Throwing Shade: Park(ing) Day 2017

September 15, 2017

#ThrowingShade

PARK(ing) Day is an annual open source global event for citizen collaboration to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into PARK(ing) spaces. PARK(ing) Day began in 2005 in San Francisco, with the transformation of one parking space and has since been adopted by communities worldwide. PARK(ing) day was started under the premise that, “the vast majority of outdoor urban space is dedicated to the private vehicle, while only a fraction of that land is allocated to open space for people.” This statement holds true even in our more suburban community. PARK(ing) Day encourages us to ask questions about the public realm. Although we have easy access to parks, trails and natural areas, how walkable is our City? How much parking is enough? Are we designing spaces for people or for cars? Do we provide space for cyclists and pedestrians? How important are trees and shade?

#ThrowingShade is a steel and rope structure that captures the various shapes and intensity levels shade takes throughout the day. Interaction with the space is encouraged, colorful movable seating allows users to facilitate their own gathering areas. We will observe how the different shade intensities and patterns affect user experience, movement and involvement with the space.

DESIGN TEAM

  • TLCD Architecture: Nick Diggins, Carl Servais, Peter Levelle, Joe Tian, Chelsea Hamada
  • Quadriga Landscape Architecture and Planning: Jason Benson, Rachel McQueen, Brett Kordenbrock, Gulan Shi, Christine Talbot
  • Axia Architects: Michelle Harris

SPONSORS:

  • Delta Blue Grass
  • TLCD Architecture
  • Quadriage Landscape Architecture and Planning
  • AIA Redwood Empire
  • Urban Community Partnership
  • Midtown 4th
  • Santa Rosa Metro Chamber

Final Thoughts…

One of the best things that an Architect can do is build something. Taking an idea or concept, and transferring it into a real world material, shaped and solidified into something people can touch and experience. Working through ideas out of the computer as a group with limited budgets and time was, as always fun! I’ve always felt that actually working at full scale is so insightful for later when you are drawing details for projects because they are no longer just lines on a page. Wood or steel takes on a real weight and understanding how a custom design needs to be built beyond just lines takes real work and time to fully flush out. For TLCD this was a great experience to connect with more young designers in our profession and learn together the process beyond the office. Connecting to our community with this event is hopefully just the beginning as the young designers begin to help shape their cities and experiences for years to come.