This project has been a big challenge because it is forcing me to design something that I know little about. The project statement calls for a public park to be designed at the fish farm location. After several iterations, I came to the conclusion that this space is not best suited for a conventional large park, but a better use of the space would be a wetland. The idea is that this land south of the fish farm will serve dual purposes. Since this area currently floods in its entirety, a wetland will help slow the rate of the storm surge and allow for a better retention of the water. In the process it will help clean the water both downstream and the water that is used by the fish farm.
As the water recedes during the dry season, the area will take on a new form. With elevated paths, people will be able to walk through the wetland and have access to their environment. The different slopes and elevations that act as a guide to control the water, serve as focal points during the dryer periods. Each elevation would be planted with different plants which help create a healthier ecosystem, but can potentially be visually stimulating as they bloom.
Below are a list of my initial iterations.
In this concept I was trying to allow the water to enter while still maintaining public access and the use of the rectangular form.
Again, I was trying to create a park off of the main walkway and allow the water to flood.
For this interation, I decided to develop a more conventional park. I placed a restaurant near the entrance of the fish farm because there seemed to be a good with the market diagonal from it. It also created a barrier between the private fish farm and the public park. There were open lawns and a hill that served as a focal point and seating for outdoor events. The flooding would be addressed on the exterior of the park.
Overall, I think that my design has a lot of room for strengthening. It has been a real challenge developing these concepts, but my main goal is to address the flooding, while create a public park that does not interfere with the fish farm industry.
With such prime flooding land there is a real potential to work with layers of water management strategies, you might also try to embed your scheme with the nuance and visual impact of the amazing concept collage you contributed earlier in the project development. The way you’ve graphically suggested a “living system for fish”, rather than a “fish prison” as the block type would suggest is a beautiful metaphor for the life cycles of aquatic plants and animals and means a lot in the context of a place that’s so imbued with a universal sensibility toward water systems. A few questions have arisen from your concept schemes: What is the role of the restaurant in your site? How can its operation contribute to your site? How can you best apply the excavated earth from the fish pools on site? How will you calibrate this material as a key aspect of your design? Walkways, berms, edges, vegetative swales, wetland embankments?
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