The Flowing Gardens and the Olympic Sculpture Park - Essay Example

The Flowing Gardens and the Olympic Sculpture Park Introduction Various projects have been developed across the world inthe past decade. Some of these developments are for aesthetic, economic, and even environmental value. One such project is the Olympic Sculpture Park. It is a public park located in Seattle, Washington and occupies an area of about 36,000M2. The park comprises of an outdoor sculpture beach and museum. The leading designer for the was Weiss and Manfredi Architects even though they collaborated with Magnusson Klemencic Associates and Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture. The park was opened on January 20, 2007 and it is a unique institution in the U.S as a free-admission public outdoor sculpture park with both temporary and permanent installations. The other project is the Flowing Gardens of Xian. The Flowing Gardens is a unique internationally competition-winning eco-friendly design that was a collaboration between Plasma Studio 2 along with GroundLab landscape urbanism practice for Xian city in China. The project was for the occasion of the Xian International Horticultural Exposition 2011 and it was to be used thereafter. The project is located in the Chan-Ba district of Xian in China’s Shaanxi Province. The Flowing Gardens consist of three related structures combined with gardens that is to be enjoyed by the general public. Every building is ecologically sympathetic to its own future and aim, interlinked with the environment by sensitive as well as sustainable landscaping. The construction of the Flowing Gardens commenced in 2009 and completed in 2011. Therefore, drawing on a variety of sources the paper will discuss the similarities and differences between the Flowing Gardens, XiAn World Horticultural Fair 2011, Xian, China by Plasma Studio and the Olympic Sculpture Park, in Seattle, Washington by Weiss and Manfredi. The paper will also highlight how these projects affect the city and the environment, why they are built they way they are, and the strategy behind it. I will then provide my opinion about the two projects. Discussion Differences There are distinct differences between the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle and the Flowing Gardens in the city of Xian. The site of the Flowing Gardens is situated between the ancient city center of Xian and the airport. Xian is a crucial cultural and historical center for the Chinese considering that is regarded as one of the ancient capitals in China. Xian International Horticultural Exposition 2011 was meant to occur for only six months. However, the Flowing Gardens was built not only to host the event, but also to be enjoyed continually thereafter. It was designed a British Architecture firm known as the Plasma Studio (Bullivant 38-45). The Master Gardener Society of Oakland County 10) (MGSOC) assert that The Flowing Garden’s Expo site covers an area estimated to be 1,032 acres of which 464 acres is covered with water. The site comprises of various conservatories, an exhibition hall, and a park that will surround an artificial lake. The conceptual master plan looks like an estuary as shown below. Figure 1: Glowing Gardens masterplan (Welch). The circulation commences as a single stream, widens, to branch out forming the garden’s borders. This kind of circulation seems to follow Frederick Law Olmsted’s principles of meandering. The masterplan as seen in Figure 1 above, weaves the landscape, architecture, and circulation system into one seamless unit. The Flowing Gardens comprises of three related structures: greenhouse, exhibition building, and gate building as well as gardens. First, the Guangyun Entrance has welcoming arms of green foliage that greets the guest. The building of the Guangyun Entrance along with the bridge form a network of steel frames that chambers the visitor who is within sight of the subsequent structure, which is the Theme Pavilion (Welch). The Theme Pavilion is located on the edge of Lake Chan-Ba and is the exhibition building. Within the landscape, the Theme Pavilion rests on three parallel volumes. Outside the pavilion yews are displayed. There are numerous forms, such as yew topiary, yew landscapes, potted yews, yew hedges, and a sculpture made of potted yews (MGOSOC 11). The provision of the ramps makes it possible for the visitor to move freely via several levels of the pavilion and to the roof. The interior spaces have been punctuated by the locally acquired bronze hover and concrete as they plank over Lake Chan-Ba. They also lead to the piers for the visitor boats. The boats enable people to cross so as to reach the third structure, which is the Greenhouse. The Greenhouse is shaped like a horseshoe and adjusts in size in order to accommodate the various types of climatic planting. The guests arrive at the Greenhouse by boat and are required to look out for an entrance that is buried in part to lead through a hidden cut in the earth. It emerges in a cavernous reception that is filled with light. Besides, it also has a series of paths that lead to various climatic zones. Each of the climatic zones has its own corresponding native plant life. In the inner courtyard, two ramps slope up over the top of the Greenhouse to lead away further into the landscape (Welch). More than 15,000 daily visitors enjoy four different climatic zones of plants combined with flowers in the greenhouse. The Greenhouse overlooks the exhibition mall and outdoor gardens from corner to corner of the water body. All the three buildings: the greenhouse, exhibition building, and gate building ape the design of the landscape. They are situated at major intersections along the