todays our first exhibit and my stuff is up and ready. im really excited to see everyones stuff and what people have been up to. ive seen a couple of things around and look really cool and fun. 

my presentation is set up to sort of resemble the pillars on which most of these inscriptions have been made (hence the column-like structure). i began with my storyboards which discuss the inscriptions in the context of time, and how through time they fade and loose volume. following i pinned up transparencies that i covered with graphite and left on site to weather a storm. they map out water flow down the pillars. after are 4 canvases, 2 which also show water flow down the pillars, and the remaining 2 demonstrate writings and water flow together. lasty there are 2 further experimentations: 1 which where squares drawn on concrete with chalk, and left for 24hrs on site. the second are a series of circles which where left on site for 1, 2, and 3 days. 

overall i think my presentation shows the effect of time on these writings…yet i wouldve like to do some other stuff. andrea gave me the idea to wrap the canvas around the entire pillar…in that way i would be capturing changes on the entire pillar…i thought it was great but didnt have enough time to make and setup the correct sized canvas and such…thanks andrea

so after walking around and looking at many things….reflections, shadows, vibrations, ect. i have opted for the writings and pictures drawn under the overpass. I think these writings have the ability to alter emotion by instilling fear of providing security. With that in mind i would like to use these writing with the support of other materials to eliminate visual and cognitive obstructions between one side of the overpass and the other.this project reminds me…obviously…of design week and im trying to go back and look at the success of each project and create something new and differento for this particular site. 

The true inspiration that drove my entire project was the reality of the families that are moving back to the Gentilly neighborhood and are reclaiming their houses and lives once again. I interpret these families as plant who are once again growing roots in what was once their homes and begin to build the foundations that will provide stability and a base for their new future. As a result these roots displace the earth and create the landforms that are located throughout the Charles Donnelly Park. The park is essentially divided into 2/3 unprogrammed and open space…and 1/3 is a more programmed space for temporal activities, sitting, walking, playing, etc. The plan shows: the landforms, represented by black ink; existing trees with silver ink; proposed trees with white ink, and trellis foundations with wood.    Plant materials, both existing and proposed is further explained in the plant diagram. The Plant list includes Dogwoods, Merliton “chayote” vine, Fig trees and Cordia trees. Dogwoods would give a nice color and flower to both vertical and ground plane; Fig trees would provide a nice closed canopy and shade; Cordia trees give a low canopy, dark green leaves and orange flowers, but also give a closer relationship between park users and plant canopy; and lastly the Merliton vine would provide a nice trellis canopy and an interactive hanging fruit that could be use for personal cooking or as a way for the neighborhood to participate in the Merliton Festival…they might even be able to sell them and use the profits to finance any sort of maintenance that the park may need in the future, repay for construction fees or pay for future activities that may be held in the park.  The materials used in the park where wood, for the trellis and deck; poured concrete, for the main walkways; and recycled car tires, which are broken down into small pieces and used as an element of transition between the poured concrete and the grass. 

here are the precedents guys…”Grissy Fields” & Dania Parkcrissy-field.pdfdania-park.pdf

During my presentation and with the jury’s comments, i realized that the deck that i had integrated into the design was very inadequate and completely neglected my entire concept. This deck appears to be placed on top of the site and responds in no way to the topography, which is the theme of my project. They suggested some sort of pavement, but i am hesitant to use such a material. I was thinking of some bricks or pavers that do react to the terrain and try to assimilate the growing “roots” which form the topography. I was thinking it could be nice to have these pavers in a way that it provides a path and a solid area to hold events, yet grass and such can grow in between them. Not only that, but maybe the pavers slowly dissipate into the ground material or are slowly replaced by another material(dont know yet what). I would like to create a gradient effect, between change of materials because i dont want to separate areas…instead, have them all gradually mesh.Apparently I still have to work on my connection to the neighborhood…im having some trouble understanding what this implies because i dont see a disconnection between neighborhood and park.  So I am a bit lost as to what this means…physical connection? as in entrances? or visual? cognitive? help me out guys…thanks 

if there is such a word..”rooting” or “to root” as in “growing roots” is basically the concept of my park. These rootlike shapes are to represent the foundations that people are once again building in order to begin their lives once again in the place that they used to…and evidently still call home. Im leaning towards keeping the current program of the site and simply intensifying and making the experiences much more enjoyable. Ex. where the playground now exists…a new more exciting playground shall emerge, passive areas will continue to be passive, ect. This is to show the progress and hope, and the potential that exists in everything that once was, and can once again be…and be even better.My whole concept of “rooting” or “to root” as in “growing roots”…will be represented through 3 materials: the soil for the ground plain; wood for things like benches, decks, balconies, exercise elements and playthings; and wire, for a trellislike overhang, playthings and the memorial(the point being that the community can plant vines in these trellises in memory of those who passed away during Hurricane Katrina). I was also thinking of doing some sort of element that praises the efforts of the Coast Guard and their efforts during the disaster and the lives they did save…and also those of them that sacrificed theirs to save others. I want this park to be a reflection of the community and a symbol of hope, of new beginnings and a future that will be even stronger than the past.

As i said before, i would like to do some sort of earth works. I guess i would really like this park to be different in that way, so that people from all around the community will come and join this surrounding neighborhood. I still havent thought of a concept or been able to assign one word to describe what i want to make, but i guess it has to do with the history of the site, and making the soil and the site itself the main character of the experience. In other words, i feel that this community and site itself have gone through so much that new hardscapes shouldn’t represent the future; instead prove that what once was, was nearly destroyed, but still IS.In a way, “hope” is what i am going for…and that these emerging and sinking earthworks could come to represent the highs and lows of the lives of the community members and their experiences. Yet, because they have overcome all of these obstacles that are now in the past, they are able to live through them and shoot(hope) for a happier future. 

I’ve been thinking of using some sort of earth work manipulation. I think its a cheap way of giving some character to an otherwise flat site..and community. In that way 2 things could be ultimately resolved, #1 playground and #2 drainage. In other words, by raising and sinking the terrain we would obtain natural drainage of the facility, give a natural playground to the area and allow more exciting walkthroughs+exits+entrances to the site.

Looking around we were able, only to begin, to understand the extent of the destruction of the surrounding communities in Gentilly. Houses were torn out of its foundations, the pillars lay in the muck…personal belongings were turned into public displays of  ”once upon a time”. It was very sad to see this, and surrounding communities, in such states of “forgotten-ness”. Roads were destroyed as well as the general infrastructure, so the area looks abandoned. Yet, there were some signs of “new beginnings” as some houses were being repaired, others towed in and a community that is showing interest in redeveloping the area to resemble the once happy Gentilly. This brings us to the Charles Donnelly Park, a once very tree dense park which the community saw as its playground. All that lays there now are a set of swings, 3 oak trees, a concrete slap and no idea of what it would’ve looked like before disaster struck.  In talking with the community I realized that their vision of the park is very specific and programmatic… swings, a memorial, a pavilion, an orchard, a fence, exercise areas for senior citizens and something to attract a younger crowd… all in all to make the park a reason to move back into the Gentilly area. Those are just some examples of what they were asking for, because there were many more. The community looks very excited and eager to redevelop the park and the fact that they have such specific expectations will prove a challenge in order to do something very original and unexpected and still gain their approval.  It would be very nice to make something of the site in order to bring the community together. We did mention in class that it would be a good idea if surrounding parks had a specific function, in that way it obligates the entire community to mesh, instead of separate into “donnelly playground park” goers or “filmore park” goers. Also, i think that developing these parks and opening the “jean gordo school” would be the key to reviving the community.