Promenade Precedent

My project proposal to flood areas of the site with a subtly undulating ground plane recalls Kathryn Gustafson’s Kreielsheimer Promenade in Seattle, Washington.  The open civic space  between McCaw Hall and the Phelps Center features a series of sheets of water which cover sloped stone paving in the center of the pedestrian corridor.  The water features provide a canvas on which children can paint with waves and splashes and visitors can interact with reflections of the metal scrims hanging above, the Northwesten sky, and the light show at night.

Although I have yet to work out the details of the system, my idea is to design a series of channels of a similar depth (roughly 1/4″ deep) through which pedestrians can walk through or hop over. 

I think this feature would be very FUNctional.  The organically shaped channels would counter the orthagonal overhead system of pipeworks from which filtered waste water from the interstate would rain.  They would also provide a theoretical connection between the larger pools proposed to sit on both (east and west) ends of the site.

Each pool would fill up to “balance” the weight of human activity.  Let me explain… As people occupy one end of the site for, say, a farmer’s market, rain would fall from the overhead pipe system where activity is concentrated but an area at a different location would simultaneously flood with water cleaned through filtration and biofiltration.  The rain would provide water to vegetation, human interaction with the site’s hydrology, a peaceful rhythm to blend with the disrupting sound of vehicles overhead, and a source of fluid for the opposite pool.  As the pool formed and then grew it would alter circulation through the space as people would be forced to walk around it.  Ideally the pool would attract interest and people would move to view it, thus shifting the weight and leading to flooding on the opposite side.  At times when people were dispersed somewhat evenly throughout the site, the pools would empty and the channels mentioned earlier would be activated.

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