This is a post pin-up reflection for the 4th week of the quarter. My current scheme was a thoughtful attempt at addressing some important issues of the project, but has much development to go. Here are some of those issues that still need to be resolved or improved upon.
Concept: The concept for my project is Reemergence. It is a concept that I feel is strong in the sense that it captures well what this project attempts to do- bring back to life the native habitats we once destroyed. While the concept is a good one I feel, the conceptual model still needs more development.
Urbanism- My latest urban design proposal addresses key issues: connectivity, density, diversity of activities and magnetic nodes of attraction. I established a complimentary axis that works off of an established proposal for a pedestrian connection into the Rose quarter via Clackamas st. This pedestrian connection makes its way into the site, but fails to tie the larger buildings together. For that matter, I established a transverse axis that works with the clackamas axis that connects with one strand the rose garden, the coliseum and my site. This idea I feel is a strong move that makes wayfinding within the rose quarter much more legible. Things that need to be improved upon is parking and an urban design phase schedule so that a sequence of developments may be planned accordingly.
Project Development: I have made several changes in my program that have increased commercial pieces to improve the economic viability of the thunderbird site, however, I believe given the nature of how public the Center for Urban Ecology is, I will have to add more so that a broader range of commercial activities may be offered on site.
Sustainability: I have preliminary solutions for district level solutions that I need to refine. One of them is heat recovery (Shared Thermal Energy System) which captures out flows of energy and brings it back into a building for heating and or cooling.
Next Steps: The parts of my scheme that hold the most promise are: the promenade, the waterfront plaza and the exhibit that overhangs into the river. The promenade was a strong idea because it opens the site up for public use. It is a gesture to the public that they are welcome and anyone is allowed to circulate through the site regardless of their interest in the center for urban ecology. The exhibit also holds promise since its U-shaped 3 piece design holds a theme that is very strong. The 3 pieces is a reflection and exhibit for the past, the present (exhibited by the view of downtown and of the future where children will display their visions for a future. The parts that needs the most attention is the circulation and topography. The steep slope of the site needs to be addressed appropriately with either a ramp system or stairs that make up the character of the circulation. Also, the stepping down of the building is also a very big challenge that needs to be developed further.
