| Nedim Kemer | Art and Recreation Theme, Conceptual Master Plan |
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The Vande Hey Landscape Center who I worked for was hired by the Lions Club to develop series of design concepts for a community park in Greenville, Wisconsin. Later, either one or an eclectic combination of the proposed three concepts to be further refined towards a final master plan. I was responsible with the design and development of this initial Art and Recreation Concept explained below. |
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This design concept mainly focuses on recreational activities while introducing temporary exhibitions of contemporary outdoor sculptures and permanent landart implementations in the landscape. It also takes advantage of educational opportunities for a better and healthier environment, and enhances the natural potentials of the site while providing room for traditional social activities with well-organized recreational facilities. The backbone of the design initiates from the four entrance points - two predetermined and two are potential. Two main access roads divide the site into four quadrants as they connect the entrance points with gracefully curved lines. Further, these clearly formed quadrants represent territorial characteristics according to neighboring relationships, topographic forms, physical conditions, and existing landscape elements. All four quadrants have been designed to allow a multi functional open field lawns with wide open view in the landscape and providing proper grounds for many outdoor activities such as sports, sculpture exhibitions, picnicking, festivals etc. The construction process to be sequenced by the quadrants. The first quadrant includes a Lions' Den Culture and Sports Center. This is a complex facility that is big enough to hold administration offices, many indoor sports arenas, and rooms for cultural and recreational activities. It is to be designed artfully and functionally unique including a watchtower. Another facility in this complex is the Lioness' Nature Training Center, which is a smaller building with a special design to hold training and exhibition centers, and day cares adjacent to the existing wet spot, which is transformed, to a floral/ ornamental garden. A paved plaza, planting beds and water features are the other supporting design elements of this complex. Due to the relatively plain topography of its this quadrant was designed as open sports fields with allotment for temporary parking during the festival. The second quadrant with an existing wood has been reserved as a nature preservation and restoration site. The wood is to be enhanced and surrounded by a restored prairie. A sledding slope has been sited located on the northerly-inclining grade by the wood. The open field of this quadrant has been maintained in conjunction with the prairie. The third quadrant provides an enclosed ticketed area for timely activities with its two temporarily closeable boundaries and ticket entrances. A pond has been formed on the existing waterway at the most appropriate spot of the overall site topographically and topologically. An existing agricultural ditch has been transformed to white water rapids, as a representational and regional landscape element of Wisconsin, to run through the park and to end at the pond. The pond includes a visionary beach. Majority of the pond has been reserved as a wetland restored with native aquatic vegetation in order to attract and encourage the approach of wildlife. A shelter as an extension of the Nature Center in the form of a traditional log cabin with a large wooden deck, a covered bridge, and a boardwalk on the wetland are the other elements to enhance the human contact with the wildlife with many educational opportunities. Combination of these structures to provide a place for many different functions throughout the year, such as nature classes, skating, fishing, and bird watching. The shelter to be rented out for occasions. A large capacity of amphitheater has been appropriately sited in to a bowl shaped topography in this quadrant that to be completed at three construction steps. The fourth quadrant is most importantly the front face of the site that is first seen in approach to the park or viewed by the passerby along the adjacent highways. Therefore this quadrant has been arranged as the sculpture garden framed with planting. Another aspect of this concept is a green belt enclosure, which is established by bridging the existing woods and hedgerows in and around the strong rectangular shape of the site. Special attention has been paid to the accessibility and continuity aspects of this structure for a safe habitat circulation for wildlife between the pond and the woods in the vicinity. Pedestrian and bike trails have been carefully routed along the green belt. In the further efforts to intensify to vegetation in the entire park and to rejuvenate the existing woods, only the native plants from the Midwest Flora has been recommended to be used. A memorable, attention catching, sculptural gate structure is another element of this concept mimicking the sculpture exhibition located in the fourth quadrant. Many handicapped accessible playgrounds, parking lots, public facilities, sculptural elements, and information signs are spread throughout the entire park area with attractive landscaped settings. |