Eaguilar's Account

Dear eaguilar. I've enjoyed reviewing your project. I really like how you've identified that an unused space at school was the perfect location to re-imagine for a small new park.
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But one of the things that is important to do when working through the design process is to be as specific as you can about identifying the problems with an existing design. You say that existing space is "barely used", but it would have been helpful to understand more about that, to see photos of it throughout the day, to hear feedback from students who use it about their needs/wants. That way, your research (Collecting Info) and your brainstorming, has a focus. Your final design is interesting, but you haven't convinced me that the new space solves the problem. Overall, it's important to explain how and why you made decisions.
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I did appreciate the nice quality of your final renderings (trees, water, light source, materials) are nicely done. Keep up the good work... but dig deeper!

Good summary of what pocket parks can offer to a neighborhood! It would have been nice to see some more discussion of specific needs in your neighborhood in the summary, to set the stage for your program/plan for the space.

It's not entirely clear how you progressed through the steps of the process. I also don't see sustainability features integrated into the design - I left a comment about that elsewhere. This is a definite improvement over the existing courtyard, but there is room for more innovation. Great renderings/3d models, though!

Attractive overall design - a definite improvement! But what activities will be possible in this park? Can people eat lunch here, or sit and talk?

The design brief also called for sustainability features, which I don't see here - other than more grass. Imagine what this courtyard park could do to mitigate runoff rainwater from the enormous roof of the school building - could you incorporate a bioswale? Could the fountain run on recycled rainwater? If you do further work, I would consider investigating ways to incorporate these sustainability features.

I doubt this park is accessible at night, given that it is inside a school building. This is an important step, but I can't tell from the small image here how the activities are changing over the course of the day.

Great idea - these will be much more accessible!

I didn't know this gazebo was already there! I feel like you could have stuck with the theme from that and maybe done some zen gardens or a zen fountain. Look it up and see what those look like!

OK, this answers my earlier question about the stairs - they go nowhere! A lot of this information should have been clearer in the "collect information" phase.

What kind of doors would you replace these with? And are these doors the only way to get to the courtyard?

This is great info and a great model! I was looking for this kind of thing in your "collect information" phase.

I still can't tell from this site plan: is the courtyard accessible from outside the school, or do you have to go through the building to get to it?

I'd also like to see more in this part of your project about who the users are for these park, what their ideas and hopes are for the space, and the like. What research did you do other than just looking at the site?