| The primary question of this thesis is whether the ephemeral nature of contemporary urban landscapes can be captured and elaborated as an alternative design method. The notion of landscape as an active, transformable surface is more flexible in terms of adapting constant transformations into existing conditions. This notion also offers design solutions from two levels of operation: spatial configuration (as hardware design) and performance operation (as software design). In the proposed Dynamic Landscape Design Methodology, the same urban site is equipped with varies transformable capacities as integral attributes of each design solution. These capacities and attributes can be revealed by simple operations set up by either designer or user.; Surface parking lots around large-scale urban amenities provide an ideal experimental ground for the proposed design method. They are fully occupied whenever an event is held but vacant for much of the time. Surface parking lot B of the Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, Texas is chosen as the site for this thesis for similar reasons. By utilizing the hardware/software operational model, two different design themes are developed: the urban playground, and the temporary landscape park. Transitions from basic parking function to each of the proposed theme are illustrated and organized as design proposals. Discussions on the application of the design methodology and related issues are also included in the text. |
