Heng_Zhang_PocketParkDesign by Heng_Zhang

Sydney Olympic Park - The Central Precinct Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function Final Report

Heng Zhang | z5195960

FOREWORD

This report is mainly divided into three parts, research design, site analysis and design proposal. In the research design part, I will analyze the current situation and challenges of the site, and then ask and answer 4 questions about pocket parks. The purpose is to answer theoretically about the advantages, characteristics, and types of pocket parks. Then, specific site analysis will be presented, which are based on the landscape elements of the pocket park summarized in the research design. Finally, a design proposal will be proposed. This part needs to combine the type of pocket park proposed by research design and the characteristics of the site proposed by site analysis, and comprehensively consider the initial structure plan, and then further propose the master plan. Finally, detailed design will be carried out for each different type of pocket park. The whole process focuses on logic and comprehensive, from the initial research design to the final design proposal, the purpose is to answer my research question: How to improve living environment through pocket park design in Sydney Olympic Park? Aim to provide a possible way to improve the urban environment for the future residential and commercial centre of Sydney Olympic Park - the central precinct.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

By Author, 2020

CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 . RESEARCH DESIGN

CHAPTER 2. SITE ANALYSIS

Page 6 - 15

Page 17-24

CHAPTER 3 . DESIGN PROPOSAL Page 26-

CHAPTER 1 . RESEARCH DESIGN

What will the future central precinct be? ...............................................................................................................6 Challenge :Impact on peoples' living environment.............................................................................................7 Research Question/Guided Chart.............................................................................................................................8 What is Pocket Park? ?.................................................................................................................................................9 Why pocket park design is appropriate for the Central Precinct?.................................................................10 What makes a successful pocket park?/Design elements and features....................................................12 What is the future pocket park topology/Design Goals.....................................................................................15

RESEARCH DESIGN

What will the future central precinct be?

The Central Precinct / Before

The Central Precinct / After

The Central Precinct is bounded by Murray Rose Avenue, Olympic Boulevard, Sarah Durack Avenue and Australia Avenue.

High Density Building

High Density Residents

Dawn Fraser and Herb Elliott Avenues both have established urban characters, featuring office buildings with continuous shopfronts along streets. The remainder of the precinct currently features low rise, large floorplate commercial and industrial buildings. The precinct will continue to transform into a vibrant, high density mixed use Town Centre with a strong commercial office and retail area to the north and a residential character along Figtree Drive. A projected daily population of

31,500 workers, 20,000 visitors, 14,000 residents and 5,000 students to ensure an active precinct 24 hours a day.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Business Activities/Buildings

Visitors

According to the guidance of SOPA master plan 2030, the central area will be developed into a commercial and residential central area. This means that in the future, high-density buildings will be built in the central precinct and attract a large number of people.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

Challenge :Impact on peoples' living environment

Urban Heat Island

Flooding

Habitat Fragmentation

Social Isolation

A large number of reinforced concrete structures will reduce the green space and the plant-able area of plants. The most direct impact of high-density crowd activities on the environment is the formation of a heat island effect in local areas, which has a negative impact on people's thermal comfort.

Because buildings do not have the function of water storage, and due to the extensive use of hard pavement, the rainwater collection and storage capacity of the entire area will be greatly reduced, which causes a waste of resources and the risk of urban flooding. This is not meet the concept of sustainable development.

The process of urbanization will greatly affect the protection of animal habitats. From the current Sydney Olympic Park, the animal habitat is fragmented. The natural environment suitable for animals in the north-eastern region is modularized with the large building area inside the park. The isolation of living areas has a negative impact on the living environment of humans.

Urbanization has greatly changed the housing form of residents. The most obvious difference is that compared with the single building community in rural areas, the urban center is mostly high-rise apartment. This form of building can improve the utilization rate of land, but for people, it may form social segregation. Which would have a negative impact on their physical and mental health.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

Research Question

Research Question, Methods, and Techniques

How to improve living environment through pocket park design in Sydney Olympic Park? Guided Chart

Fig. Future working process gudied chart (By author, 2020)

The three parts of this report all have corresponding research methods. The main representation and design techniques/tools come from the research done by Deming, M. Elen, et al, 2011. For the early conceptual design, research is more inclined to theoretical aspects. For example, through literature review and precedent study methods to explore the necessary landscape factors of the pocket park. On-site analysis mostly adopts the method of combining practice and theory, and explains through some explanatory pictures. Finally, a design plan will be proposed, which will be processed and displayed through 2D and 3D visualization. For example, for the final specific pocket park detailed design, CAD will be used to draw a partial master plan, then sketch up will be used for modeling, and finally lumion and Photoshop will be used for rendering.

