{"id":44601,"date":"2014-07-24T11:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-07-24T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=44601"},"modified":"2014-07-24T12:55:16","modified_gmt":"2014-07-24T16:55:16","slug":"urban-aperture-public-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2014\/07\/24\/urban-aperture-public-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Aperture: Public Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"feature-ravines<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the eighth\u00a0post in a\u00a0series<\/a>\u00a0by students at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Each piece features an idea for an architectural intervention that would\u00a0to better connect Torontonians with their ravine system. The\u00a0designs in this series were created as part of Professor Brigitte Shim\u2019s Thesis Research Option Studio or final Thesis Studio. The work and text in this post is by\u00a0Jessica Ingwersen\u00a0<\/strong>whose bio you can find below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Initial research for this project investigated the interface, the ambiguous line, that exists between Toronto\u00a0and its ravines. After observing the city’s ravines\u00a0from the outside in,\u00a0it was clear that they are\u00a0mainly hidden from view. This has caused them to be underutilized by those not directly inhabiting their borders.<\/p>\n

The development of Toronto over the past century has lead to private ownership of parcels of land directly adjacent to the Don Valley Ravine. Landownership is predominantly residential, forming a barrier to the public wilderness below.<\/p>\n

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\"Untitled-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There is a disconnect between what the public is\u00a0able to see and what it is able to access, which influences\u00a0our individual perspectives of the ravine. Views\u00a0framed by the built environment present a snip-it of the ravine. Stitched together, these views form\u00a0a narrative of larger a landscape.<\/p>\n

\"elevation
\n<\/a>The Site: \u00a0Riverdale Park
\n<\/strong>Riverdale Park is\u00a0an anomaly. A public space at the ravine’s edge, it\u00a0has the potential to better facilitate public access to the ravine floor. It also\u00a0provides the most spectacular view\u00a0of the city skyline. Historically, Riverdale Park used to be a place of gathering<\/a> for the city. In 1960, the city used the site\u00a0as a landfill. <\/a>Since then, it has been\u00a0capped, covered with sod; however this traumatic year drastically altered the city’s relationship with the\u00a0Park.<\/p>\n

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\"image005_edited\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Proposal
\n<\/strong>This proposal seeks to remediate the park, improving\u00a0access to the ravine\u00a0while redirecting collected water along the slope. The collection of runoff would allow the city to harvest water for irrigation of the landscape and for non-potable use within on-site facilities. The control of the water run off would help\u00a0restore the landscape by eliminating leachate from reaching the Don Valley water table. It would also prevent water from pooling on the park’s recreational fields.<\/p>\n

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\"water<\/a><\/p>\n

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The infrastructure would be integrated into the landscape. It would first collect the water along the park slopes, and then direct it to\u00a0filtration basins. Catch basins would contain the surplus. Overflow water would rest in a recreational seasonal reflecting pool that would become a skating rink in the winter. Members of the public would be able to circulate through this infrastructure in a manner that follows the flow of water, connecting\u00a0visitors\u00a0with the remediation process. Furthermore, the infrastructure would reframe the city view, making us question\u00a0our familiarity with the city skyline and fragmenting our experience with the landscape on our journey to the bottom of the slope.<\/p>\n

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\"image008_edited\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"image010_edited\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Untitled-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Jessica Ingwersen<\/strong> is a recent graduate of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Daniels Facutly member, Professor Brigitte Shim was her thesis advisor for her Thesis Research Option Studio in the Winter of 2013 and her Thesis Advisor in the Fall of 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

Earlier posts\u00a0in this series:<\/strong><\/p>\n