The Art of Survival – Vanessa Powell

  15th July 2013

Vanessa Powell, a Landscape Architecture Conversion student here and currently studying for her Masters, won the Jo Yeates Landscape Design Prize last year. This is the prize awarded by BDP in memory of Jo Yeates, a former student here who died tragically in Bristol a few years ago. The prize is for the best overall design portfolio of the year and the winner recieves money to spend exploring an aspect of Landscape Architecture they feel passionate about. The winner is then asked to present their findings at the opening of the Landscape Architecture End of Year Show to the university as well as BDP. Vanessa won the prize in 2012 and presented at the 2013 End of Year Show.

Vanessa gave a fantastic talk and presented a film about her work in Japan looking at the areas affected by the 2011 Tsunami. She worked with a group from MIT in developing a more holistic and ecological response to the damaged coastal landscapes, enabling more development in safe areas and a more sustainable use of the landscapes below the potential  ‘tsunami’ water level.

A film of her presentation is available to view here.