Source: Deming, M. Elen, et al. Landscape Architectural Research : Inquiry, Strategy, Design, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2011. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/unsw/ detail.action?docID=675229.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN 1. Definition

Fig. Paley Park - The first pocket park

Pocket Park, small areas that can make up for the emptiness, abandonment and no function of many spaces that are located within our cities. (Armato, F 2017). Pocket parks are used in small size public areas in between buildings. Due to their small size, it is difficult to develop parks that meet traditional scale standards. the basic characteristics of these parks is that they are small, substantially smaller than the one- to three-acre. (AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS, 1967)

2. Successful Pocket Park Examples

What is Pocket Park?

Fig. Skate pocket park Peitruss by Constructo Skatepark Architecture

Fig. Industrieplein Hengelo by Buro Lubbers

Fig. Mall of Tripla by Loci

Fig. Berghus 4 by NivĂĽ Landskapsarkitektur

The pocket park is of great significance to people, especially for the busy people living in the city center. The pocket park has a more convenient accessibility than traditional parks because of its smaller area and can be arranged between buildings. For people, the pocket park can be widely used, it can be used as a place for daily short breaks, a place for chatting with friends, a good place for outdoor office in the city, and a comfortable space for exercise and family activities. At the same time, if combined with the ecological design, the pocket park can also become a space for people to contact nature. Compared with the depressed gray concrete buildings, this kind of natural space in the city will greatly help people's physical and mental health. Pocket Park is one of the new urban landscapes that have a positive impact on the modern urban environment. Because of its flexible site selection and abundant park types, it can effectively use the abandoned sites in the urban environment. It has a positive impact on the urban ecological and cultural environment. Compared with traditional parks, pocket parks have a good prospect in the landscape design of modern cities.

Image Source: 1. Gooood.cn. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.gooood.cn/> 2. Landezine.com. 2020. Landscape Architecture Platform | Landezine. [online] Available at: <http://landezine.com/>

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

Why pocket park design is appropriate for the Central Precinct?

Reason 1: Match the challenges According to the previous challenge analysis, the urbanization process will have a negative impact on the environment of the central precinct, including the urban heat island effect, flooding risk, habitat fragmentation, and social isolation.

Function of Pocket Park:

In response to these four urban environmental problems, many studies have shown that Pocket Park has a very positive effect on these problems. The function of the pocket park is mainly manifested in its effect on improving the ecological environment and providing more social opportunities and space for urban residents. For the improvement of the ecological environment, the pocket park can effectively reduce the surrounding surface temperature and provide urban residents with a more thermal comfort environment (Feyisa, GL, 2014). In addition, the design of Pocket Park combined with the planning concept of Sponge City has a very positive effect on urban water management(Li, H & Yan, L, 2020). Moreover, urban pocket parks have also been proven to improve the eco-friendly environment of the city for small animals, especially bird species(Ikin, K, 2013).In terms of social impact, according to Jan Gehlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book "life between buildings", he pointed out that if activity between buildings is missing, the lower end of contact scale also disappears...the boundaries between isolation and contact become sharper-people are either alone or else with others on a relatively demanding and exacting level(Gehl, J, 2011). However, pocket parks can provide urban residents with comfortable social and rest spaces by providing appropriate facilities, natural environments and open spaces (Peschardt et al., 2016).

Causes

Fig. Function of Pocket Park (By author, 2020)

Challenges

Improvement

Urban heat effect

Heat mitigation

Flooding

Water management

Urbanizaiton

Approach

Pocket Park Habitat fragmentation

Ecological habitat

Social isolation

Human activity

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Fig. Relationship map between challenges and pocketpark (By author, 2020)

