Breaking the Ice
There is always that pressure to make a good first impression when meeting someone new. It is not as bad knowing that the Charleston Parks Conservancy has had a long and fruitful relationship with Pastre and Studio V students in the past. However, us Spring 2020 students are the new kids at school – it is time to make friends.
Like one would before a first date, we made sure to dress nice and act out conversations in the mirror to prepare. By Friday, we were ready, confident, and excited to discuss the project. While most of us split into our research groups to make sure our talking points were in order, Mohammad played the role of “wingman” telling everyone to keep their hair and outfits looking sharp (He was brutally honest if they weren’t).
I feel I speak for all of us in saying that the date went well. Our research into the demographics, context, and history of the West Ashley Greenway and Bikeway was strong. Our precedents of potential project types such as bridges, trail-heads, shade structures, play/active areas, en route interventions, and seating all seemed to catch interest from the client. The points of interest and potential sites for the project seemed to coincide with what the client had in mind.
After giving our thoughts on the project, we ended with an open discussion with the client to narrow down what and where the project would be and how it could work best with their interests. It shows how this relationship throughout the years has been a great success as the client was quick to instill trust in the judgement of our group.
Takeaways
We narrowed down locations to “4-ish” potential sites along with some “site-less” design work we could do concurrently. The short-term direction of the project seems to be a creative combination of seating, trail head, and way finding with the potential to provide shade. We will also be planning for next semester’s project, which will possibly involve a small scale pavilion or bridge. We shall see.
This weekend involves some further precedents studies and some light design work (because most of us just can’t wait to start designing).
Link to Friday’s presentation: West Ashley Greenway/Bikeway Analysis