Interview with Massiel Mejía
BIO
Massiel Mejia is a landscape architect in the Dominican Republic and currently teaches Landscape Architecture at the IberoAmerican University (UNIBE). She received her undergraduate degree in architecture from UNIBE and completed a postgraduate degree in Green Space Management at Fundacio UPC, Barcelona. In 2009, she received her MLA from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and returned to the Dominican Republic to start her own practice in local design and construction. With years of experience, Massiel continues to pursue the creation of space that preserves the surrounding environment it serves. Her investigation of the local flora has sparked her interest in conservation on the island and has inspired her to create outdoor spaces that honor the local ecology.
For my research, I am working with Massiel and her landscape architecture class at UNIBE. As a teaching assistant, I share my experience and knowledge of landscape architecture with a group of undergraduate architecture students. In return, Massiel offers her wealth of knowledge on local native and endemic plants, and the resources of landscape architecture across the island.
INTERVIEW
How was your experience studying architecture in the DR compared to your MLA in Barcelona? Are there things that shaped your interest to study there?
Answer: There is always a story to tell. The academics in DR and Barcelona are very different. Here [in DR], there is no studio and professors are underpaid. Landscape architecture isn’t a choice as a degree, and only recently did universities start implementing more environmentally focused design courses.
During my MLA in Barcelona, everything was more organized. I had the opportunity to get to know people at a different maturity level with more passion and purpose. The greatest part was that we were all interested in landscape architecture and created great collaboration across disciplines and challenged perceptions. During the two years in the masters, we were given projects with graduating scales in difficulty and size. We worked in teams and were involved in projects that were developed in environmentally protected areas. The analysis and design phase were always intense. Overall, the academic system was more involved with the city, students, and learning. The studio culture allows you to practically live there, and the faculty , campus, and walkability of the city were amazing. Barcelona completely changed my mood and showed me what a city could offer. There were also more opportunities for learning. During my time there, I was able to volunteer for the for the Barcelona International Biennial of Landscape Architecture and later came back as a participant. It was an amazing experience. At the end of it all, I’d never thought I would turn to teaching but my experiences there have given me a lot to share.
Can you describe your approach to designing space in your landscapes? What are your main influences?
Answer: My philosophy believes in exploring the topic I am most interested in throughout the design process; which usually involves plants. The more I get to know about the site the more possibilities I have to create unique design solutions. As a designer in the DR, I have expectations to use our native plants to honor biodiversity and enhance the local landscape. This is where I’m focusing my energy. In the past with different projects, the moment I have the opportunity to explore the plants and get to know the system greater, the better the design. I see plants not only as living systems but also as instruments and tools in form and composition within the landscape. If you have knowledge of how systems work together and what they need to thrive, the better the landscape can function. I always aim to keep these contextual factors in mind.
Much of your work is in the Dominican Republic. What are the challenges involved in working with the climate, plants, and economy in the region?
Answer: I had the opportunity in recent months to go to Florida and visit nurseries. During my time there, I realized that one of the major challenges in DR is trying to find the plants needed for a project. In the DR, the client is steering the trend of plants and there is a lack of innovative plant choices because of inaccessibility. In addition, Native and Endemic plants are not chosen due to unpopularity. The nurseries in Florida are efficient and able to distributive plants all over the United States using diverse methodologies; including multi-climate plants. In DR, I try to go to production farms to learn about the growth systems and most of the time, keeping up with demand is the biggest issue; especially for mature trees. The access to large varieties in plants, commercial or not, is not as common locally as it in the States or even in Barcelona. I believe it’s a huge disadvantage for design here.
In DR there are so many different climates (Coastal, Tundra, Rainforest, Monsoon, Savanna, Hot Semi-Arid, Subtropical Highland, Humid Subtropical), how does this influence your work or interests in landscape architecture?
