Revival
Our proposal pays homage to the history of the Bowery Bay site, revitalizes the affects of the waste water treatment plant while breaking down the hardscape and creating an interconnected network that is based around the natural environment.
We designed architectural relationships between all of the buildings on the site with the use of courtyards and indoor outdoor spaces that invite the landscape in. Part of the site looks outward towards the water while the primary relationship is inward looking and protecting the site from external forces such as sound which comes primarily from La Guardia and the Astoria Energy Plant.
The Site
The site plan shows the adjacency of our site to the industrial neighborhood and outwards into Steinway. Our design is a pretty drastic contrast to the monotonous neighborhood that has very little green space.
As for the terrain we manipulated the perimeter of the coastal edge. We imagine we can use the excavated land to reshape portions of the new edge.
We raised portions of the landscape, making the community center sit at 6 feet above grade and school 10 feet above which is the highest point of the site. The research lab is just 2 feet above ground plane to allow easy access to the water.
We’ve also added a stream through the core of the site to serve as a kind of line in the sand between the school and the rest of the site for security purposes. There is also a 4 foot ha-ha along the end of the school with an additional wall shown in section later to create that barrier.
We’ve also added four specific gardens into the overall landscape. There is the therapeutic garden at the top that borders the community center. We imagine this space to be filled with medicinal plants as well as indulge the elderly for activities such as Tai-Chi. There is the edible garden adjacent to the community kitchen to allow people to grow some of their own herbs to use in their cooking. There is the butterfly garden to invite insects close to the lab in order for researchers to have a closer look. And finally the water gardens which create a mini landscape next to the reservoir that is more on a human scale.
Lovina Vasudeva & Ashley Wargo
Lovina and Ashley have worked together on several projects in the past and realized that their efficient collaboration could extend into their capstone proposal as well. Both of them have an interest in sustainability, biophilic design as well as catering to the people, community and society at large.
