The Ingenious Design of Discovery Green in Houston Texas - Essay Example

22 January Discovery Green Introduction Houston Texas can boast about a public park that accommo s an extraordinary amountof features. Situated on an 11.78 acre piece of land, and adjacent to Toyota and Hilton Americas Hotel, the structure is a recreational haven for locals and visitors alike. It has both planned and regular activities that take place in the premises, such as competitions, concerts, farmer’s markets, visual art displays, and ice skating on occasion. Analysis Families from Downtown Houston often visit Discovery green in order to lounge at the Jones Lawn, play at the Wrotham Foundation gardens or The John McGovern Playground, or appreciate nature at Kinder Lake and the Natural Gardens. They may also bring their dogs to the Two Dog Runs and enjoy the local scenery from The Landforms. People may jog or simply stroll at the McNair Trail or the Hagstette Putting Green. The above activities denote certain architectural themes in the park. Discovery Green is a combination of recreational and natural features in an urban space. Its designers, Hargreaves Associates, wanted to include as many natural elements as possible, and this included a lake, native trees as well as plant species that embodied Downtown Houston’s indigenous characteristics. Even the grasses planted on its lawns reflected this objective (ArchDaily 13). On the other hand, its designers also wanted to provide patrons with unique recreational spaces. For this reason, they utilized different architectural structures. They created a performance stage in which reverends could enjoy various concerts on occasion. Stone seats are available right near the edge of the lake and a café building is also present. The café was meant to serve economic as well as functional purposes as it would be a source of income for maintenance of the park while at the same time host visitors interested in a few refreshments or a filling meal. It is particularly interesting to note that the architects of the park had several hurdles to overcome while making the structure. The park was to be built on a sloppy area which had previously been used as a parking lot. This would have been a huge barrier and irritant if Hargreaves Associates did not think of creative ways of using the space. The group worked around the problem by created an amphitheater which would meet both functional and aesthetic needs. The public could use it for entertainment purposes or performances and at the same time, the structure would camouflage the sloppiness of the terrain. The architects also found resourceful ways of adding fun and delight to the area by working with modern equipment. For instance, they interwove a series of water jets at the interactive fountain. Here, children enjoy playing with the web of water cascades coming from each corner. Sometimes the water jets may become quite large thus drawing the attention of those who happen to pass by. Creativity may also be seen in the way the architects merged the need for parking with maximum utilization of space. Cars are parked underground and have been covered by a slanted roof. On the upper side of the roof, seats have been placed and people can enjoy performances from the stage (Gollings 88). Landscape architects are often challenged by the need to maintain a sense of openness while at the same time have a unified series of memorable structures. Designers of Discovery Green appear to have overcome this challenge by striking the right balance between planned and unplanned activities. The park has just the right amount of space needed for spontaneous use by the patrons. It is possible for individuals or families to use the area for whatever purpose they see fit. On the flipside, persons who prefer a preexisting program can still find a myriad of activities in the vicinity. The small puppet theater, picnic tables and play areas are just some of the several components that make this area interconnected. In fact, many visitors often remark that there is a coziness they feel inside the park regardless of which area they choose to visit. This testifies to the great cohesion within the premises. The construction of the park was a private and public partnership. Houston’s Mayor bought the land from a private owner who was ready to sell it. The administrator then created a nonprofit group known as Discovery Green Conservancy which would raise funds for the project. Through the contributions of a series of private partners, enough money was raised to finance construction of the park. The Mayor then commissioned the project to Project for Public Spaces (PPS). This group wanted to meet the social needs of the population so it chose an unconventional approach for working with the locals (Snyder 4). PPS sought the public’s view concerning what they could do with such a space. They wanted to capture people’s imaginations in their designs. Based on the feedback they received, the designers then made a sketch of the things they wanted to include in the park. While doing this, they had a guiding credo; to include ten activities in each space in the structure. Their design drew inspiration from Bryant Park New York. However, their version had its own local flavor as shown below. Source: Gollings (86) After PPS did its bit of designing, the conservancy began sourcing for architects to complete the design. They found that Hargreaves Associates would be the best choice because their lead members had grown up in the area. Furthermore, they had a lot of experience with structural gardens and parks. The city would thus preserve their green heritage and culture through the work of one of their own. Any discussion of architectural designs ought to involve the materials utilized for construction. Discovery Green was designed with sustainability in mind. It is for these reasons that the architects sourced local materials. They utilized granite to build the surrounding paths around the fountains and other structures. West Texas is known for its granite reserves, which were used for this project. Indoor structures have been built in a way that exemplifies environmental sustainability. The park building as well as the café have both been certified by LEED. This acknowledgement mostly stems from their use of natural lighting in the design of the interior structures. Hargreaves Associates wanted to minimize indoor lighting during the day. They also needed to provide maximum shelter from the hot Texas sun. Veranda shades have solar panels designed to make use of reusable energy. These panels then power the park’s heating needs thus minimizing energy consumption. Additionally, water conservation takes place through harvesting of roof water, which is used to fill up the lake and also furnish the garage. A well designed architectural structure has the potential to spark off development in its immediate surroundings. This appears to have been achieved by Discovery Green. Currently, a number of offices have been built around the park and it is expected that two bigger hotels will be built close to it. Since a large number of visitors frequent the area (estimates indicate that over three quarters of a million people come to the park annually), then many of them are likely to respond to the surrounding developments in the area. Conclusion Discovery Green represents what urban planners and intelligent architects can achieve even with minimal resources. The open space is now a legacy that many Houston residents take pride in. Its dynamic combination of activities and recreational structures has made the area a favorite for many residents. On the other hand, its employment of natural resources like trees, other vegetation and water bodies have broken the monotony of built structures in an urban area. Houston residents now have a green garden that they can enjoy publically. Works Cited ArchDaily. Hargreaves Associates: Discovery Green. 2 Jul. 2011. Web. 22 Jan 2014. Gollings, John. The biggest little park in the world. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&ved=0CGwQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pps.org%2Fpdf%2FDiscoveryGreen.pdf&ei=DpTfUqTxEISQtQa-sIFY&usg=AFQjCNGYa0cACrpgojPoMeEsNToFoKYp4g&sig2=OuYLzp43hyZ0ggKMUCQvgw&bvm=bv.59568121,d.Yms Snyder, Mike. “Discovery Green exceeds hopes by leaps and bounds.” The Houston Chronicle 17 Aug. 2008: 4. Print. Read More