project 2.002 PDF

Overall: The final project was to develop a site proposal for a newly opened space within the Marigy-Bywater neighborhood. The site design seeks to acknowledge the relationship among the Mississippi River, levee, and neighborhood. I synthesized the processes of observation, mapping, analysis, prototyping, modeling, proposition and representation. At the beginning of the phase, we did group work to research all information. When we gathered all information together and learned more about the urban scale details, I applied my design concept to the site.

Site situation: My site is within the Marigy-Bywater neighborhood. I focused on the site at the corner of Piety Chartres. The site locates both industry and residential areas. The open space is outside of levee systems.

My design strategies and works: Our groups created a mapping study and analysis for the site, which include vehicular and pedestrian circulation, topography, hydrology, surface, vegetation, building typologies, building program/use and composite map. During my first time to get to the site, I realized the open space have many factors to consider. The topography of site is a big challenge to me. At the site, there is nature topography along with the levee wall. The existing situation of the site is covered by parking lots and is of little recreation function. The site has very good views. In this area, residential people need some recreation space and aesthetic area along the levee.

My general idea was to utilize the topography to create the multiple function area where could connect the landscape between residential area and the river. The straight line of deck is carefully conceived using playful curves that constantly changed to create ledges for seating and new routes to access different functional areas. It allows for different experiences with the site and the neighborhood. The project is the interaction of both the site and the urban streetscape and it would promote the new interaction between people and the landscape. The form of deck was inspired by the topography of the site. The identity of each deck structure was derived from the spatial qualities and activities that were suggested by its form. The form stimulates and allows people to interpret the space in many different ways. In the basketball court, the deck system plays roles of the settings and playful areas, so the curved deck is constantly changing. In performance area, the deck system maintains the settings role. The change of form would be considered. The deck system is the whole thing to interact the different functional areas. I want to give this area more vitality. For different weathers, I put the shadow devices to make the site cooler and plant in the back of basketball court to change the microclimate of the neighborhood. The analog explains the design and implementation of the responsive technology. During the process of design, I also valued the original design of Reinventing the Crescent Park where located in the open space levee side. It was designed by Hargreaves Associates. The design applied more beautiful views in the Marigy-Bywater neighborhood. Combining the outside and inside levee together, my project design has the same purpose as Reinventing and Crescent Park.

Illumination: In the final project, a newly opened space was developed to seek the acknowledgement of the relationship within the site. The preconditions are observation, mapping, analysis of site situation and application of some decent technology.

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