Riverside Refuge

Jack Hardley

Site Analysis

Site Functions

Site Topography

Site Analysis

This site, Area 7 parking lot, sits along Beechurst Ave. in Morgantown, WV. The site also is along the Monongahela River. The site consists of an underused, industrial parking lot. The greenspace along the river is home to numerous homeless camps creating a need to design for them as well. The greenspace is also very full of litter and overgrowth, calling for some regeneration of the natural life there. Next to the lot is the new Reynolds Hall, WVU's new location for the college of business and economics. Also close by is the Life Sciences building, and Woodburn Hall. Sitting amidst the University buildings and the river, while being covered by the PRT track, this site has great potential to become a great escape for students and others living or working in the area. A big consideration when designing this area, is the idea of trying to create a space welcoming to all and providing refuge and comfort.

Site Functions

Site Topography

Contour baseplan showing site outline selection

Overlying PRT track

WV Rail-Trail runs along river and passes through the site

View looking through the PRT tracks to the river

Expected Site Users

Programming

For this phase of the project we had to determine the functions and uses of the site we were going to create. While trying to think of what type of users would be most common, I came to the conclusion that the majority of site users would be WVU students. This is because this site is right by campus and would likely act as a way to tie the school and area around to the river. With this in mind I also thought of other people who would still use this site as well, even though the housing in the area surrounding is primarily student housing. I tried to account for the site use from adults, children, and seniors, and made an estimate on the overall usage percentages. With the site users in mind, I came up with things I believed would tie all those user groups together with common areas and functions. One quality of design I wanted to implement into the design is prospect and refuge. With homeless currently inhabiting the overgrown site, it is important to include some solution with them in mind here. I decided to have one area down by the river they will be able to use, while also having areas under the PRT for either bathrooms or sleeping arrangements. I also wanted to incorporate a sense of mystery through the green-space in some way, to guide the user through the site. While this idea for design has uses such as seating, food truck dining, and river viewing, it doesn't include many "activities", yet that is to shift the focus to the whole site as frame and threshold to the river. The overall goal is to link the community to the river.

FINAL CONCEPT

(From various aspects of initial concepts)

Concept Design

The main inspiration for this design and concept, comes from classical architecture and gardens. Many classical Roman and Persian gardens in particular provided many good examples of how to effectively use long spaces. These long spaces often used paths and visual aspects to guide the user through the site, discovering it along the way. With this in mind, I also wanted to add a feeling of enclosure throughout the site. Prospect and refuge is an important aspect of design to consider for this site due to the need for homeless consideration. Creating enclosure, whether it is permeable or not, around the urban part of the site creates the sense of entering a world when arriving on the site. This enclosure lets users escape the busy urban life, and enter a different world. The Area under the PRT tracks serves as a threshold transitioning the user from a more urban, axial environment, to a more wild overgrown area. This green-space helps represent the wildness of nature and the hold it has over humans and their creations.

Development of Site

After creating the concept of a classical enclosure, finding the right transition between the axial, organized space closer to road to the more wild overgrown greenspace, became a bit hard. To ease the transition, I decided to go the route of deconstructing and adding overgrowth to the upper section of the site. With the deconstruction, I also placed some of the structural elements throughout the greenspace to convey the look and feeling of a classical ruin. This allows the space to really serve as an escape, but also shows more about the strength and prosperity of nature. With this idea, I decided to make the greenspace path a floating decking system to allow the user to feel as if they are floating above the forest floor so as to make a walk that doesn't disturb the forest floor, and to allow a better view of the river.

Section AA'

Section BB'

The structural elements of the site provide the main sense of enclosure, but the pre-existing, dense forest surrounding the new green-space area also gives the lower section a closed feeling. The permeable, brick edge to the upper part of the site allows for movement, yet provides enough cover to escape the outside world. There is seating and tables for people studying or enjoying a meal. The arches allow for room for food trucks to park and serve to the site and the large arch under the PRT track serves as a threshold to the wild greenspace. Within the large structural arch are bathrooms for homeless in particular to use, with entrances on the outside of the site. Allowing the homeless to feel included and welcome in the site is important since many find shelter there currently.

Exploded

Axonometric

View

This is a simple deconstruction of the elements that bring this site together. The basis of which is the paths that guide the users and transport them through the site. On top of that comes the grass/ground-cover areas. Built on top is the structural elements such as the arch system, homeless shelter, and arranged stone throughout the site. Finally, the vegetation pulls everything together and puts the finishing touch on the site.

Perspective 1

This perspective illustrates the view of the site from under the PRT track looking towards Beechurst Ave. and the WVU campus buildings. This view captures the scope of the long space that is guided by the axial path running through it. This axial symmetry that is found in this part of the site symbolizes the organized, and structured urban life that surrounds the site.

Perspective 2

This perspective shows a view of what the constructed greenspace may look like with the decking system extending to the river's edge. The structured bricks around the decks and circular spaces also serve as seating for anyone resting or enjoying the view out to the river. The vegetation is aimed to not be too dense here, so as to "cut" a view out to the river to be seen through the arch.