LOWLINE....A DIFFERENT WAY

TO THINK ABOUT A PARK

There are some cities that have famous parks, like New York's Central park.  Many are not surprise or impressed to hear about a new park in a city that already has a great one already.  What would you think about an underground park?  Perhaps, how does this actually work? Well, the minds of Dan Barasch and James Ramsey have done just that...designed and created an underground park in New York City.



The project is based on the approach, developed by James Ramsey (a former NASA engineer).  The proposed location is Manhattan's Lower East Side.  First the duo captivated New Yorker with the park idea in 2011 with a media campaign.  The two acquired funding through a couple of 'Kickstarter' campaigns, then a South Korea technology company (SunPortal) jointed the project (2013).

So, 'How does this actually work?'  The underground park will be equipped with a new prototype remote solar hardware and hand-polished lenses from Germany - the retooled optics system preserves the Archimedean aspects of the first scheme.  The Lowline Lab will be housed in the Essex Street warehouse until March, but he lab is destined for the abandoned trolley station beneath Delancey Street.

While visiting the lab, you will notice the glowing tubes of refracted sunlight - suspended from the ceiling - aren't intended to illuminate the space.  The park has been described as a cross between a corporate atrium, a botanical garden, and the Rainforest Café - thanks to the contributions of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.

While this is a great idea and will prove useful in the future, there's nothing like going outside for fresh air and the scenic views.

References

1. METROLOIS magazine - February 2016

Links

1. http://www.thelowline.org/

2. http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/January-2016/Q-A-Lowline-Founders-Dan-Barasch-and-James-Ramsey/



SCAD's Answer to Urban Housing?

Most urban colleges and universities have housing issues - for the upper classmen, which students tend to stress about as much as classes.  Well, SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) is proposing a solution to this problem.  It's called 'SCADPad' and the idea is to find new ways to re-use existing structures and make habitable communities. 

The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration of students, faculty/ staff and alumni - who designed dwelling units in a parking garage near the SCAD-Atlanta campus.  The project includes three dwelling units - each with a different theme/ identity, a common space - organic garden, a composting/ recycling center and a rapid prototype area - with a 3D printer.   The size of each dwelling unit is equal to the size of a parking space (8' x 16') and is laid out with a bathroom/ kitchen/ sleeping space.  The themes for the dwelling units are Asia, Europe and North America.  The decore can be changed and or enhanced with each occupant.

To obtain real feedback on whether the project could work, SCAD students, faculty/ staff and special quests have taken turns living in the SCADPads - two weeks each.  Initially the project was to span a few months (April to June 2014), but it is currently approaching it's second year.

Thinking Space

Organic Garden

Asia Dwelling Unit

Asia Dwelling Unit - bathroom

Europe Dwelling Unit

Europe Dwelling Unit - Exterior

North America Dwelling Unit

North America Dwelling Unit - Bathroom

SCADPad Evolution

Bubble Chairs
 


If find this idea interesting and would like to follow the project, go to the project website (www.scadpad.com/).  You will be able to register and receive updates.

References:

1). ARCHITECT magazine

     http://www.architectmagazine.com/videos/checking-in-with-scads-parking-garage-micro-community

2). SCADPad website

     http://scadpad.com/

3). DWELL Magazine

     http://www.dwell.com/great-idea/article/parking-garage-next-frontier-adaptive-reuse

4). HUFFINGTON POST

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-michael-welton/the-scadpad-affordable-ho_b_5169152.html



Buhl Community Park

Buhl Community Park 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

After winning first place in a national competition, ACLA ushered the design for this public park, adjacent to the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, through its opening day in 2012. The design respects and highlights the historic importance of the site at the same time as it breathes fresh life into the plaza. After reconnecting the historic city grid that was destroyed during 1960’s-era ‘urban renewal’ efforts, the park is once again the public gathering area it once was for Allegheny City.

Important design features such as a bioswale and native planting educate visitors about sustainability, while an interactive art installation activates the space and fosters a connection with the nearby Children’s Museum. Emphasizing species native to the waterways, woodlands, and meadows of Pittsburgh’s region, the planting design for Allegheny Public Square connects visitors with the experiential qualities of the local ecosystems while also processing the plaza’s storm-water. ACLA assembled and managed a large team of designers and engineers to meet the unique challenges of building this park.

Collaboration with a public artist to develop the site-specific installation, fully integrated into the park, was an important aspect of the design process. The resulting art piece by Ned Kahn consists of a grid of 64 stainless steel poles that emit fog with water fed from the steam heating system of Pittsburgh. An ethereal hovering sphere floats above the park’s surface.

Wonder

WONDER, the opening exhibition at the newly renovated Renwick Gallery, features site-specific installations that transform the galleries into a contemporary “cabinet of wonders.” Nine major contemporary artists, Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grade, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal, are installing work that responds to the architectural spaces of this national historic landmark. Each artist “takes over” one gallery in the building so that the museum as a whole becomes one immersive artwork. Eight of these works are new, inspired by and crafted exclusively for the Renwick.


The featured artists were selected for their ability to transform spaces through installation, for their focus on how visitors experience that space, and especially for their abiding interest in process and materials, aligning them with the Renwick’s mission to showcase the best in American craft.

































