| dc.description.abstract | My proposal envisions the threshold between the
built urban fabric and the natural environment at the
water’s edge. It focuses on the development of public
space at the water’s edge, and tries to transform
that space into a new interface that can be experienced
as a valued and essential part of urban life.
Rather than subscribing to the conventional understanding
of infrastructure as a service-based utility,
this thesis intends to weave infrastructure and public
works at this threshold. It addresses the question
of how might urban groundwater filtration, normally
considered a toxic function requiring separation
from the public, be integrated within low-density
public recreation areas involving full immersion and
exposure to the environment.
Specifically looking at the Lower Don River, this thesis
offers a new vision for this area and is compatible
with the new generation of thinking about how landscape
can not only restore natural area but also be
visibly productive and socially accessible. The proposal’s
interest in doing so aligns with the ideas of
architects and landscape architects such as Michael
Hough, Mohsen Mostafavi, Elizabeth Mossop, Pierre
Belanger, and Douglas Farr. The design proposal
tackles existing environmental and ecological issues
of the Don River by envisioning a series of three programs
along the Don that offer dynamic community
interactions, and foster the discourse on social and
environmental responsibilities. These three programs
are all defined by the same design strategy,
which relies on a hierarchy of water systems with different
volumes to develop a corresponding architectural
program. The water is absorbed, retained, and
purified through different basins, water remediation
cells, and soft landforms during its journey to the
river, while people have the opportunity to enjoy that
process within the system of boardwalks, elevated
decks, and seasonally accessible walkways. These
habitable landforms provide room for different public
recreational activities which could foster a unique
character and renewed experience of a public work
along the water’s edge. | en |
