Feminist Research Institute Holistic Ecological Design

The Feminist Research Institute (FRI) provides sponsorships and funds for events that contribute to the promotion of feminist research at UC Davis. The FRI supports collaborative, transdisciplinary projects. They foster an approach to feminism that creates new questions, new methodologies, and engage new audiences across all disciplines. They believe in creating a future of justice and inclusivity through knowledge base intersectional research. This paradigm shift excavates the power of hierarchies and triggers social interactions. Their work draws upon histories of resistance in order to engage in forward-looking speculative practices that often challenge traditional models of progress and innovation.” We had the opportunity to work with the Feminist Research Institute (FRI) to design an inviting and inclusive healing space for members of the UC Davis community. We are a group of seven Sustainable Environmental Design students and one Landscape Architecture student, who were given the task to imagine a space that aligned with feminist values. 

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As a group, we decided to divide the project into different phases with respect to what can be done now within our given timeframe to what the FRI would look like in the near future. For phase 1 our plans consisted of planting succulents, native plants, tea seeds and lemon trees in the front space of the FRI. We wanted to ensure that some design elements were physically implemented into the front space, and thus we concluded that some minor landscaping would be a good starting point in the design process. Some of the native plants we chose included the Wayne Roderick daisy, California mountain lilac, orange cape fuchsia and cascade creek California goldenrod. We chose these specific plants because their colors resemble the colors of the FRI, and they are easy to maintain, which was a main concern expressed by Sarah. We planted the flowers in front of the FRI building by the ramp as this would prevent people from walking in that area. In addition, some of the succulents we chose included echeveria elegans, echeveria black prince, haworthiopsis attenuata, and aristaloe aristata. Similar to the native plants, the succulents we chose are native to California, thrive in Davis’ weather conditions, and have low maintenance. We planted the succulents across from the flowers, leaving a gap between them to create a natural designated path for community members to use. We discovered that Davis’ locals would create their own path to get to the community gardens behind the FRI. Therefore, it was important that we had a designated path to reduce further damage to the natural landscape. Moreover, a rock garden on top of the succulents created an inviting space for visitors and FRI members to enjoy. It is a space where the FRI can host events, and it can be used as an aesthetic feature. (Academic Project)