Answer: I've had the opportunity to work in many different zones and I enjoy designing in a different context. The mountain forest and coastal/humid climate is the largest type on this island, however, one of my favorites is the dry forest in the SouthWest part of the island. The dry forest is interesting to me because I was able to study the climate in my thesis of architecture and I have experience connecting to the area. This landscape is very special because of its beauty and is similar to a beach within the dessert. The plant types are dry and not common in the city context and offer a completely different experience. Another zone I like is the tropical rainforest in the NorthEast of DR--very humid. Here, you have coastal layer interacting with the mountain forest and the climate becomes very tropical and shocking. This type of climate reminds me of the Mediterranean landscapes I visited during my MLA. As a tropical native, the Mediterranean continues to inspire me as a landscape architect.
As a professor at UNIBE, what are your goals when teaching landscape architecture to architecture students? What are the challenges?
Answer: My main goal is for students to at least learn how landscape architecture is practiced in the architectural professions. I want them to learn the basics, and I insist on activating the design process and the use of analysis because architect students usually don’t go deeper into site conditions. In the DR, the architecture students are more focused on human behavior in their designs and not the underlying systems that influence them. In landscape architecture, I try to expose students to the natural environment and involve them deeply in the main elements that are essential to the site when creating designs. The biggest challenge is that my students are at the undergraduate level as architects and they usually don’t have the materials to approach or understand the meaning behind my teachings. They are focused and dedicated to their careers in architecture and it’s hard to teach them otherwise.
Through your past projects with Eco-Tourism, Residential, and National Parks, how do you design/consider the diversity in the relationship between humans and nature? Do you aim for a similar goal in all projects?
Answer: Typically, the smaller scale projects have more personal detail and the human-nature interaction is more direct. For these smaller projects [like residential] they are always living close to nature and my job is to bring the nature even closer to the user. I can’t stand when a design invests more in infrastructure than in spaces you can actually spend the majority of our time in. In the DR, the outdoors is the main purpose of an estate and holds greater weight. The social component is done outdoors and most of the day is spent eating, talking, and enjoying company outside. Therefore, the major opportunity for design is within the landscape and there needs to be more investment in these areas to create better spaces.
In larger scale projects the focus shifts to nature. Through design, there needs to be a solution for nature to nature relationships. The human relationship is a small portion of the project. In the DR, it is more important to regenerate lost natural spaces to human interaction (a huge issue on the island). As a society, we don’t realize how much damage humans have had to nature. Between small or large projects, the difference when considering relationships really depends on the type and scale.
What do you see for the future of landscape architecture in the Dominican Republic?
Answer: I am very optimistic. When I first came back to DR after my MLA, I spent the first three years wondering how I could get out of here to practice outside of the county. Before leaving the country for my MLA, I didn’t realize we had a problem in landscape architecture or the importance of the profession. I then became used to a working system in Barcelona and what a city could offer. I soon realized that landscape architecture is basic and so essential to a city. Then, to come back to DR and to see what we have here- I was hopeless. After living here and working for some time, my views have changed. I now see the DR as an opportunity because if everyone gets a degree and leaves this country, how will anything change? Three years ago I decided I had to do something and created my own firm, Massiel Mejía Arquitectura Paisaje. I am also a founding member of the Sociedad Dominicana de Arquitectura del Paisaje y Planificación Ambiental (ARPA), and have joined a passionate group of people in establishing the presences of the profession in DR. Currently, there is no institution that speaks for the profession on the island and it is a very small group of professionals. We felt the need to organize ARPA and start those communities to establish the field and get the conversation going. I think the future will change in a positive way. We have more students interested in the field, which is one of the reasons I am teaching. I want to share the field and grow interests and curiosity. We need to be bigger, and by starting ARPA -- that’s how we start a dialog.
I think I will be here for the rest of my life. I have all the flexibility to leave, but I choose to be here because I want to be a part of the foundation of landscape architecture in the DR. I love this profession and I think I can do more than I am doing. I never thought I would be a teacher, but as time passes you get this security with time and networking; bringing you to another level of collaboration. The island is experiencing a new generation. People are leaving the country to learn and are coming back to share unique information and experiences. I am excited to be here and be a part of the movement.
+ You can learn more about Massiel and her work at http://www.massielmejia.com/