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

Reason 2: Match the Site Condition

Why pocket park design is appropriate for the Central Precinct? * This design is aimed at the FUTURE CENTRAL PRECINCT of Sydney Olympic Park. The LOCATION AND LAYOUT of the building inside the precinct adopt THE STRUCTURE PLAN of the author's previous studio. - Site Condition Analysis 1. Less planable public area The total area of the entire central area is 213680 square meters. However, it can be seen from the future residential area planning plan that approximately 60% of the entire area will be occupied by buildings, and the remaining unplanned landscape areas include traffic roads, commercial areas, etc., Finally, the remaining area available for landscape planning It is very small, probably only about 20%. 2. Fragmentation of planning area The planable landscape area of the central precinct is fragmented, which is the consequence of architectural planning. Unlike the landscape design of a traditional park, there is no large regular area that can be landscaped. On the contrary, the areas that can be landscaped are relatively small, and the largest independent area is only about 3000 square meters. 3. Left over spaces In the central precinct, another challenge of the landscape design area is that these sites are often located in the left over space of the street and building area. These sites are either located in a very open environment with noisy crowds and vehicles, or they are very hidden and located in the middle of the two buildings with insufficient sunlight. This requires careful consideration of the purpose and design of each site for landscape planners.

- Key Characteristic and implementation High density of buildings

Fig. Future central precinct (Basemap: google map, modified by author, 2020)

The main feature of Pocket Park is that the area of a single park is small, and it can be widely used in various left over spaces in the urban environment. Therefore, in view of the site characteristics of the future central precinct, pocket parks have higher priority and site adaptability than traditional parks that require a large area of open public space.

Limited planable public spaces

Widely distribution of planable spaces

Pocket Park

Sustainable landscape Design Efficient landscape Design Secondly, the application design of Pocket Park in the central precinct can better reflect the concept of sustainable landscape design (improving the urban environment), and it can also reflect more efficient landscape design (effective use of abandoned areas). Fig. Relationship map between site conditions and pocket park (by author, 2020) Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

Literature Review

What makes a successful pocket park?/Design elements and features

Fig. Pocket Park Design elements and features (By author, 2020)

In this chapter, I explored the landscape elements needed in the pocket park, the purpose is to give specific guidelines for future design proposals. This part of the research adopts two methods, literature review, and precedent study. Through the reading of relevant literature and the study of successful pocket park cases, the above table is summarized to provide guidance for the specific design of future pocket parks. First of all, design elements are divided into two parts according to their characteristics, one is external factors and the other is internal spatial perception. For external factors, including travel distance, the shape and size of the park. According to research by Xingyue Tu et al., the smaller the travel distance, the more frequent the use of pocket parks. At the same time, studies by Park, J, et al. have shown that polygonal or mixed shape pocket parks have a greater impact on the environment and people’s experience. Active role, and the standard definition of park size comes from AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS, the area of the park is generally smaller than the one- to three-acre. The classification of space preception comes from the research of Jiayun Wei and Sheng Lu, which is divided into 5 categories, namely Sense of space, Vegetable coverage, Outdoor rest facilities, Landscape attractiveness, and Thematic culture. These five categories cover the theme, facilities, space experience, landscape elements and other aspects of the pocket park. The purpose is to provide people with a more comfortable, safe and beautiful urban pocket park experience. Source: -Tu, X 2020, ‘How do travel distance and park size influence urban park visits?’, Urban forestry & urban greening., vol. 52. -Park, J, Kim, Jh, Lee, Dk, Park, Cy & Jeong, SG 2017, ‘The influence of small green space type and structure at the street level on urban heat island mitigation’, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 21, pp. 203–212. -AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS, 1967. VEST POCKET PARKS. [online] CHICAGO: AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS. Available at: <https://www.planning.org/pas/reports/report229/> [Accessed 30 July 2020]. -Wei, J & Lu, S 2018, ‘Research on Landscape Space Perception of Pocket Park’, in 2018 International Conference on Engineering Simulation and Intelligent Control (ESAIC), IEEE, pp. 290–294 Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Precedent Studies Project 1: Therry Courtyard by Arcadia

RESEARCH DESIGN

What makes a successful pocket park?/Design elements and features

Source: Landezine.com. 2020. Therry Courtyard, St Ignatius Riverview By Arcadia Landscape Architecture ÂŤ Landscape Architecture Platform | Landezine. [online] Available at: <http://landezine.com/index.php/2019/05/therry-courtyard-st-ignatius-riverview-by-arcadia-landscape-architecture/>

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Precedent Studies Project 2: Riverlight by Gillespies LLP

RESEARCH DESIGN

What makes a successful pocket park?/Design elements and features

Landezine.com. 2020. Riverlight By Gillespies ÂŤ Landscape Architecture Platform | Landezine. [online] Available at: <http://landezine.com/index.php/2018/02/ riverlight-by-gillespies/>

