Project 01: Korea
Our class was in charge of creating a city located in the DMZ that would be open to people of both North and South Korea. You can see more about this project on the DMZ City Plan page.
Image by: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Project 02: Korea, Built Environment
Project 02 is an extension of the DMZ city planning, now we are creating buildings to populate the area. There is a wide array of available spaces to create so everyone in the class was pretty free to make whatever they wanted. I personally decided upon a botanical garden that doubles as a meditation center.
Concepts
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I had three main concepts for my building/area. The first one is a giant dome that was inspired after a flower called a kalmia latifolia. The design consists of two stories, one of which is underground and contains a meditation pool with seating. At ground level there will be plants and seating as well as a place to be served tea. The second design is a small shrine looking building with the pool still underground and at ground level you will still be served tea but no plants will be inside. The third design is similar to the first except is an octagon. An extra detail with the third is that I wanted a fountain to come out the top of the building and then slide down the sides of the building. Lastly I technically created a fourth design that is the first design except it is cut into quarters. Each quarter also contains the fountain idea from the third design.
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Kalmia Latifolia
Image by: Eric in SF
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After reviewing my designs and receiving critics I have decided to focus more on the first and technically the fourth design to further my project.
Final Design
The final product was a botanical garden that serves tea and contains a meditation pool underground. The theme for the garden was a place where people could relax, enjoy nature, and find some type of therapy. The garden includes different ways in which one could relax; ranging from aroma therapy, to isolation, and even some sound stimulus. The site itself contains a sidewalk system, two onlooking towers, a main building, and two public restroom areas, one of which also contains a maintenance supply area.
The main buildings design was inspired by the flower, kalmia latifolia. Inside the building at the center there are a total of nine mat stations for tea serving. Around the outer edge of the interior of the building there are flowers, this is to mix the sight and smell of the flowers with the soothing effects of tea. At one end of the building there is a space delegated for animal tanks that would house endangered reptiles and amphibians. Their purpose would be to help educate the population on the animals so more are compelled to help protect the endangered animals.
The main buildings design was inspired by the flower, kalmia latifolia. Inside the building at the center there are a total of nine mat stations for tea serving. Around the outer edge of the interior of the building there are flowers, this is to mix the sight and smell of the flowers with the soothing effects of tea. At one end of the building there is a space delegated for animal tanks that would house endangered reptiles and amphibians. Their purpose would be to help educate the population on the animals so more are compelled to help protect the endangered animals.
There are two towers at the north and south end of the site. Both of these towers are a total of five stories tall with part of the building going underground. Each tower contains a patio area on the top floor so people can look out across the garden. Each tower also contains a set of stairs that goes to each floor as well as an elevator.
Underground there is an area that is called the meditation pool; this area is accessible through the two towers. In the actual area there is a calm pool of water at the center with sections around the pool that are isolated. In these isolated sections there are places to sit (tables,chairs, benches, the floor, etc.) and meditate or just be in an area free of distraction. An element of this area that also needs to discussed are the walls. All of the walls are made of glass in the meditation pool so you can see the earth. The area is also only lit by artificial lights to maintain control of the lighting in the area which is kept at a constant twilight lighting.
Another element that is important in this project is a water element. The spokes on the main building spew water out and the water flows down the building and into the ground. Underground, the water flows on the other side of the glass walls of the meditation pool, this is between the earth and the glass. The water then makes it into the pool through underground pipes, and once again goes through the pipes to go back to the spokes of the main building
Another element that is important in this project is a water element. The spokes on the main building spew water out and the water flows down the building and into the ground. Underground, the water flows on the other side of the glass walls of the meditation pool, this is between the earth and the glass. The water then makes it into the pool through underground pipes, and once again goes through the pipes to go back to the spokes of the main building