Space Experiment: Uplift

Now that the transects and processes have been identified, it's finally time to start designing! In an effort to design from a phenomenological stance, I began by experimenting directly with one the site's phenomena - the experience of uplift. The site I chose is located along the Ridge Transect. I learned from the land manager of SIWR that this small clearing (pictured above) was leveled for a house, but the house was never built. I can understand why someone would want to live up here. There are wonderful views to the south of the river and the Smoky Mountains in the distance. To the north the adjacent ridges and the river trailing past the islands also make a fine view. But, fortunately for me, this site sits empty and is the perfect venue to reveal the process of uplift. 

March 27, 2012 - 1:30pm. I began by marking the transect path with stakes and flagging tape. I immediately noticed that the act of bisecting the clearing had a profound effect on the way I perceived the space.

Next, I brushed the leaves tot he side of the transect near the center of the clearing. I found a pile of sandstone rocks that had been pushed aside when the clearing was leveled. I selected rocks from this pile and began to experiment with them. I wanted to capture the gesture of uplift. I knew from studying the USGS geologic sections of the area that the rock strata are roughly at a 45° angle to the northwest. I've also observed this angle (most notably at the fault formation) on site.

I used the transect path for scale, and assigned it a width of 5 feet. 

I wanted to show the angle and northwest direction of uplift. You can see in the shadows that the sun is beginning to set  in the direction this photo was taken - toward the west.

I made notes and sketches and verified north on my phone's compass. The pencil eraser is pointing north.

Next, I extrapolated the design to full scale, marking the site with more stakes and flagging tape. At this point I refined my design ideas and began thinking about how the stone structures (outcrops) would interface with the bodies of the park users. I want the outcrops to capture the gesture of uplift from a geologic standpoint, but also to initiate dialog between the user and the process of uplift. 

Uplift is a process that morphs and warps the horizontal ground plane, making some locations feel low and enclosed (the valleys) and others perched high and closer to the sky (the ridges). From a scale perspective, the outcrops are sized to feel massive, yet approachable. The outcrops give a sense of grounded-ness in the earth; that they are a part of a much larger subsurface geology, yet they are of a comprehensible and understandable scale for humans. This connection to the ground and the structures below is integral to the conversation of uplift, as it begins within the earth and thrusts upward.

Speaking the the vertical processes involved in uplift, I wanted the outcrops to allow the user to make a strong connection to the sky as well. From an uplifted position, the sky feels closer. You are surrounded by sky, instead of walls of ridges. The cleared area is circumscribed by 9 trees. The trees make a space on the ground plane, but also frame the view above. To initiate this aspect of uplift with the user, I am looking for ways to design the outcrops so that the body is invited to lay back on the structure and look upward.