Heng Zhang Z5195960

RESEARCH DESIGN

What is the future pocket park typology/Design Goals

Fig. Future Pocket Park Design Topology (By author, 2020)

In this Table, I explored how to enter the actual pocket park landscape design from theoretical knowledge. According to the previous concept analysis, I proposed two major categories of pocket parks for the future. The first category is the overall planning of the pocket park network, which effectively utilizes the characteristics of flexible distribution to provide the most convenient and accessible urban park experience for the future residents and working people of Sydney Olympic Park. The main concept is Provides a 2-minute walk of pocket park network. The second category is detailed different pocket park typologies. There are two types, social pocket park and ecological pocket park. For social pocket park, it is divided into 4 different types: Personal Resting pocket park, Group Activity Pocket Park, Children's entertainment pocket park, Outdoor exercise pocket park. For ecological pocket parks, it pays more attention to improving the environment and reducing the impact of crowd activities. It is divided into Water Sensitive Pocket Park, Plant/animals Ecological Pocket Park, and Thermal Comfort Pocket Park. These two catogories of pocket parks can effectively improve the urban environment. I answered my research question in detail: How to improve the living environment through pocket park design in Sydney Olympic Park.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

CHAPTER 2 . SITE ANALYSIS

What elements needed analysis in the site for pocket park design?...........................................................17 Location/Brief description ........................................................................................................................................18 Spatial Classification Analysis.................................................................................................................................18 Buildings location and storeys.................................................................................................................................19 Shade and sunlight analysis.....................................................................................................................................20 Street Hierarchy............................................................................................................................................................21 Topography.....................................................................................................................................................................22 Significant Trees...........................................................................................................................................................23 Social Distance Analysis............................................................................................................................................24

SITE ANALYSIS

What elements needed analysis in the site for pocket park design? Future proposal of pocket park design typology

2 mins pocket park network

Appropriate Site elements analysis

building blocks analysis

Travel distance analysis

Pocket Park

Street hierarchy analysis Social pocket park Significant Trees Analysis Future pocket park detailed design

Topography Analysis

Ecological pocket park

Shading Effect Analysis

Fig. Site analysis element distribution map(By author, 2020)

According to the future pocket park design topology proposed in the previous chapter, I have determined the design direction of the future pocket park, and then I need to enter the site analysis part. Site analysis needs to be established on a suitable basis, and these foundations need to be analyzed by extracting relevant elements from future design goals. This analysis is based on the design topology, analyzing relevant site information for different pocket park types. Finally, it was determined that the content to be analyzed was Buildings location and storeys analysis, Shade and sunlight analysis, Street Hierarchy Analysis, Topography analysis, Significant Trees analysis, and Social Distance Analysis. Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Location/Brief description

Fig. Site Location 2 (Basemap:Nearmap modified by author)

Central Precinct is bounded by Murray Rose Avenue, Olympic Boulevard, Sarah Durack Avenue and Australia Avenue. Dawn Fraser and Herb Elliott Avenues both have established urban characters, featuring office buildings with continuous shopfronts along streets. The remainder of the precinct currently features low rise, large floorplate commercial and industrial buildings. (SOPA master plan 2030) The purpose of the Pocket Park is to provide the most convenient park experience in the central area of the city, so the location of the Pocket Park must be close to the crowded area. In Sydney Olympic Park, the central precinct will be developed into a high-density residential and commercial area, which is very suitable for pocket park planning. Fig. Site Location 1 (Basemap:Nearmap modified by author)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Spatial Classification Analysis

Fig. Tertiary Integrated Spaces

Fig. Secondary Integrated Spaces

Fig. Primary Integrated Spaces Fig. Spatial Classification Analysis (Basemap:Nearmap modified by author)

According to the research of M. Vujadinovic, the spatial classification is divided into three levels (M. Vujadinovic, 2016). They are Tertiary Integrated Spaces (the space has 3 or more passable directions), Secondary Integrated Spaces (the space has two passable directions), and Primary Integrated Spaces (the space has one passable direction). The open public spaces of the entire venue are divided into these three categories, where different space types represent different degrees of spatial privacy. For example, tertiary integrated spaces have better accessibility, on the contrary, this type of space has the characteristic of poor privacy. This has high reference value for the future planning of pocket parks.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Buildings location and storeys Fig. Future building location and storeys (By author, 2020)

Fig. The Central Precinct (Google map)

