Donnelly Park, final design:inundation

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.

Precedents

Garonne Riverfront Master Plan

Parc Downsview Park

Design?

So, I feel at a stand still with my design. I’m not particularly thrilled about the actual design and I felt as though I had to get something out, simply to produce the work last week. I figured I would get comments on how to move forward.

Much of the commenting is about the engineering of the site. This scares me a bit as I really know nothing about that. I realize that New Orleans has a sensitive and delicate ecology. I could draw a section of the ground plane, overhead, and below grade structures but I still feel like I would be shooting in the dark. No where to go but up? or is it down? ;I

It’s almost as if it’s not about the design anymore. It’s about the engineering and I’m not crazy about that. I also don’t feel like I’ve created anything special. I need some way to further the research into the local landscape and these so called “urban wetlands.” This way, perhaps it will not look like some of my other designs. I need a wow factor that I’m missing. I just don’t know what at the moment. ;( Anyone?

So, perhaps that’s what I need. I will figure out how it works, but also need to figure out why this design is revolutionary and the coolest park in New Orleans.

I just scanned the internet and found this: MIT What Matters

Hopefully this gives my idea strength and insight. So, it can be done, but at the scale I am working at?

Can I make this a “park” without seeming like it is a dank, stilted seam in the landscape? I ran across this- Point Fraser Wetland, Perth Australia

The main objective of the wetland is to improve the quality of urban
stormwater before discharge into the river.The second aim was to create a
protective habitat for birds and frogs and provide playgrounds,car parks,
and picnic areas for the public.The briefrequired a practical and innova-
tive synthesis ofwater management and landscape design.
The concepts behind Point Fraser Wetland are beneficial and savvy. This project explains the basic workings of how the water moves through the site. It goes through a series of holding areas, each with a specific function. This design it meant to mesh with the current landscape as well as propose solutions for sediment reduction and storm water quality management. I like these workings, however the design seems stilted to me. I want to be sure not to create a gap between the people and the wetland. Merging the people with the wetland is what is the challenge. If I could make the pathways a permeable substrate, this could allow the hydrology to determine the design. Perhaps I need to draw the landscape when there is no water on site, and when it becomes inundated.

Transport Phenomena

Fluctuate. ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin fluxus, from fluere ‘to flow.’

My conceptual idea is to create a terrain of change. The landscape should be different, depending on the day, amount of people there, and be “alive” itself. It will breathe with mother nature, and respond to varying elements. This is my best attempt at the moment to create this visually.

From the beginning my landscape research, I found the German landscape architect, Herbert Dreiseitl satisfying. He designs landscapes all over the world, and they all incorporate water to teach and entertain. It’s simple and smart. Check out Tannery Springs in Portland. This is similar in size to Donnelly Park so I felt that it relates well to the park and others in New Orleans. Precedent??

“Go BIG.” – One of the best pieces of advice I have received. I will take it with me forever.

At first I was thinking of recessing the park… until I realized that you can’t build below the water table. ;( So, elevating the park? That sounds stimulating, unconventional. I hope to change the neighborhood’s ideas of what a park is and that it can be anything. I would like to incorporate a memorial art piece into something alive, mobile, the memories of Katrina and Rita singing through my design. Hmm..

Flux in landscape, flux in energy. Move. Dance. Play. Act. LIVE