THE PARK IN THE BUILDING
Mies Van Der Rohe’s “buildings in the park” strategy, employed locally at the Colonnade & Pavillion Apartments, has become a catalyst for change. Our proposal pursues the opposite of the Van Der Rohe parti. We focus inward and let our housing units above (4 & 6 story “basilicas”), our intermittent retail/restaurant at the ground level colonnade and our subterranean cinemas/amphitheater create a setting for social gathering. A red brick colonnade borders the site on two sides, encouraging neighbors and commuters to seek its shelter during inclement weather and to also enjoy its retail shops/eateries. The “park” is organized around a central axis with clusters of cherry blossom trees, gathering spaces and a water fountain. This park, accessible for all sides of the site invites “passing through” pedestrians and is punctuated with an amphitheater which serves as a public forum, a venue for music, dance and the arts. The amphitheater houses a huge video screen where the masses come to watch the Presidential debates, the Giant/Jet game, the World Series or the daily broadcast of Sponge Bob Squarepants. Sandwiched solar panel skylights cover the entire project; always providing shelter from the rain, snow and summer sun but letting light through. The exterior of the building that faces outward towards the street is clad in a double curtain wall and this system commits to a long term vision for sustainability of a building type that historically is short lived. Finally… the cargo containers are proven “building blocks” and they are employed as a recycled structural system enabling an affordable and environmentally conscious solution to housing needs. The standard grid container grid of the basilicas is juxtaposed to the random and energetic amphitheatre – like the early days of exploration with reinforced concrete, this system will challenge the greatest of structural engineers. |