The central precinct in the future will be planned as a commercial and residential core area, and the current building will be re-planned. According to the previous structure plan, the buildings in this area will be planned as shown in the figure. Buildings close to Olympic Blvd will generally be planned to be 5 storeys high, mainly for commercial areas. The building in the middle of the central precinct is generally planned to be 8 stories high, mainly for residential areas. The building near Australia Ave is planned to be 9 storeys high, because it has a better view of the natural landscape and is mainly residential. The buildings adjacent to Dawn Fraser Ave are mainly commercial land, with floor heights of 5-7 floors. At the same time, the original building of Paralympics Australia is retained as a heritage building. Since different building uses determine the direction of people's flow and the impact of height on the surrounding environment, it is necessary to refer to the location and design of the future pocket park. Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

50m

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Shade and sunlight analysis Fig. Shading effect 3D visulization (By author, 2020)

12:00 pm sunlight effect

Fig. Shading effect analysis (By author, 2020)

13:00 pm sunlight effect

14:00 pm sunlight effect

Areas with insufficient sunlight 15:00 pm sunlight effect

16:00 pm sunlight effect

17:00 pm sunlight effect

As shown in the figure, the sunshine and shade effects from 12 pm to 5 pm in Sydney in December are analyzed. The main source of these shades is the buildings inside the site. In general, the shades are mostly in the surrounding areas, because the site's building floors are generally higher. Sunshine and shade environment are one of the major factors that affect the location and design of the pocket park. For example, in a space exposed to the sun for a long time, it is not suitable to set up facilities for people to sit and rest, or appropriate tree canopy needs to be provided to create effect of shading. Whereas the space in the shade for a long time should be more cautious in plant selection, but this kind of space can provide people with a quieter social environment. The area marked in red in the picture on the right is an area with insufficient solar light conditions in the site, and other areas have relatively sufficient sunshine effect. This provides a good guide for the theme design and facility design of the pocket park in the future.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Street Hierarchy

Fig. Street hierarchy analysis (By author, 2020)

Main Vehicle Road

Herb Elliott Ave

Australia Ave

Olympic Blvd

Australia Ave

Secondary Vehicle Road

Olympic Blvd

Herb Elliott Ave

Main Vehicle Road

Secondary Vehicle road

Pedsterian Only

Image Source: Google Earth

Figtree Dr

At present, the street hierarchy in the site is divided into three levels, namely main vehicle road, secondary vehicle road and pedestrian only. Main vehicle road refers to several main roads around the central precinct, namely Olympic Blvd in the west, Australia Ave in the east, Dawn Fraser Ave in the north, and Sarah Durack Ave in the south. Secondary vehicle road refers to the two main roads Herb Elliott Ave and Figtree Dr inside the central precinct. Pedestrians mainly exist between the buildings inside the site, connecting the other two grades of roads.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Topography

Fig. Sydney Olympic Park Evevation Map (Free topographic maps, elevation, 2020)

20m

22.5m

17.5m

15m

10m

Section A-A 20m

22.5m

25m

20m

17.5m

Section B-B Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

15m

10m

Fig. The Central Precinct Contour Map (Open Street Map, modified by author, 2020)

It can be seen from the figure that the topography of the central precinct is relatively flat. The maximum terrain difference between the highest point and the lowest point is 15 meters, and the path is about 500 meters long. Therefore, the entire site can be judged as flat terrain, but in general, it is gradually reduced from the northwest to the southeast, which has reference value for the design of future pocket park water resources management methods. On the southeast side of the central precinct is Belvedere Lake, which can be regarded as the ultimate destination for water resources management. Through the natural topography in the site, the pocket park water resources management network can be designed to achieve the purpose of effectively collecting rainwater resources. Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Significant Trees

Significant Tree Map

1 for best - 4 for worst

It can be seen from the significant tree map that the significant trees in the Central Precinct (Town Centre) are mainly concentrated around the site. Including Olympic Blvd, Australia Ave and the north and south sides of the site. These trees have larger size, larger canopy, better health, and half of them are heritage. In the future planning and design of pocket parks, try to adapt to local conditions, use these trees reasonably, or try to move and replant them in a small area.

