The public space proposal for the Urban Intervention competition creates a new way of creating a dialog between the park and the city. Designed by PRAUD, each solid and void creates its own topography, and thus the topography of the solid provides different experiences for pedestrians and joggers, while topography of the voids provide different types of functions and landscape fields. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Because of its previous use, the site creates a discontinuity in scale from the surrounding blocks. In order to scale it down to a more human scale, similar to the general grid of Seattle, we introduced a new pattern onto the site. The logic of the pattern connects different access points from around the site. The pattern for pedestrian passage is not only down-scaling the site, but also improving accessibility to the site.
As an outcome of the new patterning, new courtyards are designed as inversion of passage pattern; courts become voids while passage remain as solid. To extend the logic of the surrounding fabric, not only multiple access points are introduced, but a dialect of South Fountain Lawn and International Fountain are repeated and manipulated in the proposed park. This is a way for the park to absorb the existing features and strengthen them.
Lastly, the Jelly Bean is proposed as a dialog between park visitors, public at the center core, and communities in distance. It is a device that can control micro level climate, and thus, depends on the weather or public demand. It can create fog, cloud, rain and sunshine effects. Also, the bean will function as reflecting object during the day, reflecting other parts of the city from the park, while it can be used as a projection screen at night for new urban activities.
Architects: PRAUD Location: Seattle, Washington, United States Team: Dongwoo Yim + Rafael Luna
