Gus Garcia

setting for the theater

'setting the stage' for the theater image.

I changed the orientation because it is impossible to find people looking in the other direction.

2 of 2

this is to replace the second one in the last entry...it was too light.

rendering of diagrams

playing around with techniques...solid or not solid? remember this will be along the rendered plan...jury is out

(please ignore the color samples along the sides)

colors are not set...

showing progress

i'm trying to get all of the photoshop work for the sections done before we head down to san anton. here is the tree lined ped. ave. still needs additions of people -- etc.

A couple options for the cemetery callout image (G.20b)

Title Block

Some thoughts for Title Blocks (G1)
These are all pictures from the site. I think the middle one is kind of crappy, and I can definitely explore another option for that one if we all think these are good.

Title/Header Suggestion

Here's my thought on the top bar (T.1/G.1) - I think the official header (Ecotone) should be top left, along with subheader (Nature of the Site, Building Community, el futuro) and introductory text. I've included sample text (from the paper-in-progress). The fonts/colors/sizes can definitely change (bring on the comments), but I like how it establishes a clean, professional feel. This leaves G.1, currently Andy's space, open for a nice image/rendering. It should size proportionately with the space taken up by the header/text section, and possibly carry a small caption in the bottom corner (i.e. "native grassland," "kids running in front of car," etc.).

With all of the images coming together for these boards, it's nice to have the title establish the white space. That is to say, we will be able to add much to the board without it feeling "too busy."

Let me know if this works for you guys. If all is well, then I can begin putting together introductory statements for the three boards.

prep scene

I was pretty much a corpse last night and could only look around for stock images. Here is the 'crew' for the garden in living color (we will put it through the works this weekend so it matches the others). Just an update of what is happening in the southern branch office.

plan

comments on the look.

Questions

- David, you mentioned incorporating more examples of the different path materials into the statement - do you (or anyone else) have ideas?
- I think it would be useful to include a short paragraph in the paper about "universality" - examples of how we're designing for all shapes and sizes, disabilities, and safety. I can think of the amphitheater's design, the raised plant beds of the community garden, and potentially the path materials (wheelchair friendly) - what other elements exemplify this?

That is all for now.

garden

yer blues

here are a few blues. I think we need them.

Section Orchard Path

So I'm nearing the completion of the first section though the orchard, and its subsequent path. Here is the rendering. The graphics call out the variety of Ecotones that the section deals with --- which i'm going to have to add more only have the urban one called out right now. --- the idea is to collage the various ecosystems and the edges of these collages become important to indicate which ecotones are sharp and which are flat (more gradual). How bout it???? --- what do you think of the text style as well as the leaders?

garden ladies

Still learning photo shop - will try to make this better, but i started.

Fragments

The individual elements of the piece are starting to come together. The following sections are rough and yearning for comment (headings are for my organization only). Also, I just decided to revisit the competition website for the list of goals (which I'll try to acknowledge in the final draft):

- Provide unique design ideas that highlight the community, the environment, and cultural and social awareness.
- Develop opportunities to work with non-profit, governmental and community organizations.
- Impact the community in a positive way, inspire momentum for community activism, and provoke continued architectural discourse.
- Provide opportunities for residents and community members to participate in and attend:
- Recreational activities (organized and individual)
- Performances (drama, dance, singing and musical concerts, poetry)
- Exhibitions (visual art, photography, fashion)
- Private events and other outdoor activities organized by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

Introduction. The Gus Garcia Park Competition seeks a design that not only provides a healthy environment and necessary program elements, but also initializes ­social and cultural enrichment through the fosterage of community activities. Both the community and the natural environment of the site stand to gain from a reciprocal bond, and Ecotone is a multi-phase design through which the potential of this mutuality is realized.

An ecotone is by definition the area of intersection between two ecological communities, or ecosystems. These transitional areas can be as sharp and dramatic as a river’s edge, or gradual, as an orchard tapers into grassland. The composition of ecotones is thus dependent on the distribution of ecosystems, and in the case of Gus Garcia Park, the site features a variety of outstanding ecological communities, including a river, forest, and native grasslands. Ecotones have become constitutive of this design, because of their illustrative properties - not only do they represent the natural diversity of the site, but they reveal the stark contrast between the natural environment and the urban environment, which carries its own diverseness.

