tribe/

Ecology & The Non-humans

General Readings:
- Eugene Odum, “Introduction: The Scope of Ecology” in his Fundamentals of Ecology (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders
Company, 1953): 3-8.
- James Corner, “Terra Fluxus,” and Charles Waldheim “Landscape as Urbanism,” both in The Landscape Urbanism
Reader, Ed. Charles Waldheim (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006): 21-33, 35-53.
Context Reading:
- Galat, D.L., Robinson, R. Predicted effects of increasing salinity on the crustacean zooplankton community of
Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Hydrobiologia 105, 115–131 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025181 (Only Abstract
/ Intro / Conclusion)
- Vander Zanden, M., Chandra, S., Allen, B. et al. Historical Food Web Structure and Restoration of Native
Aquatic Communities in the Lake Tahoe (California–Nevada) Basin. Ecosystems 6, 274–288 (2003). https://doi.
org/10.1007/s10021-002-0204-7

Landscape and Desert

General Readings:
- “John R. Stilgoe, “Preface,” “Introduction” in What is Landscape? (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2015): viii-14.

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- Marisa Lazzari, “Topographies of Value: Ethical Issues in Landscape Archaeology” and Jane Lydon, “Contested Land-
scapes—Rights to History, Rights to Place: Who Controls Archaeological Places?” Both in Bruno David and Julian
Thomas, Eds., Handbook of Landscape Archaeology (Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2008): 644-653, 654-660.
- Danika Cooper (2019) How to draw a dust storm, Journal of Landscape Architecture, 14:2, 36-41, DOI:
10.1080/18626033.2019.1673568
Context Reading:
- GRAYSON, DONALD K. “Modern Definitions of the Great Basin.” In The Great Basin: A Natural Prehistory, 1st
ed., 11–42. University of California Press, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pnfft.6.

Urban

General Readings:
- Kevin Lynch, “The Image of the Environment,” in his The Image of the City (Cambridge MA: Harvard-MIT Joint
Center for Urban Studies Series, 1960): 1-13.
- Ian McHarg, “The Place of Nature in the City of Man,” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science 352 (1964): 1-12. http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.mit.edu/stable/1035408 .
- Peter G. Rowe, “Modern Pastoralism and the Middle Landscape,” Oz: Vol. 11 (1989): 4-9. https://doi.
org/10.4148/2378-5853.1171
- Hillary Angelo, “From the City Lens Toward Urbanisation as a Way of Seeing: Country/City Binaries on an Urban-
ising Planet,” Urban Studies 54, no. 1 (November 3, 2016): 158–78.

Context Readings:
- AP News, “Tesla gets $330M tax deal for Nevada expansion, truck plant,”
https://apnews.com/article/tesla-elon-musk-nevada-lithium-a807b3d2895f46c7a3e141be8c1ba672

Further Reading:
- Julian Agyeman, “Urban Planning as a Tool of White Supremacy – the Other Lesson from Minneapolis,” The
Conversation (July 27, 2020): https://theconversation.com/urban-planning-as-a-tool-of-white-supremacy-the-other-
lesson-from-minneapolis-142249”

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