pathways. The Gate is situated at the junction of the landscape, public meeting space, and circulation. The Exhibition Center is at the circulation, water, and seam landscape. Lastly, the Greenhouse is at the top of the South Hill, which is linking different landscapes. This architecture is an improvement of the ground conditions. Every building stands alone as an object; however, they demonstrate the landscape’s interconnectivity. The Flowing Gardens has a strong link to the environment creating the future’s sustainable radical self-sustainable vision. All the three major buildings are interconnected environmentally with the eco-sensitive landscaping (Welch). MGSOC (10) argues that after entering the main gate, the visitor is greeted by the Expo mascot. This is a chang’an flower or a pomegranate blossom. The selection of the pomegranate blossom to be the mascot was attributable to its use as the city of Xian official flower and also the pomegranate plants grow extensively throughout the Xian area. The Southeast Asia zone park displays a theme garden. The area has buildings displaying gardens displaying the planted tropical foliage together with flowers, like sago palms, palm trees, and bougainvillea. The subsequent garden: Chang’ An garden, is dominated by bamboo structures. It has numerous herbs to demonstrate the herbs utilized by the traditional Chinese medicine. Figure 2: Flower gardens along the lake (MGSOC 12). The landscape incorporates both the artificial and natural system that are brought together in a synergy of waterscapes. The collected rainwater is collected and channeled to the wetlands. The natural plants clean and store the water that is later dispersed for irrigation. The ponds combined with irrigated wetlands are aimed at making the visitors enjoy personal tranquility. The gardens have transformed the sites artificial and natural conditions into a sustainable system (Welch). The topography and existing slopes were adequately used. As indicated in Figure 3, they were utilized to draw out paths similar to the manner in which roads ribbon around a mountain, going around the steepness with gradients. The paths vary in width. The patches between these zones are planting zones and wetland areas. This retains the quality and ease of maintenance. Figure 3: Topography and gradient of Flowing Gardens (Welch). On the other hand, the Olympic Sculpture Park was designed by Weiss and Manfried, an American architectural firm (American Society of Landscape Architects), while the Flowing Gardens was designed by Plasma Studio a British architectural firm. The project is sited in Seattle, which is a former waterfront industrial site. This makes the project an example of emerging hybrid morphology. The design creates a continuous built landscape forming a never-ending Z-shaped platform as shown in Figure 4 below. On the hand, the Flowing Garden is shaped like an estuary. The site is divided into three parts: railroad, road, and waterfront promenade. Moreover, in the project the continuous surface is not homogenous because the characters change as a response to the context. This has been attained by what Jayne Merkel termed as chameleon sections, which are grounds that sometimes looks like a building, an earthwork, and a bridge (Cavallo, Komossa and Marzot 164). Figure 4: Olympic Sculpture Park (Cavallo, Komossa and Marzot 164). In the project, formal association is attained by means of connecting it with the topography of the site. Therefore, it implies that the landscape is not a background to architecture or defined open spaces between the buildings. To that effect, the Olympic Sculpture Park design is addressed as a topological stratum with buildings and landscape merging and fusing into each other as well as their surroundings. Weiss and Manfredi (15) term this design approach as one that gives support to the topological approach as compared to the finite boundaries of numerous architectural projects. In the same way, the designers demonstrate some historical context together with the project’s sites heritage. While Flowing Garden shows the Chinese heritage, the Olympic Sculpture Park shows some comprehension of the historical architectural culture of the northwest America by mixing the existing infrastructure network into the design. Therefore, the infrastructure instead of being an obstacle becomes a reconstruction organizational principle in the design procedure (Cavallo, Komossa and Marzot 164). The design also benefits from both the skylines and Ellio Bay’s views enabling it to reconnect the urban core with the revitalized waterfront. All the works in the park resonate simultaneously with industrial, urban, and natural surroundings. Figure 5: Olympic Sculpture Park’s sections. The enhanced landform of the project site re-established the original topography of the site. The pedestrian route is at 18,000 square-foot pavilion open to various views (Busquets 32). The ongoing issue at the park is the sculptures maintenance. Sculptures in the park are rotated adding relevance and vibrancy to the site. The Olympic Sculptural Park demonstrates a dual connection to the city of Seattle by means of a series of gardens that create various archetypical landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. While the buildings at the Flowing Gardens have been designed in the old style but with modern geometric shapes and huddled together near the riverbank just like the ancient villages (Mostafavi 55-56), the buildings at Olympic Sculpture Park have all been constructed with modern elements. The project is envisioned as a new model for the urban sculpture park. While the distinctive figure is the Guangyun Entrance at Flowing Gardens, the Louise