PORT AL PRATO PASS CHARETTE

Creating a setting for conversation in scenic Forest Park STL. This design was composed with guest Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish environmental activist, in mind.

Creating a sense of privacy and serenity were a priority in this design. Greta Thunberg has selective mutism. She has said this means she “only speaks when (she) thinks it’s necessary.” Mutism can also be triggered by over stimulation and social anxiety.

To create a space that highlights the best natural sight lines in Forest park while creating privacy and separation, the design is composed of three semicircular platforms. The semicircular shape of the spaces reference the curving band of vibrant red trees that hug the boundary of the site. Each platform is enclosed by a series of beams that curve up and over the platforms to create a tunnel and is raised from the next by a short bank of steps that follow the curve of the platform.

The variation between the tightly packed beams of the inner radius of the platform contrast with the more open wall of the outer radius and create areas of different levels of privacy and varying views as well as guide passage through the space.

The platforms are supported by a circular arch that spans the width of each platform. The arches form both the entrance and exit of each space, creating many thresholds on the path from the space’s entrance to the final platform where the view opens to the Southwest down onto Art Hill.