This week, we have been working on our individual design concepts for the development of Stephen Washington Park. It has been interesting to see all the different directions that the studio is pursuing through this design phase. I am in the group that is diving into designs based on integrated development in the playground. We are specifically looking into structures that serve the playground, as well as how our project can interact with the new playground renovations that are to come.
I have been taking a site-specific approach, doing several site studies and sketches to create a flow through the park, drawing inspiration from the natural patterns that exist. This is creating more freeform, organic designs, where materiality could get tricky to detail out. It has been a complex experience, balancing artistic creativity and practicality, and working to create solutions to the demands of the site. I have done lots of sketches – all on the same roll of trace, which David laughed at me for! Precedent studies have also been important as they inspire ideas and help explain how concepts could work in construction.
Today, we are all bringing our ideas to studio for discussion, with the goal of answering questions, further developing our designs, and narrowing down to one concept per person. Our individual design presentation is on Tuesday, so today’s studio session will be crucial in getting ready to make presentations to share with the parks department. It will be a busy weekend getting ready for this presentation, and I am excited to see what everyone has to share on Tuesday!