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Diluvian
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Diluvian
Landscape Design | Fall 2019 Georgia Institute of Technology Campus Professor Sabir Khan
“Diluvian” is a shrine for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s vehicular mascot, the Ramblin’ Wreck. The car’s history dates back to 1914 with Dean Floyd Field as the original owner. Over the years, the Ramblin’ Wreck has become a mascot for the student body, operating at sport events and student body functions.
The word, diluvian, stems from the biblical reference for “flood” in the Book of Genesis. According the biblical story, God saw that the earth was corrupt and filled with violence, and thus he created a flood to reverse its creation. God instructed Noah to build an ark in which he, his sons, and their wives, together with male and female of all living creatures, would be saved from the waters.
Viewing the the car as a political, social, and historical figure, “Diluvian” is a project that addresses the larger scale issue of the campus while also addressing the smaller scale issue of the Ramblin’ Wreck. “Diluvian” is a landscape project that erases the chaos of the campus’ current state and replaces the chaos with a recreational plaza. The plaza has a antediluvian (before flood) and postdiluvian (after-flood) states. It becomes a hard scape at certain moments and it becomes a water scape at other moments. “Diluvian” is also a structural project in creating an amphibious shrine, an ark, for the Ramblin’ Wreck as it floats and walks on water during the postdiluvian state.
“Diluvian” serves to commemorate the Ramblin’ Wreck as integral tradition to Georgia Tech and serves to what Georgia Tech, as a developing sustainable campus, in the future.
Historically, cars have been venerated on displays since their inceptions. The design recognizes the need for the Ramblin’ Wreck to become a living symbol and a monument for the past. It reminds us of Georgia Tech’s long burdensome history while also play into question what the future of the campus will be.
Noah’s Ark was a vessel in the Genesis flood and it is synonymous to a haven and a protection. Through placing the car inside a floating ark-like structure, the car becomes an isolated entity infused with political and historical power. It becomes a living symbol for the school’s future and past as it merges history with advanced technology. It becomes a deity walking on water.
Inspired from Camera Catamarametrica, the structure is a floating structure. It can survive the future turbulences of climate change while also preserving a historic artifact..
Water is associated with the Bible but also as a protective element in architecture. Moats create surfaces for display but also isolating the subject from the common ground. Thus, it raises the status symbol of the subject.
Mini 500 Tricycle Race & Freshmen Cake Race Homecoming Football Game & Wreck Parade President’s Graduation Celebration
November
October
September January
December February
Softball Season
Yearly Cycle of Ramblin’ Wreck
Georgia Institute of Technology’s mascot car is a 1930 Ford Model A sport coupe, the Ramblin’ Wreck. The car stems from Tech’s student body’s love for mechanical repairs. Dean Floyd Wright owned the original Ramblin’ Wreck, and he established many Wreck traditions. Today, the Ramblin’ Wreck participates in many Georgia Institute of Technology’s events, parades, and ceremonies. It is an emblem of the student body.
March
S eason
B a s k et b al l
Foo tba l l Season April
May
August
July June
Earth Day Spring Game When the Whistle Blows
SAILS
RAMBLIN’ WRECK
ROTATING WOOD PLATFORMS
WOOD COLUMNS
13’-8” X 12’-8” WOOD DECK
ROTATING WOOD PLATFORMS
FLOATING TANKS
The pontoon will be made from recycled materials. When the Ramblin’ Wreck must attend its campus events, the platforms allow for the car to leave the pontoon. When the car is in the pontoon, the platforms move upward, sealing the pontoon. The sails allow the car float and meander during large storms and inevitable climate changes.
At Georgia Institute of Technology, there lies a chaotic junction in which moving vehicles collide with pedestrians. Recognizing the loss of social organization, the project calls for a shared space that invites diverse modes of transportation and diverse groups of people. Thus, the design unites cars, bikes, scooters, buses, trucks, and pedestrians.
Alongside the junction is a resting place for food trucks. Pedestrians line the streets in front of these trucks. Thus, the junction not only serves as a place for passerbys, but also for people who need to rest and stand for buses and for food trucks.
Adjacent to the junction is a row of eight oak trees and a pathway running alongside. The scenic moment crafts a picturesque cadence with nature. However, the trees and route are muddled because of the chaos of the junction.
A large part of the current site is in excavation. Thus, the site is largely unusable. The future of the site is unknown. After the closing of two prominent streets that ran through the campus, the site is now, predominantly, a disordered junction with many activities happening at once.
