Desert Song Park
|A pocket park in the downtown area is very important for the Las Vegas Community. Currently in the 89101 zip code (location of my pocket park) there is a lack of green recreational area in which the community can come together and spend some time away from the materialistic lifestyle. The Downtown area I feel, is a very important place to introduce a small pocket park. My school is one of the closest to the downtown area, and I as student, see the need for something other than buildings and houses in this area that appeals the public. A major concern in the Las Vegas valley and most importantly, in the creation of my park, is the high risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and in the Las Vegas desert, the sun causes temperatures to rise above 100 degrees, which really damages the body. Due to the high risk of skin cancer, I feel that the introduction of shade, whether its from trees or structures, is very necessary. Another major problem in the Las Vegas valley is water consumption. Las Vegas is currently in a heavy drought and due to that, all vegetation used in my pocket park uses small amounts of water everyday. Also, irrigation will be done early in the morning or late in the afternoon to conserve water. Overall, my pocket park will be ideal for the downtown community and beneficial to the current environmental problems faced by Las Vegas.
Comments
stupendous consideration of health
Hello thegodsofsoccerr07. I've enjoyed reviewing your project and learning more about your ideas. I really like how you identified some specific problems here in the Overview and the Collect Info stage that helped inspired your Final Design (downtown location, groves of trees to limit UV rays/skin cancer, plants that don't require water). I also really like how you identified a specific site for your park and did some research on the neighborhood!
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But in the Develop Solutions and Final Design phases, I would have liked to see more about how those issues informed your design decisions. Example: What is the path of the sun in the Las Vegas sky during the summer and winter - perhaps your shelter could react to the movement of the sun to protect people. Example 2: What types of plants grow best in desert cities? Where could they be used to provide variety throughout the year?
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Finally, your final model almost looks as if it is floating in the ocean. Maybe with a few more hours of model making, you could drop this model into the surrounding neighborhood or map to show us how it relates to the context. Keep going!