Check it out. This will be on Exhibit until July 10th 2016 at the Renwick Gallery
17th & Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC
http://www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/Wonder-5785

It’s cold outside, but let’s play

Just in case you haven’t heard of the Montreal’s apocryphal underground winter city (like me), don’t worry it’s regarded as folklore.  However, the organizers of The Quartier des Spectacles are pleased to announce the installation of Impluse, the work that will take over the Place des Festivals this winter for the sixth annual edition of Luminothérapie. The premise behind Luminothérapie is to bring people out onto the streets - despite the temperatures.

 

 

Impulse is an interactive work comprising seesaws of various sizes, with lighting and sound. They are activated, when one person sits down on each end. The seesaws, which are fitted with LED lights and speakers, then produce a series of beautiful sounds. The intensity of the light varies as the board’s angle changes. The installation and its streamlined design is a delight for children and adults alike, as they play with the sounds and lighting effects it produces.  During one of Montreal’s coldest times of the year, where the days are short and the lights are long and dark, this exhibit fills the Place des Festivals with the dance of sounds and lights, bringing joy and warmth.

The creative consortium will also produce video projections for the nine permanent projection sites in the Quartier des Spectacles. Two Montreal-based artists will be responsible for the projections: Maotik and Iregular, with soundtracks for the projections and for the Place des Festivals by Toronto-based artist Mitchell Akiyama.

Impulse a participatory creation by the firms Lateral Office, and CS Design, in collaboration with EGP Group.
 

YouTube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCEGdzlZ7iQ&feature=player_embedded

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ztzpd57zMtY

 PLACE DES FESTIVALS (December 10, 2015 to January 31, 2016)

From Sunday to Wednesday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

From Thursday to Sunday: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Seesaws design: Lateral Office et CS Design, in collaboration with EGP Group
Sound design: Mitchell Akiyama
Mechanical design and Production: Générique Design
Electronic production and interactivity: Robocut Studio

References:

1.        METROPOLIS, January 2016

    2.        Quartier Des Spectacles Montreal (website)http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/event/130/luminotherapie

 

LIGHTING UP LOWER MANHATTAN

 

The Pavilion at Brookfield Place in New York City, has been called, ‘the connective tissue between transportation hubs in Lower Manhattan.  The intricately woven steel tube columns that reside in the building were the brain-child of the Kuger Ning’s team.

 

The project brings an intriguing and whimsical look to a typically structured environment – day or night.

The initial design concept placed the lights on the inside of the columns, but after being rejected by the maintenance company the team went back to find a solution to their concept dilemma.  A model was created and the solution became clear…put the lights around the columns.

The lights used for the project are energy-efficient metal halide lamps that offer a lighting load 58% lower than the ASHRAE requirements.  The project won an Award of Excellence from IESNYC.

Reference

1.       METROPOLIS magazine, November 2015

AnnMarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center

TGIF to the viewers!

Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center is located in scenic Solomons, Maryland, where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay.  The sculpture garden features a 1/4 mile walking path that meanders through the woods past permanent and loaned sculpture, including over thirty works on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art.  Artists in the collection include:  Antonio Tobias Mendez, Barbara Hepworth, Cesar, Robert Engman, Jean Arp, Kenneth Snelson and Fransisco Zuniga. The award-winning Arts Building includes rotating exhibition space, a gift shop, and a sunny patio.  Annmarie presents a variety of popular annual festivals, rotating exhibitions, family activities, and creative public programs.  The Studio School offers classes for all ages and abilities - from pottery to dance - taught by professional artists and arts educators.  Come explore this special place where art and nature meet!

 Who is Annmarie?

Francis and Ann Marie Koenig first came to Calvert Count y in 1955 seeking a retreat from his career as an architecht/builder/developer in Washington, DC. They quickly fell in love with the area and in 1956 built a beach house in Long Beach. Soon they became avid sailors and could often be found heading out of Flag Harbor Marina on their sailboat, "Annmarie." As an investment opportunity in 1960, Francis and Annmarie Koenig purchased 30 acres of land in Solomons, Maryland. After thirty-two years and many offers from developers, Fran began to see his investment as a unique opportunity to give something back to an area that he loved.In 1991, the Koenig family donated this property to Calvert County with the intention that it be developed into a sculpture park. Named after Fran's wife, Mrs. Ann Marie Koenig, the Garden began to take shape over the next decade as six permanent works of art were installed.Francis and Ann both passed away in the 1990s, but their dream lives on. Today, Annmarie Garden stands as a gesture of the gratitude that the Koenigs felt for the years spent at their beach home on the Chesapeake Bay. Their generous and precious gift provides a unique setting in Calvert County for visitors to explore a place where art and nature meet.

Directions:

From Washington DC (about 60 minute drive): Take Route 4 South, Exit 11 off Capital Beltway (to Prince Frederick). Continue on 4 South, following signs to Solomons. Left on Dowell Road at Hilton Garden Inn and Rudy Duck. Garden is less than 1/4 mile on left.

From Annapolis: Follow Route 2 South towards Prince Frederick/Solomons. Left (South) onto Route 2/4 at Sunderland light. Left on Dowell Road at Hilton Garden Inn and Rudy Duck. Garden is less than 1/4 mile on left.

http://www.annmariegarden.org/annmarie2/node/3