Source: SOPA MASTER PLAN 2030 SIGNIFICANT TREES REGISTER

TC 1 Image Source: Google Earth

TC 2

TC 4

TC 8

TC 9

TC 11 Heng Zhang Z5195960

SITE ANALYSIS

Social Distance Analysis

According to research by Xingyue Tu et al., it is shown that park visits decreases exponentially when travel distance increases. For pedestrians, travel distance within 500m is the most suitable. (Tu, X 2020). For the size of urban parks, the most suitable size may be situated on less than an acre. Small-scale parks tend to have better results. (Baur, JWR & Tynon, JF 2010). For the shape of pocket parks, polygonal or mixed shape pocket parks are more advantageous for improving the ecological environment of urban heat islands (Park, J, et al., 2017). However, for For people, narrow parks are more popular than square parks (Whyte, WH, 1980). This will ultimately depend on the specific location of the park. The central precinct is a polygonal shape with a border of about 500m long and 500m wide. Combining the above theory, with each building block as the center point, the drawing radius is 125m (aroud 2 minutes walk travel distance). The activity area obtained from this is the most convenient distance for people to conduct outdoor social activities, which means that in every activity area, there should be at least one pocket park in the future to meet the future needs of 2-mins walk pocket park network. 50m

Fig. Travel Distance and accessbility analysis (By author, 2020)

Travel distance with a radius of 25mm (125m in practice)

Building Block Centre Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Source: -Tu, X 2020, ‘How do travel distance and park size influence urban park visits?’, Urban forestry & urban greening., vol. 52. -Baur, JWR & Tynon, JF 2010, ‘Small-Scale Urban Nature Parks: Why Should We Care?’, Leisure Sciences, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 195–200, -Park, J, Kim, Jh, Lee, Dk, Park, Cy & Jeong, SG 2017, ‘The influence of small green space type and structure at the street level on urban heat island mitigation’, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, vol. 21, pp. 203–212. -Whyte, W. H. (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (Sixth Printing 2009 ed.). New York: Project for Public Spaces.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

CHAPTER 3 . DESIGN PROPOSAL

Potential Pocket Park Location Assessment.......................................................................................................26 Pocket Park type and location Determination.....................................................................................................27 Pocket Park System Structure Plan......................................................................................................................28 Master Plan....................................................................................................................................................................29 Detailed Plan.................................................................................................................................................................30 Detialed Plan/Social Pocket Park Example....................................................................................................30-42 Detialed Plan/Ecological Pocket Park Example............................................................................................43-

Design Proposal

Potential Pocket Park Location Assessment Based on previous concept research and site analysis, I evaluated the potential areas of the future central precinct for planning pocket parks.

Assessment Standards: 1. Complies with the previously proposed 2mins pocket park network (that is, with the building block as the center, there is at least one pocket park in a circular area within 120m) 2. Open public space (minimum area not less than 800m2, maximum area not more than 2000m2, in line with the characteristics of a pocket park) Through these two standards, 14 locations in the site that have potential for planning pocket parks in the future were selected. Next, combined with the pocket park typology system and site analysis that I proposed before, I will conduct a more detailed assessment of each location. To determine the specific type of pocket park in each location. Concept Research

Site Conditions

Potential Location

Typology System

50m

Fig. Potential Pocket Park Location Assessment Map (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Site Analysis

Specific Type of Future Pocket Park

Fig. Work Flow of Preliminary planning (By author, 2020)

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Pocket Park type and location Determination

Note: Spatial Classification based on M. Vujadinovicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research, Divide into three levels (M. Vujadinovic, 2016) Primary integrated space: as the most integrated public space containing one level of axial lines that connects the street with the entrance to the building. Secondary integrated spaces : corresponds to public areas which contain two levels of axial line or two changes in movement directions. Tertiary integrated:corresponds to public areas which contain three or four levels of axial line or two changes in movement directions.

Fig. Pocket Park type and location determination table (By author, 2020)

Combining the previously provided pocket park typology system and the site analysis of related information, comprehensively consider and determine the specific pocket park planning plan for each location. For example, for location 5, because it belongs to Secondary integrated spaces, it belongs to the middle level in terms of accessibility. The area is relatively private, quiet, safe, and flat, so it can be planned as a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment park. For location 8, it is close to the main road of the site, with a wide view, good accessibility, and sufficient sunlight, so it can be considered as a social activity pocket park.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Pocket Park System Structure Plan - Develop a structural plan The picture on the left is the initial structure plan for the future pocket park planning. The main principle is to follow the location map provided before and the pocket park typology system, according to the design concept of the 2-minute pocket park network and the corresponding site characteristics. The location, shape, and size of the pocket park were initially planned. Contrary to the "urban park" design, the design strategy of Pocket Park is to effectively use the leftover spaces in the urban environment, making it an important part of improving the urban environment, so that the green park areas are scattered and embedded in the urban architectural areas.

