Another project by Heatherwick Studios was a concept for a park in an Abu Dhabi desert. The idea was to place a green park into an area surrounded by desert. It makes clever use of the appearance of cracked desert floors to form a canopy for the park which does more than just look impressive.
The above image shows a close up of the clever use of a canopy designed for this project. The image to the right shows a picture of the model from further out. The park is designed as resting underground, amongst the landscape. This does a few things. By creating this cracked roof for the park, the studio is providing essential shade for the park and a release from the intense Abu Dhabi heat. This is not just appropriate for the people visiting, but also for the wildlife and plants too. The cracked design, however, allows for plenty of light to still make its way through to the ground. As well as being cleverly designed to be functional, it also responds to the area. The cracked earth effect comes from when the ground gets too dry, as in a desert. But then underneath this cracked earth is lush, green park. This is an unusual place to find in a desert-like area. I love how the studio has responded to the site in this way, and indeed to the topography. They have created their own topography through this design, but have done so in a way which is genuinely useful, as well as just impressive. |
I like how the cracks allow people to look at the sky through different shapes, and equally how from above you are provided with glimpses of the green nature below. Whereas cracked earth may not be as appropriate for the Lumsdale Vallety site, perhaps the ruins could be factors into the designing of my work. I am still interested in using the contours for inspiration, but the ruins are as much a part of the site as the nature is now. To respond to the site properly, I feel that the ruins should perhaps provide some influence on my designs.
http://www.webbdevlam.com/blog/post/1487
http://notanotherdesignblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/thomas-heatherwick-architexture/
http://notanotherdesignblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/thomas-heatherwick-architexture/