Parks

Back to Reality

My experience in Chile was everything I had hoped and more. I can say I definitely received the culture immersion that I had desired and included everything from language to food. This was especially apparent when I walked into a restaurant for lunch the first day and nobody there spoke any English. I will say, the Chilean people were very patient with us “Gringos” and our broken Spanish. Also, I noticed a large part of Chilean cuisine was either very meat or fish heavy, this was fine by me as I am relatively open-minded when it comes to food.

The one thing that really stuck out to me about Santiago and Valparaiso was their proper use of all the land available to them. Santiago was the most expansive city I have ever seen, I don’t think I was able to see all the way to the end of it even at the top of the Costanera Tower. And in Valparaiso, with the steep landscape, they were able to build up to use all the space they could in a very dense landscape.

Even with all this dense urban environment, the idea of a natural landscape was never lost on the Chilean people. This is an idea that I think needs to make its way to America more, it seemed like everywhere I was in Santiago, I was only a short walk from the nearest park. There were numerous parks all throughout the city, some with wide open areas, and some with much more condensed space. The important thing was that there was a space for everyone’s wants and needs in these parks.

First time in Chile but not my last…

The Santiago trip exceeded my expectations immensely. As my first study abroad trip, I’ve never expected to have such a entertaining time in Chile yet still be a teaching experience. I not only gained an understanding of the Chilean culture, but I also gained insight on architecture from a different continent. I understood the difference and between Chile and Ohio in terms of architecture and I’d admit that Chile is way beyond Ohio in design. Chile has been undertaking these urban ideas that have a SOCIAL PURPOSE and creating a meaningful architecture, which the landscape and climate having a huge role.

The landscapes of Chile incorporated throughout all of Santiago creates an interesting architectural promenade. Every street, every walk you took, you were surrounded by trees that bordered the road or trees/plants and created spaces for outdoor seating areas or provided shade. The heat during the day that hardly reaches 80 degrees with a constant breeze throughout the valley that keeps you cool. I’d say over all the countries I’ve traveled I’ve never experienced such an ideal weather.

One of my goals for this trip was to come back in one piece, since this was my first time traveling on the air without family members. I think I learned a lot about myself.  To be more responsible with my items. How to take care of myself independently, in terms of money. I also learned that maybe Ohio isn’t where I want to study for Graduate school… I was really impressed by the programs offered for architecture, more specifically Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and they how they don’t label architecture as it is, but into multiple categories of design, philosophy, engineering, etc.

Santiago reminded me of a cleaner New York…. I won’t forget the guy who was selling ice cream on those hot days, screaming “HELADOHELADOHELADO!”. I definitely won’t forget the food, which were mostly meat based, really heavy to digest and was always too much to take in, but never regretful. The people of Chile were patient even with our language barriers, they always tried to understand or communicate even if it was through hand motions.  It felt more like New York when we took the metro bus and artists were performing on the bus. But what Chile has that New York doesn’t is green spaces; hills, trees, multiple parks, mountains in the distance and a whole body of ocean along the country.

I don’t think I can pinpoint a favorite project we visited or restaurant we ate, but I know I had special memories that I hold for ever place. I won’t forget this spring break trip!

¡Adiós Chile!

Building new friendships & Experiencing a new culture

It’s a little more than 24 hours since we have returned to Columbus, Ohio. The flight home was very relaxing and the meals on the plane were so much better than what we had on the way to Santiago. The flight felt shorter and I was able to fall asleep for a majority of the flight home. Looking back to our entire trip and the itinerary, I have noticed we did so much within a short period and it was such an amazing experience. 

First of all, going to Chile is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Without going on this study abroad, I would not have known where to start my research. After this trip, I can definitely say that I can definitely plan my trip when I decide to go back in the future, and let’s hope that I know some Spanish before I decide to visit again! 

Secondly, I learn so much about Chilean contemporary architecture and landscape architecture by visiting important buildings in and out of Santiago. I enjoy seeing the colorful facades of various buildings throughout the duration of the trip. It definitely adds beauty and a unique style to the architecture. It is also very cool to see how city planing and landscape architecture can come together and create so many unique and amazing public spaces and pedestrian walkways around the city. The pedestrian walkways are often shaded and allow people to take a journey through it and end up in a much larger public space. It definitely felt much cooler in the pedestrian walkway compared to being in a place like plaza de Armas. I wish that we can have more public spaces for people to use in Columbus, and I think we are moving toward that direction in recent years. 