Bourgeois’ Father and Son fountain is possibly the main provoking art piece at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Lastly, even though both projects have been built around water sources, the Olympic sculpture has been built around a natural water source (Duwamesh River), the Flowing Gardens has been constructed around artificial lakes (Lake Chang-Ba). Similarities Even though these projects are different, they also have some similarities. The first similarity is that both the Flowing Gardens and the Olympic Sculpture Park have been constructed near water sources. While the Olympic Sculpture Park is built near Green and Duwamism Rivers, the Flowing Gardens is built around artificial lakes: Chan-Ba. The incorporation of water in the projects shows the sustainability aspect of the projects. The next similarity is that both sites have incorporated native plants throughout the landscape. In this regard, while the Olympic Sculpture Park has included native plants throughout the park, the Greenhouse section of the Flowing Gardens that is accessible by boat has various climatic zones and every climatic zone has its own corresponding native plant life. This is aimed at creating a healthy and sustainable green space both in Seattle and Xian. As cited by Mielke (23), the native plants need to be sourced from botanical gardens in addition to arboretum plant sales. This is because these areas have knowledgeable staff that can aid in the making of selection and give advice on cultural requirements. The native plants not only provide beauty, but also they have deep roots that prevent soil erosion and conserve water by holding the soil particles together. The native plants also provide shade to cool the visitors in the park. For example, on the Olympic Sculpture Park, conifers have been planted on the north and western sides in order to provide protection from the winter winds. The northwestern side has dense temperate evergreen forests, a shoreline garden, and deciduous forest. The MGSOC (10) share the view that Xian city is lined with mature Sycamore trees. Besides that, the roads are divided by berms filled with plants. The other similarity of the two projects is that the utilization of the sustainable systems are aimed at transforming the conditions of Olympic Sculpture Park and Flowing Gardens maintenance free in the long run. Next both projects have an exhibition pavilion. The exhibition pavilions provide beautiful views for the visitors. The Seattle’s project has a pedestrian route that descends to the water and also acts as a link between the three archetypical landscapes. Both projects show a connection to their respective cities by a series of gardens: Seattle and Xian. Next, both projects have been divided into three distinct sites. While the Flowing Gardens is divided into the gate, exhibition hall, and greenhouse, the Olympic Sculpture Park is divided into parts by a railroad, an arterial highway, and a height difference exceeding 12 meters between the street and water level. In my opinion, in the Flowing Garden’s master plan, several strangely-shaped interior spaces have been left that are supposed to be resolved. Equally important, similar strange shapes are also seen at the top. This is where the gardens’ paths encompass the landscape design. Even though they make is effective in creating controlled botanical exhibitions, they are ineffective in developing an experience that feels like a walk in nature. On the other hand, about the Olympic Sculpture Park I share the opinion that the park is not only an introverted beauty, but also acts as a well-placed bookend to city of Seattle famous downtown waterfront. Another approach which Weiss and Manfredi could have used is three gardens connected by bridges or one huge platform that is built over the railway and roads. Conclusion In summary, the two projects share some similarities and differences. However, the core element between the two projects was to ensure sustainability and reduce impact on the environment. The projects have used extensively sustainable designs by connecting the different landscapes with a series of gardens and native plants. The major buildings at the Flowing gardens include the greenhouse, exhibition building, and gate building while the major sections at Olympic Sculpture Park are railroad, road, and waterfront promenade. The design elements of both projects demonstrate the old and urban fabric of a metropolitan setting. The architects meticulously crafted the master plan to emphasize on every design’s visual and emotional impact. Works Cited Master Gardener Society of Oakland County. Roots and Shoots: Master Gardener Society of Oakland County. http://www.mgsoc.org/RootShoots/2011AugSept.pdf>. Web. 2011. Accessed April 9, 2015. American Society of Landscape Architects. ASLA 2007 Proffesional Awards. http://www.asla.org/awards/2007/07winners/267_wmct.html>. Web. 2007. Accessed April 10, 2015. Bullivant, Lucy. New Arcadians: Emerging UK Architects. London: Merell, 2012. Print. Busquets, Joan. Olympic Sculpture Park for the Seattle Art Museum. Cambridge: Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 2008. Print. Cavallo, R., S. Komossa and N. Marzot. New Urban Configurations. New York: IOS Press, 2014. Mielke, Judy. Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes. Texas: University of Texas, 2010. Mostafavi, Mohsen. Ecological Urbanism. New York: Lars Müller Publishers, 2010. Print. Welch, A. Flowing Gardens, Xi’an. http://www.e-architect.co.uk/china/flowing-gardens>. Web. January 8, 2015. Accessed April 8, 2015. Weiss, M., and Manfredi, M. Weiss/Manfredi: Surface/Subsurface. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. Print. Read More