- Principles - Enhancing Urban Pocket Park Qualities

Appropriate Connection

Combine with Green Street

Fit The Left Over Spaces

Various Pocket Park Types

50m

Fig. Pocket Park Design Structure Plan (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal Master Plan

The design of the pocket park system follows the previously proposed pocket park system structure plan, combined with the design elements required by the pocket park summarized by the precedent study and literature review. This master plan mainly shows how seven different types of pocket parks are distributed in the central precinct and connected through green streets to form a complete pocket park system network to improve the quality of the urban environment.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Detialed Plan/Social Pocket Park Social Pocket Park According to the two main category of pocket parks I previously determined, social pocket park and ecological pocket park. I will provide detailed design plans for these two types of pocket parks in the following content. For social pocket park, it mainly includes the following specific types, personal resting pocket park, group activity pocket park, children entertainment park, and outdoor exercise park. The main design criterion of this type of pocket park is to provide people with a more comfortable urban park experience, and its clients are urban residents and workers. Therefore, in landscape design, we need to pay more attention to people’s experience. Combine the previous analysis of what makes a successful pocket park. For such social pocket parks, I will mainly focus on the following design directions. Design Principles

Open Space

Private Space Spatial distribution

Outdoor Facilities

Vegetation

Soft Material

For this type of social pocket park, it can provide people with different sense of urban park experience to meet the needs of different groups of people. The distribution of space can achieve this. For example, for a personal resting pocket park, it is necessary to provide a relatively private space to create a comfortable environment, while for a group activity pocket park, an open space can improve people’s sense of participation.

Because the main client of social pocket park is people, in order to improve the interaction between people and the park, it is necessary to provide suitable outdoor facilities in the park, which mainly include benches, tables, landscape structure, etc. At the same time, for pocket parks with different purposes, specific considerations are also required. For example, for children’s entertainment parks, more landscape structures suitable for children should be provided.

As one of the essential elements of the park, plants can give people an experience different from the urban environment. For social pocket parks, although plants are not one of the most important elements, a reasonable combination of plants of different heights can provide people with opportunities to approach nature. Plants can also be used as boundaries between different spaces to soften the sense of boundaries between hard spaces.

The selection of landscape materials in the park can directly affect people’s visual experience. In social pocket parks, soft materials can be used to give people a more comfortable urban park experience. For example, using warm-toned materials in the personal resting pocket park can give people a more comfortable and safe experience. Minimizing the use of hard paving can improve people’s spatial and visual experience.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Reduce noise For some specific types of social pocket parks, such as personal resting pocket parks or children’s amusement parks, noise control is very necessary. This first requires research on the location of the park to avoid excessive noise affecting the park experience. Second, the design of plants or landscape structures can reduce the impact of noise and improve comfort and safety.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Location

Fig. Group Activity Pocket Park example location (By author, 2020)

Design Features

Social Pocket Park/Group Acitivity Pocket Park Example

Fig. Design Features and description (By author, 2020)

Structure Plan

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Detialed Plan

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Resting area

Providing space for short resting

Semi-enclosed area

Location illustrative map

Providing space for group Activity

Shading Structure

Providing space for resting

1: 300 Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Design Elements

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Green Spaces

Structures and Paving

Vegetation

Final Plan

Section 1ďź&#x161;200

Stone Boundary

Timber Paving

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Shading Structure

Benches Heng Zhang Z5195960

Model

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Fig.Public Facilities Design (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Fig. Rabbish Bin

Fig. Tables

Fig. Benches

Fig. Shading Structure

Fig.Lighting effect simulation (By author, 2020)

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Perspective Rendering 1

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Perspective Rendering 2

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Assessment

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Combined with my previous research in the chapter â&#x20AC;&#x153;What makes a successfull pocket parkâ&#x20AC;?, I evaluated the design of this group activity pocket park to test whether it meets a good pocket park design.

