INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Preserve Historic WPA Structures

Constructed with Native Stone

1. Amphitheater

2. Entrance Gates

3. Bridges

4. Bathhouses

5. Water Channel

Water Channel

Bridges

Entrance Gates

Bathhouses

Amphitheater

DESIGN FEATURES

Primary Goals

I. Improve pedestrian connections to surrounding areas & emphasize entry sequences.

II. Incorporate LID techniques.

• Make water management a feature of the site.

III. Preserve & reuse existing structures: WPA features and splash pad.

IV. Create intergenerational spaces.

• Sensory garden, easy wayfinding, low-impact exercise options.

Four Main Zones

1. Exercise & Sport

2. Open Fields

3. Play & Education

4. Natural Area

1. Entry Plaza

2. Parking Lot & Rain Garden

3. Cafe & Pavilion

4. Splash Pad & Renovated Structures

5. Nature Walk & Detention Ponds

6. New Parking Lot & Rain Garden

7. Amphitheater Plaza

8. Existing Pavilion

9. Sensory Garden

10. Playground Area

11. Existing Basketball Court

12. Exercise Area

13. Bioswale

14. Baseball Field & Seating

15. Library Plaza

16. Varied Seating

• Emphasize park entry & clear around entry walls.

• Create more seating.

• Make a flexible space.

CAFE & PAVILION

1. SHADE STRUCTURE

2. CAFE BUILDING WITH RESTROOMS

3. SUN SEATING

4. PLAZA STEPS

5. BOCCE BALL COURTS

• Activate a central gathering place: a place to eat & newly built bathrooms.

• Shade structure acts as gateway into park along axis.

4. EXISTING BRIDGE

5. NATURAL PATH

6. PICNIC TABLES

NATURE WALK & DETENTION PONDS

• Water management structures should be dual purpose.

• Create a feel of nature away from the city.

• Preserve existing trees.

1. MAIN DETENTION POND & PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

2. SUNKEN SPIRAL

3. RAISED SPIRAL

4. WPA WATER CHANNEL

Amphitheater Pavilion

• Emphasize the amphitheater from the street.

• Allow gathering places for those attending a show and area for viewers to set up their own seats.

• Create easier access from neighborhood to West.

• Drain water that pools in front of stage.

1. CROSSWALK AT SENIOR HOME INTERSECTION

2. RAIN GARDEN

3. SERIES OF PATHS & BENCHES

4. STAGE EXTENSION (BIOSWALE BELOW THAT DRAINS TO WPA WATER CHANNEL)

5. NEW SHADE STRUCTURE

6. LARGER STAGE & STORAGE BUILDING

Playgrounds

• Create separate & combinedage playgrounds.

• Whimsical and naturalistic play structures.

• Spaces should be enclosed & secure with shaded seating for parents.

1. YOUNG CHILDREN a. ‘LAND FORMS’ b. SANDBOX c. SWINGS

4. OLDER CHILDREN: a. LARGE JUNGLE GYM b. SIT & SPINS c. SWINGS

4. PICNIC TABLES

5. NATURAL CLIMB & BUILD STRUCTURES

Sensory Gardens

• Space to be educational and have calming effects.

• Aid seniors with sensory experience.

• Secluded area from street noises.

1. FIRE PIT

2. LARGE LECTURE BENCH

3. NATURAL SEATING & ROCK GARDEN

4. VARIETY OF SENSORY & NATIVE PLANTS

SPLASH PAD

• Renovate the existing shower rooms to activate the area & the ability to close them off.

• Create a naturalistic & whimsical play area.

• Surrounding fence should be replaced with integrated seating.

3.

4.

Library Plaza

• Emphasize connection to public library.

• Plaza should be an extension of library with shaded picnic and working tables.

• Create seating for views to baseball fields.

BROOKS ST. PLAZA

Norman, OK University of Oklahoma

This project is the re-design of a site at the University of Oklahoma to create a multi-use space for students and game-day visitors. The space will serve as a place for students to study or eat lunch, as well as a flexible location for events such as cookouts or food trucks. As a main entrance into campus on a game day or weekday, the site will also better accommodate pedestrian traffic based on current circulation patterns.

Primary Issues

I. Insufficient pedestrian circulation for this high traffic area.

II. Lack of adequate shaded seating (especially during gameday).

III. Lack of access to the central fountain.

IV. No adequate space for events.

V. Pooling of water in multiple areas of the site.

VI. Students and university not taking advantage of this large campus space.

VEGETATION

CIRCULATION i. Create a plaza for larger gatherings of people or food trucks away from the main pedestrian path. ii. Incorporate shared gathering areas (based on shade analysis). iii. Display OU pride in colors, materials, etc. i. Create logical pedestrian routes based on analysis, widening paths and the site’s northwest entry. ii. Provide a path to the fountain in the center of the site. i. Create rain gardens in areas that retain water. ii. Drain away from seating areas. i. Provide multiple fixed and flexible seating options in more effective locations than the current furniture. ii. Plan for new shade structures or shade trees to provide seating areas out of the direct sun. iii. Design planted areas to make a calming green space.

Goal I: Create a flexible event space for game day.

Goal II: Improve pedestrian routes and establish the site as a major path through campus.

Goal III: Improve water drainage on site to allow use after rainy days.

Goal IV: Provide a place for students to study and eat.

Concept Sketches

Alpha Wave Stream

Conceptual Healing Garden

The goal of the healing garden is to create a retreat from the outside world. Connections with nature can help reduce stress, healing the body and mind. This garden’s form takes inspiration from brain wave patterns and has three main uses: a yoga space, a sensory garden and a meditation area. The stream at the entrance to the garden takes a more jagged shape like gamma waves and eventually relaxes into the easier shapes of the theta or delta waves. The spaces of the garden also correspond to the wave pattern, transitioning from spaces for activity and socializing to quieter, private and contemplative spaces.

A visitor enters into the activity plaza where yoga classes are held. They then walk along the main path to group sitting areas, to the sensory garden with private sitting areas, to the quiet meditation pond and buildings. They can relax on the lawn before exiting the garden via the small stone path through the lawn. The shallow stream provides soothing sounds and the opportunity to touch or walk through the water throughout the garden.

WICHITA ROCK GARDEN Conceptual Park

This conceptual pocket garden was inspired by the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma and is intended to be a glimpse of unique native Oklahoma landscape. Its basic form was influenced by the changes in elevation at the actual Wichita mountains, in this case on a much smaller scale. The garden’s shape is formed by gabion wall encircled “mountains” on either side with a ravine through the middle acting as the base path of circulation. The rocks in the gabion walls are larger at the bottom and smaller at higher elevations to create differences in texture that force perspective and create the illusion of height.

The garden also creates a similar experience to the mountains. There are a variety of levels to climb, sit or observe. The northwest side of the garden acts as a more accessible area with lower elevations. The southern levels of the garden are for climbing and playing with greater changes in elevation. Sloping down the central path of the site creates a looping circulation pattern. Overall, it is a mostly rocky landscape with vegetation growing in on the lower levels and in the cracks.