Paths. Ecotone regards the path system enormously important – as opposed to incorporating a uniform material generically routed throughout the site, it thoughtfully traces some ecotones while bisecting others, and varies in its composition. A gravel trail winding through the native grasses produces smaller, foot-worn paths that snake into the trees. This variety of material acts as a subtle introduction to the diversity of the site.

Community Garden. Soil analysis has concluded that a large portion of the site is congenial to agriculture, and therefore a large area has been designated for the purposes of implementing a community garden. A collection of plots, subscribed by individuals and families on an annual basis, will bring community members together in the context of the natural environment, and there are successful precedents of this in the Austin area. This community garden represents the fundamental mutuality that can come to define Gus Garcia Park.

BOARD 2 tasks

T.19 - justin

G.19 - david

G.1 - andrew

*G.20-G.25 order subject to change, wait everything is subject to change)

** SA = San Antonio / CMPBS = Austin

G.20 (cemetary final rendering) - SA

T.20a (educational signage) - andrew

T.20b (cemetary) - andrew / G.20b (cemetery photo) - andrew

T.20c (building) - andrew / G.20c (bldg. transformation) - andrew

G.21 (playground final rendering) - SA
T.21a (mogul) - rachel / G.21a (grasspave) - rachel

T.21b (concrete pipe) - rachel

T.21c (shade) - rachel

G.22 (community garden final rendering) - SA

T.22a (raised beds) - ben

T.22b (water collection) - ben / G.22b (diagram) - david

T.22c (gardens) - ben

G.23 (theatre final rendering) - SA

T.23a (accesibility) - john
T.23b (natural shade) - john

G.24 (shading seating) -SA

T.24a (existing building) - justin

T.24b (community gatherings) - justin

T.24c (flyash seating) - justin

G.25 (farmers market - zocalo) - SA
T.22a (fence) - david
T.22b (farmers market) - david
T.22c (paving) - david

BOARD 3 tasks

for starters...

T.26 - justin

G.1 - andrew

G.27 - andrew

T.27 - justin + david

BOARD 1 tasks

just for starters to get organized roles are negotiable...

T.1 - justin

G.1 - (titleblock) andrew

G.2 / T.2 - (rendering) rachel

G.3-G.10 / T.3-T.10 - david + whoever wants in

T.12 - david + justin

G.13-G.18 - cmpbs crew

One Billion Pictures

The ftp is loading a folder under the existing folder "for david dewane" called "excursion 4" of the pictures I took this morning. It is 300mb, so it might not be until 5:30 that it posts. There are around 100 pictures, and it will take some time to see all of them, but please do so and find some that can work. Many are panoramics (esp. toward the end) that you can buzz through. It was difficult finding good images on the site, so where it looks like I'm zoomed too far in, etc, it's because it was the best shot I could get. Hopefully something will work.

site section

here is a quick (35 min) sketch of how I think we should show the sections. this would be the approach from the NE as if you were walking to the zocalo through the orchard.

major elements are a collage of ecosystems, path, captions explaining relationships, and diagrams summing up experience.

sections 2,3,6

redid the section through the orchard --- now showing the mowed lawn as soccer field as well as some of the street (urban ecosystem).

section 3 -- shows the building all the way down to touch on the wetlands --- i think showing the urban ecosystem of the building is important here as well

section 6 shows the garden through the path with the fence and into the grasslands

excursion 4

spent an unreasonable amount of time at the site this morning taking pictures. Will post where to find the pictures soon. something struck me HUGE while I was out there. Its something we may have thought or talked about before, but I think we need to express it in writing somewhere. the idea was that an ecotone is an Interaction between two ecotones. usually this interaction is slow and gentle and peaceful, but those with human interaction are typically fairly brutish. The phrase that I wrote on pocket paper while I was out there is this:

Natural ecosystems breath with and flex into each other along ecotones with subtlety and humility. Human ecosystems, specifically construction zones, have traditionally been less tactful.

