A playful and figurative representation of nature, Paradise is destined for a popular landscape. The most ordinary, ubiquitous urban situations hide incredible potential. Not only could lost real estate above surface parking lots be recycled, the parking lot itself could benefit from the microclimate introduced by a fantastic new parasol. The ecological movement’s living air filters, green roofs and walls (as much symbolically evocative as effective), could be liberated from their building envelopes. They could take on greater proportions, becoming breathing parks, floating above other surfaces generally intended to prohibit plant growth. I thought of this project after looking at Ed Ruscha’s paintings and photographs of freeways, advertisements, strip malls and parking lots in Los Angeles. Ruscha captures a streetscape of rapid production and consumption, built to be experienced from a vehicle traveling at a high speed. Absurd, instantly appealing, and charged with a Hollywood romanticism, Los Angeles is urban sprawl at its most enhanced. Consider such sprawl in all of its mania and fun, and rethink the composition of our cities where asphalt is often the largest land user. p
Lia Maston: M. Arch Thesis, École d’architecture, Université Laval Advisors: Myriam Blais and Georges Teyssot Help from friends: Philip Beesley, David Brassard, Pierre Côté, Olivier Jacques, Élise Lapierre, Sara Maston, Mike Maston, Viet An Nguyen Appearing in renderings: Laura Barrett, Jenny McNamee, Ajay Mehra
street, street smarts, street life: onsite 19
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