Table. Group Activity Pocket Park Design Assessment (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Location

Fig. Children Entertainment Pocket Park example location (By author, 2020)

Design Features

Social Pocket Park/Children Entertainment Pocket Park example

Fig. Design Features and description (By author, 2020)

Structure Plan

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Detialed Plan

Children Entertainment Pocket Park example

Soft Paving

Enclosed Circular Garden

Location illustrative map

Enclosed Circular Garden

1: 200 Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Design Elements

Children Entertainment Pocket Park example

Structures and Paving

Vegetation

Final Plan

Section 1ďź&#x161;200

Wooden Seats Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Small Garden

Soft Paving

Nature Boundary Heng Zhang Z5195960

Model

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Children Entertainment Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Perspective Rendering 1

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Perspective Rendering 2

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Assessment

Design Proposal

Group Activity Pocket Park example

Table. Group Activity Pocket Park Design Assessment (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang

Design Proposal

Ecological Pocket Park

Detialed Plan/Ecological Pocket Park

For ecological pocket parks, it mainly includes the following types: water sensitive pocket park, Plant/Animals ecological pocket park, Thermal comfort pocket park. This kind of pocket park is designed to improve the ecological environment of the city and is mainly aimed at problems Urban heat island effect, rainwater resources management, biodiversity issues. The main client is not people, but the urban environment itself. Such pocket parks will be developed into nodes with improved environment. For the ecological pocket park, the main design directions/principles include the following points.

Design Principles

Vegetation

Layering Program

Follow the typography

Different from the social pocket park, the most important element in the ecological pocket park is vegetation. Plants can alleviate the urban heat island effect and improve thermal comfort, surface plants can collect rainwater, and connected tree canopy can provide habitat for birds. In the design of the ecological pocket park, a reasonable combination of lawn, shrubs and trees is needed to realize different urban park functions.

Because this kind of ecological park is still located in the urban environment, in order to maximize the diversity of the urban environment and provide a relatively quiet habitat environment for small animals, the layering program method is adopted for design. The main way is to separate the human activity area from the animal activity area through vertical design, so that species can live in a unified environment without disturbing each other, and at the same time, it can also provide people with opportunities to touch the natural landscape.

In order to meet the needs of rainwater management, the design and location of the water sensitive pocket park must follow the local topography. The water sensitive pocket park is designed in the lower terrain area to collect water resources to the greatest extent and most efficiently and discharge them into the lake in the southeast of the central precinct.

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Rain Garden The rain garden is of great significance for improving the ecology of the city. It can not only be used as one of the main ways of rainwater collection, but also as a habitat for small animals such as insects. It is also aesthetically pleasing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an essential element for urban park. The ecological pocket park design will apply different forms of rain gardens in the park, and at the same time cooperate with the previously proposed layering program method to achieve better landscape effects and functions.

Appropriate Facilities The main function of ecological pocket park is to improve the living environment of the city, but it should also be equipped with some facilities so that people can take a short rest and experience nature in the urban environment. Compared with the social pocket park, the facilities here are small in number and sparsely distributed, and most of them are only used for short stays, which can be used as a personal resting pocket park to some extent.

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Location

Fig. Water Sensitive Pocket Park example location (By author, 2020)

Design Features

Ecological Pocket Park/Water Sensitive Pocket Park Example

Fig. Design Features and description (By author, 2020)

Structure Plan

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Detialed Plan

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Location illustrative map

1: 300

Design Proposal

Design Elements

Facilities and Paving

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Green Space

Vegetations

Final Plan

Section 1ďź&#x161;200

Benches Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Permeable Paving

Water Catchment

Rain Garden

Water Collected Lawn

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Model

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Fig. Bio-swale

Fig. Water Catchment

Fig. Treepond Rain garden

Fig. Permeable Paving

Cycling

ary p

urifi

Precipitation

Sec

Prim

ond

catio

ary

tion

ifica

pur

To p

Fig.WSUD Design (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Evaporation

Three ing

-stag

dir

e pur

ificati

tio

Fig.Water Recycling Process(By author, 2020)

Heng Zhang Z5195960

Perspective Rendering 1

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Perspective Rendering 2

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Design Assessment

Design Proposal

Water Sensitive Pocket Park example

Combined with my previous research in the chapter â&#x20AC;&#x153;What makes a successfull pocket parkâ&#x20AC;?, I evaluated the design of this water sensitive pocket park to test whether it meets a good pocket park design.

Table. Water Sensitive Pocket Park Design Assessment (By author, 2020)

Final Report Pocket Park - a socially interactive urban space with ecological function

Heng Zhang

Design Proposal Future Vision

The Central Precinct

Sydney Olympic Park

Sydney City

Reference List