That's it, but also consider this: a forest drops a seed into the prarie, maybe that seed is strong and germinates and sprouts and over 20 years becomes the new leading edge of the forest. This is the speed at which natural ecotones flex, and we should be aware of how different our time-scale is comparitively.

section of the southern most cut where path runs next to creek. Please note: ben runs like a pretty princess.

here is the section of the path adjacent to the retention pond. Note: two path options, opt 1: where I see it on the plan, opt 2: on edge of retention pond. That berm is pretty big.

board 1

1 - 'strengthening nature' paragraph

2- title block possible involving a hypnotic dancing ben phillips

3 - site plan - in my opinion we scale it to fit within these graphics. in other words, if it turns out to be 1:90 instead of 1:100 big deal. the site would be beautifully colored and have callouts for the sections and the event scenes on board 2. ecosystems get there own diagram (#5)

**each of the below diagram has a short caption explaining it.

4 - existing site diagram

5-new ecosystem diagram

6-ecotone diagram

7-path diagram

8-constructed wetland diagram

9- water balancing diagram (showing water collection area and use potentials)

10-neighborhood context diagram

11-greenbelt diagram

12 - large textbox explaining paths as teaching tools

13- path sections

board 2

1 - 'building community' paragraph explaining this concept more in depth.

2 - a diagram showing the site within the context of the neighborhood overlayed with the paths and highlighting where community can access the site.

3- title block - we might want to add a line to the title block talking about how our team made a pact to blow the whole $1000 prize in one night on booze and narcotics in old mexico.

4 - callouts of the unique feature embedded into the images. ie: the different green materials, the raised planters for old farts, restored native landscapes

5- hot graphics

board 3

1 - 'looking forward' paragraph explaining our views of future development.

2- Rachel suggest including the diagram of the greenbelt. I am adamantly opposed to this as i think suggesting direction runs contrary to the theme of NOT suggesting direction.

3 - title block. I know it seems redundant but i think you want to constantly remind people who you are so they remember who to award the blue ribbon to.

***more boards are coming, but i want them to read sequentially so i'm posting this first.

4- big sentence. we need to figure what this is. please make suggestions.

section2

orchard path...... follows up on ben's concept of the vertical ecotone

section1

treelined entry ped pathaway section.. i don't think the drawing does justice to what the rendering could potentially show. --- i wonder about the scale. comments?

rachel and i are 100% cool with doing site section collages to explain ecosystem relationships. top image is the sectionjs we suggest taking (i would be inclined to add one more including the cemetery - if time permits). The second image is another redering style. I like the one Johnny posted in an earlier blog a little better.

diagram section

the post i did below of the plan in conjunction with the perspective/photoshopped image would be cool if we replaced the photoshoped image with a diagramed section. very simple. something i could do in illustrator. i think it would be a great image to go on the first board at the top -- above the plan. and the diagramed section could bring emphasis to the ecotones -- which makes me thing the graphic could be a great introduction to the project... if this makes any sense... i really like how simple the above sections are.

plan renderings

i like the diagram at the bottom of this graphic for the plan --- as well as the change in ecosystems relative to the plan as a diagram. ----- i think it really reinforces what we're trying to convey.

Theater

Base drawing of the theater space --- I widened the view a bit so that the stage is more visible -- the perspective drawing in the post i did the other day would be how the rest of it would be completed. what do you guys think about putting a very light image of the building in the background?

shaded seating

Start of a sketchup model. almost ready to trace after comments. the trees will be left out and put in later with photoshop. also the ground will be added once the comments are in. I prefer view 1 just because the building is hidden.

fence

here is the setting I am thinking for the farmer's market. I can picture a great series of stands, crowd of people, and lots of plants - sold and just growing on the fence. I can also picture ben's contorted wrist after he finishes drawing all that chain link and tile.

I am partial to the bottom one, rachel likes the top. what do y'all think?

water

Water Managment
SLOW DOWN THE WATER AND GET IT INTO GROUND BEFORE IT RUSHES TO STREAM

rain barrels (storage) maybee used for gardens in zocalo
Rain gardens and fancyfull thing ex: mini water wheels (slow water)
terraced grade (slows water and encourages seeping) better for meadows.
Have wildflower center recomend some plantings

Riparian Coridor
remove some invasive privet
understory plantings in privets place (gov grants for this at Fish and Wildlife
this will restore the worbilors (some silly bird) and butterflys.

color palette

The greens, browns and greys are pulled out of this image. The red highlight is my addition.