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The concept of conduction initially inspired my design concept, inundation. I explored this through an understanding of the movement and formations created during conduction.
con·duc·tion n. The transmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especially the transmission of electric charge or heat through a conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself.
I found compelling images of a heart beat and graphics of the ventricles that worked together to create one heart beat.
This pen drawing inspired path systems and wetlands in the park.
After researching the history of the site (once a wetland), I decided to create a site responsive to fluctuations in the hydrology and hopefully create a meaningful design for Donnelly Park as well as other New Orleans parks. The final design involved creating an urban wetland that adapted according to the level of storm water runoff from the surrounding neighborhood. The temporal aspect of the landscape is developed through the concept of the park becoming inundated.
| inundation | |
| noun | |
| 1. | the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land; “plains fertilized by annual inundation |
I explored three flow systems of hydrology, planting, and program through diagramming. As the water inundates the site, less plant material becomes apparent, the pathways change, and the programming is altered. The planting design consists of submerged (nymphaea odorata water lily), emergent (iris versicolor harlequin blueflag, lachnocaulon bog buttons), and meadow/upland (saururus cernuus, lizard’s tail spartina alternaflora) plant species. The hydrology and path systems follow the design of the heart. When the site is fully inundated, a pathway of perfect arcs emerges and all that revealed are the strong curves of the paths created by the changes in the water level.
I planted groves of Acer Rubrum (Swamp Red Maples) and Quercus virginiana (Southern Live Oaks), with Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress) trees on the edges of the wetlands. The north end of the park is used for the soil that is removed to create the wetlands. This is planted with grass and becomes the viewing mound for the rest of the park. Beyond it, I put in fencing and a row of Acer Rubrum to act as a buffer to the surrounding neighborhood.
The wetlands are designed to channel the water into the park, cleanse the water of nitrogen and phosphorous, and slowly drain into a cistern for eventual removal to the pump system. This filtration system is designed to promote the movement of water, so as to deter unwanted mosquitoes.
The design concept creates a landscape of rhythm and human activity. As the water levels rises and falls, the ephemeral quality of the landscape is exposed.
I am no Christo or Jeanne Claude… but I’ll try to be
