Gabriela is an architect, designer and art lover from Quito, Ecuador. She recently graduated from the Auburn University Master of Landscape Architecture Program and was awarded with the ASLA Honor Award. She has strong skills in graphic mix media representation, model-making as part of the design process, and visual communication as a tool to express design ideas.

The submitted piece is part of Plant Spatiality. The artifact is dedicated to explore how to display native woody plants and grasses of the Southeastern United States, in the Auburn University Davis Arboretum. The aim is to promote ecological education through the study and observation of plants and their natural habitats. The model investigated different types of material to represent several native grass species such as Broomsedge bluestem (ANDROPOGON VIRGINICUS), or Wiregrass (ARISTIDA STRICTA). Additionally, the model allows the designer and user to understand the physical space and the experiences that can be created through planting strategies and densities.

Plant Spatiality, model, balsa wood, carton board and wire, 27.5" x 16.5" x 9.0", 2015