project overview
university of arizona college of architecture professor pavel getov arc471 | theory + principal of urban design medium :: adobe illustrator, laser cut acrylic, acetate, steel frame
This project looked at the city of Tucson as a whole in order to implement a change that would instill a sense of urbanism in a predominantly suburban city. The idea manifested itself through the utilization of existing rivers and washes that run throughout the valley. In this collaborative project with Kevin Moore, AndrÊ Rodrigue, Dana Decuzzi, and Michael Farley, strategic cuts were proposed in existing washes that would slow the flow of rainwater during the heavy monsoon seasons. These were taken in vacant and often heavily vegetative areas. By slowing the flow of the water, this would allow percolation recharge the depleted water table and thus more vegetative growth. By creating areas of concentrated green space which people are more apt to repopulate these areas. In doing so, these green spaces serve as focal points for the city’s urban growth and can recharge many of the dead spaces that are found throughout the city. The primary focus of this project was the fabrication of two conceptual physical models: one at a macro scale and another at a micro scale. The models were made primarily through layers of laser cut acrylic that was spray painted with different shades of blue in order to represent the depth of the cuts. The larger macro scale model was conceived as an inverse of the city, so that as one looks at the model, they are viewing the city from below ground. The micro scale model was intended to showcase the growing urban density around these areas. My primary responsibilities in this project were initial schematic development, the formulation of the presentation diagrams, and physical model fabrication Both models have been kept by the College of Architecture for archival purposes.
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urban recharge