1892-Early 1900s River Georgia Tech was originally constructed on Tanyard Creek. The creek is now buried, and thus losing a piece of history. An integral piece of the creek resided at the site, by creating a pond at the site, the design asknowledges Georgia Tech’s past connection with water.
Tech Square
Eco-Commons Georgia Tech’s Eco-Commons is the future of the campus. It involves the creation of green spaces across campus (shown above). The design acknowledges Georgia Tech’s want for more green space that integrates the public and reduce erosion.
Grass Areas remain largely unused with many students and other pedestrians using these areas as pathways.
Food Trucks cause heavy traffic at this pathway as many students try to dodge the massive lines or wait for long periods of time.
Carpool Area has heavy traffic issues. Many students wait here for buses and for pickups.
Loading Dock has many trucks entering and exiting. This further blocks traffic.
Current State This chaotic junction is often lined with many people and vehicles. Incoming traffic comes into conflict with pedestrians when they cross the street, unwittingly to the vehicles’ drivers. The layout of the junction also disrupts the grid of the campus and is a sore thumb for the site. The site also collects water due to the various elevations which creates surface water erosion on impervious surfaces.
Congested Region is where many students are unaware of incoming traffic. Risks of car accidents are the highest in this region. Grass Areas remain largely unused.This region does not abide to the current grid of the campus. Parking Region is where many cars park along the curb. This blocks incoming traffic.
The site is included in Georgia Tech’s future eco-commons plans to increase green space usage for public recreations and for creating an eco-friendly environment. Currently, the public does not use the space other than to travel from one place to another. The design incorporates an effective usage for the site that involves creating a waterscape, urbanscape, and for displaying the Ramblin’ Wreck.
Urbanscape and Waterscape
Postdiluvian state allows for the plaza to function as a waterscape and allows for pontoon to float. Antediluvian state plaza operates as an urbanscape.
Ramblin’ Wreck Floating On Pontoon
is a symbol for Georgia Tech’s future, present, and past.
Vehicle Hot Spot
The site welcomes any vehicles. Pavers allow for any vehicle including food trucks, cars, and loading trucks which continue to be popular vehicles on the site.
New State The once chaotic junction is now transformed into a pond-plaza where it functions as both a detention pond for high flood periods (postdiluvian), reducing floods, and a plaza for when the water recedes (antediluvian), increasing public activities. During postdiluvian state, the Ramblin’ Wreck floats on the pontoon, becoming a symbol for Georgia Tech’s future after post climate changes. During antediluvian state, the car leaves the pontoon and commit to its daily schedule.
Walkway Under the Trees
was largely unused, but with the redesign of the site, pedestrians will use this area more.
Turfstone Pavers
allow for cars to interweave with the public on grass and create semi-green spaces for the pedestrians.
Price Gilbert Grove
is a historical grove with extreme elevation changes. Because of its sloped nature, it causes water to flow to the site.
Bus Stop
The plaza invites all modes of transportation, inspired by Denmark’s woonerf where the public and vehicles interweave and are conscious of each other. Eye contact and human interactions are used as effective means for vehicle movement rather than signs. The vehicles will slow due to pedestrians and the increased freedom in vehicles’ movements will ease the current chaotic traffic on the site. Through a woonerf inspired design, the plaza becomes a shared space between all modes of transportation.
Detention Pond-Plaza Detention Pond-Plaza
In recent years, woonerf and complete streets have transformed the public realm for cars and for people. Modelled after a woonerf, a space that combines different modes of transportation, the project is a grand plaza with different levels of elevations. It creates a gradient of water from beach to land. People can sit along the coast line of the detention pond-plaza during high tides. When the water has been absorbed into the earth, the plaza transforms into a flexible urbanscape.
TREADS OVERHANG 3/4”
SIDEWALLS EXPANSION JOINT
POROUS PAVERS
BACKFILL
Porous Pavers at Sitting Area Section Detail
Courtyard Path Green Plaza
Turfstone pavers are utilized on grass regions to support different loads, such as trucks and cars. The flexibility of the pavers allows for the plaza to become a stage for different operations. Because of its porous nature, the pavers reduce stormwater run-off while also creating a semi-green space for pedestrians.
Bus Terminal Incoming Traffic
CONCRETE GRID PAVERS
SOD PLUGS
TOPSOILS IN OPENINGS
COMPACTED AGGREGATE BASE
BEDDING SAND
GEOTEXTILE
COMPACTED SOIL SUBGRADE