Lastly, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get to know everyone on this trip. I have notice I did not know anyone and was afraid to talk to a lot of people before the trip, but now it is a completely different story. A week of intensive learning, walking, sketching, complaining and chilling has definitely brought us all close together and I would not have it in any other way. I have learned so much from everyone and learned a lot more about Chilean culture since we have returned. 

Contrast, continuity and cracks : a study of details

 

Little details can make a project. I think that this simple fact is true for both designers and the general public who may not be familiar with principles of design. That is to say, I think people have an inherent appreciation for some of the fleeting moments in life; nostalgia is a powerful force. In my opinion, little details can create these tiny moments of joy. 

Water plants at Parque Bicentenario

Many projects -landscape and architecture-we have visited have details that hold up under scrutiny. Starting with parque bicentenario, I was especially struck by a view in the lake. Large, dark stone lined the bottom of the lake and from it emerged a light, thin plant. It may be a variety of allium, but I can’t find the species. Contrast can be a detail in and of itself and I think that it is working for parque bicentario to both provide a striking appearance but also create a unique experience for people using the park.

Water runnel at plaza outside La Chascona

Outside Pablo Neruda’s Santiago home  I was struck by a different type of detail. This was less an aesthetic quality of design but a more functional one as well. Instead of simply having a reflecting pool, the water in the plaza outside the house is in motion; down from the reflecting pool and out between the stones that make up the seating of the plaza. This both adds beauty to a simple space but also cools down the air and stones- an important thing for an area with strong sun and limited shade. 

Gutter at San Joaquin chapel

While details can be contrasting, they may also blend into the overall style of a project. The gutters at the San Joaquin campus do just that. Looking at them one might miss the fact they are even gutters. Their form and material makeup fits with the building, allowing them to blend in. Discovering what they are is exciting though, and proves that even everyday things deserve to be examined in detail.

I have many more details I could talk about, but I hope these select few begin to show what can be done with detail and the different ways it can be used.

Working it Out

On Monday after a nice lunch at Mestizo we all got to take a lovely stroll through Parque Bicentenario or Bicentennial Park. The landscape of this Park was mostly flat unlike the infant park that we visited on day 1. While walking through Park Bicentenario, I was able to experience the beauty and serenity of it all. The flamingos were a nice added touch that I am not used to seeing in parks. One element that caught my eye was the workout equipment situated about one fourth of the way through the park. At first glance, it looked like more toys for the children to play on but upon closer inspection, there was a sign that read “15 years and up”. There was a machine that appeared to be an elliptical and leg lift bars among other equipment. This was very interesting to me because this Park was clearly a space for all ages to enjoy. The exercise equipment was not far from a jungle gym area that was neant for children. I thought that the inclusiveness of the  design was very practical. Adults can bring their children to the park and have activities for themselves other than sitting on a bench.

Exercise equipment at Parque Bicentenario

Flamingos

    View of Torre Costanera from Parque Bicentenario

Sculptural Installations at San Joaquin

At the UC Campus San Joaquin, one particular design aspect truly captured my attention. In front of the innovation center, there was a sculptural piece, comprised of several concrete orbs. The spheres consisted of various sizes, with a diverse range in height and diameter. The installation was interesting. At first glance, I assumed it was just a sculpture garden. Located in front of the innovation center, I assumed, like most museums, they were displaying some sculpture or art piece that compliments the architecture of the building, and also hints at the main entrance to visitors and building occupants. However, after further observation, these concrete pieces are not only sculptural and can be used for a social gathering space. 

The innovation center shows how the floors are obscured and obstracted, but also shows how the concrete becomes somewhat sculptural. The series of wooden form work indentation on the concrete becomes a sculpture in and of itself.

From my observations of Chile so far, similar pieces like these concrete orbs are found throughout parks, campuses, and exterior spaces. With the beautiful Chilean climate region, it encourages users to explore exterior spaces more, versus in colder climates, these exterior spaces are not as mindfully designed. Even the planters on campus have a gentle lip to them, to encourage students and visitors to sit outside, enjoy the weather, and engage in discussions with their counterparts. 

Sketch analysis of the concrete spheres outside of the innovation center. Shows the various sizes of this sculptural piece.

At the innovation art center, there were several sets of these balls clustered together. This not only allows for users to move toward the shade with the moving sun. But also, it shows strength in numbers, and has a heavier, more dominate presence versus if there was just one cluster of them. Furthermore, the shape of them strongly contrasts with the linearity of the innovation center. This juxtaposition strongly identifies and diagrams exterior space and interior space.

An exterior shot of the innovation center, on campus. The jut out beaks the box and barrier of the defined building.

