Wing Pavilion

Being a native Floridian, I am very aware that I share my homeland with a plethora of flying insects.  The extreme cantilevered, cellular structure of many insect wings were my inspiration for this pavilion.  Implementing biomimicry, I created what would look impossible through traditional architecture, yet does exist in nature.  The cellular composition creates strength from the geometry itself.

Humans are animals and find comfort from the natural world.  Creating forms that mimic forms found in nature and accompanying them with dynamic landscape design can allure and inspire.  These spaces can provide refuge and escape from our daily grind, which is much needed in this challenging human world.

Imagine if elected officials always had the citizens of their communities best interests at the top of their priority list.  For this project, I’m going to pretend that they do.  I have created a speculative idea for an imagined future for the citizens of Gainesville Florida.  This public sculpture accompanied by landscape design will displace the privileged few for the benefit of everyone.

When taking a bird’s eye view of the city of Gainesville, zooming into the center you will easily find the University Golf Course.  This course is private and the least populated in the area.  The location of this land is so accessible to all areas of Gainesville and generous in size.  Why should the University be allowed to govern and keep this land proprietary for the few, when redeveloping it for everyone is a far more logical and inclusive choice, especially when there are six other golf courses in Gainesville to choose from?

At 215 acres, this land gives opportunity not just for my design, but also for a multitude of community-building ventures like planting trees, community gardens and future art / design.  A prime example of reimagining land for the community is “Parc de la Villette” in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.  After clearing and moving the slaughterhouses from the industrial area to further outside the city, La Villette was completed in 1987.  Since the time of it being reimagined, La Villette has become a desired destination for the residents of Paris and tourists alike.  It now possesses a collection of museums, theatres, theme gardens, architectural follies, and large open spaces.  While my design is purely speculative, examples like La Villette show that it doesn’t have to be…