Riverwalk Expansion & Recreation
THE MARINA PLAZA: WHERE ECOSYSTEMS COLLIDE
LDA023 | SQ2023 | Bethany Phan
Chicago Riverwalk Expansion | SASAKI
Chicago, Illinois | Year of Construction: 2012
The Chicago Riverwalk Expansion project, designed by SASAKI, utilizes the river as a recreational amenity. The project began from State Street to Lake Street, offering different and unique recreational opportunities. The Marina Plaza provides numerous restaurants and outdoor seating to admire the beautiful Chicago River. Barges, water taxis, and sightseeing boats are offered for those who want to experience the waterfront. The expansion connects the urban city and its residents to the Chicago River. These spaces bring together the city of Chicago and allow others to admire the beauty of the public recreational space.
Newtown Creek by Alexis Rockman shows many hidden meanings behind the painting. When I first saw this painting, the first thing that caught my eye was the dead whale in the sea. The background included a mountain of trash, along with the skyscrapers. Both the painting and expansion project include elements of the sea life and the urban city. This inspired my re-interpretation because the city of Chicago was able to clean the river of its filth, and in the painting, the trash in the background is nowhere to be seen in the ocean.
Incorporating the textures and colors from the painting, I used a mix of greens and blues to represent the Chicago River in the plan. The green represents nature and wildlife and the blue represents the sea. Both colors
The whale symbolizes the new beginning of The Chicago Riverwalk. It divides the city front from the trash that used to consume the Chicago River. Looking below the section, the whale separates the “darkness” from the new and clean-looking river with thriving sea life.
Using a more muted color scheme and bringing in elements from the painting is what brings the collage to life. The use of the fishes, whales, birds, and trees brings color and liveliness to the city’s perspective. The collage shows how bringing in wildlife helps the city and its people thrive in one built environment.
From learning the basics of AutoCAD to the complexity of Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, the most difficult part to understand is how to analyze, take apart, and rebuild multiple projects, media, etc. Analyzing a single project, zooming in on a specific area, and understanding how this project helps not only the people of Chicago, but also the environment is the first step to creating a remarkable reinterpretation project. Understanding the purpose of the project has helped me creatively in how I wanted to display this reinterpretation: individuals of Chicago and the sealife thriving in one single environment.
