PATH THROUGH A PRAIRIE
| UWMA320| A Path Through a Prairie | Arijit Sen | Duration: 4 Weeks, Spring, 2007 | SARUP Student Design Competition - Honorable Mention |
Abstraction of tectonic kit of parts through the analysis of a precedent creates harmony between path and site. A material palette was inspired by Peter Zumthor’s St. Benedict’s Chapel. Site analysis to respect the need for bird watching led to a split observation deck, framing important features found on site. Views are accentuated or screened based on dominating features. Massing, skeletal, and skin elements begin to push, pull, and weave about a constant path. Primary, secondary, and tertiary support systems provide added rhythm and echo the ecotone of forest to prairie. Issues of water retention, incorporation, and reuse were considered during process iterations.