Critiquing Public Parks and their Draw to Locals

My idea of public parks is that they are areas where people can gather and relax or play sports and games. I wanted to analyze the Infant Park and Bicentenario Park and their effectiveness in creating spaces welcome for activity as well as relaxation and overall usefulness.

Overall, I believe that the Infant Park is more successful in creating a welcoming environment that is welcoming to small children and adults alike. The water spheres were a neat area that kids can both run around in as well as sit down and relax. I even saw a local girl sitting on top of one of the spheres as chaos ensued around her. There is also seating nearby so the adults can closely supervise their kids. Even when walking through I stuck my hand in the water and enjoyed the mist this area was creating on a hot day. The wooden houses are a great example of where kids can go to relax. They are relatively private in the way that the slats have a very thin opening in between them. They are also small enough so that only kids can comfortably occupy them. This acts as almost a sanctuary for the kids from their parents. Finally, the slides in the park are easily enjoyable for people of all ages. Most of the people in our class tried out a slide as well as a parent who was there with their kid. The best part of this playground was that although there are some age restrictions, there were still areas that older kids and parents could enjoy as well.

Park Bicentenario, although a very nice space, was less successful in creating a space that was enjoyable for everyone. There was a lot of occupiable space, but it was mostly flat and difficult to let your imagination run, unlike in the Infant Park. The playground sets in Bicentenario are also very similar to American playgrounds where everything is pretty much scripted. This also conflicts with letting kids imaginations create activities in a space. I also believe the fact that is right next to a street but isn’t completely enclosed is a deterrent to parents to let their kids run around in this park. The Infant Park doesn’t have that problem as it is completely enclosed.

Overall, both parks are enjoyable spaces. I think the Infant Park was more active than Park Bicentenario due to the fact that it is more catered to kids. But I also believe the space is organizes better and more conducive to activity due to how it was designed. The designers knew that not only would kids be coming, the parents would be coming as well and they did a very good job including the parents in the design of the park . Park Bicentenario was less busy because it was very open with little shade. In a hot climate like this, shade is necessary for people to visit a park during the summer. Both parks are successful, I just believe that more can be done to help make Park Bicentenario even more successful.

Water Spheres at Infant Park

Small Wooden Houses at Infant Park

Water Landscape in Park Bicentenario

Highway Immediately next to Park Bicentenario

Small Playground Set in Park Bicentenario

A Park Designed For Children

Of all the places that we have visited so far I found the Parque de la Infancia to be the most interesting. As we walked along the paths I found myself comparing it to traditional parks that I have seen in America. Parque de la Infancia is a very processional park that climbs vertically up the cerro and takes up a large amount of space. This differs from the flat landscape and open layout that is normally seen in American parks. Parque de la Infancia is also designed specifically toward children and makes sure that it has engaging attractions along the whole stretch of the park. This is also different from American parks because they are usually geared more toward general recreation, with smaller designated children’s play areas. I feel as though the design for Parque de la Infancia is very successful in its context. It works with the challenging landscape of the cerro, while still creating a safe area for children to play, by including things like the enclosed jungle jim pathway that protects children from the dangers of the busy street. It also engages people of all ages, by turning traditional children’s play areas into aesthetically pleasing attractions. Visiting this park was a very thought-provoking experience and I really enjoyed my time here.

Enclosed jungle jim bordering street

Tree houses above water sphere area

Water spheres attraction

Sketch map of Parque de la Infancia

The Perfect Plaza

Analysis of Plaza de Armas and surrounding buildings

Today we visited Plaza de Armas, which was a unique landscape unlike any I had ever seen before. I included my diagram of the plaza in this post, and I found it very interesting to analyze the space and the very clear system with which it was designed and constructed. In its simplest form, Plaza de Armas is a datum of trees, however when we got the chance to walk around the plaza, I noticed that there were several other datums overlapping the datum of trees, such as benches and planters. I also found it interesting that the density of trees increased as you move southward into the park. As a class we concluded that this was to allow sunlight in from the north, but I also thought that it could have been designed in this way to allow a clear view of the cathedral, which is located at the northwest corner of the plaza. In my diagram I also drew each of the 4 facades next to their corresponding cardinal direction. I thought that this was an interesting way to view the facades because in the real world they can never be viewed all at once next to each other because of the tall trees blocking the view. When the facades are viewed next to each other I noticed several differences and similarities among them. The north and west facades are much more ornate and formal than the east and south facades, which read more as a datum of windows and don’t have any towers protruding upwards. I really enjoyed analyzing Plaza de Armas and this exercise made me realize the conscious design decisions that were made in the construction of this plaza.