Monday, November 17, 2008 | Permalink
Of all the phenomenal spaces concocted by Paisajes Emergentes for their entry in the Parque del Lago ideas competition, our favorite one has to be the open-air theater that doubles as a rainwater storage tank.
Or is it a water tank that occasionally hosts cultural events, the itinerary being dependent on weather conditions beyond a day's forecasted precipitation? One can't imagine it functional during the wet season or even during the dry season if rain isn't particularly scarce.
Of course, there's a simple solution: build a floating stage. The number of available seats might then determine what sort of program can be scheduled. If mostly empty, a popular band can be booked. If one or two tiers are available, an experimental play. How about a local production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses or an avant-garde staging of The Odyssey? A micro-naumachia?
Even in its flooded state, however, the space is still occupiable, a point of interest just like any of the artificial lakes and pools in the park.
Surprisingly adaptable, it's a space attuned to the temporal vagaries of climate, the fluctuating rate of water consumption and the cultural preferences of Quito's residents.
Rainwater Harvesting in Al-Andalus
Or is it a water tank that occasionally hosts cultural events, the itinerary being dependent on weather conditions beyond a day's forecasted precipitation? One can't imagine it functional during the wet season or even during the dry season if rain isn't particularly scarce.
Of course, there's a simple solution: build a floating stage. The number of available seats might then determine what sort of program can be scheduled. If mostly empty, a popular band can be booked. If one or two tiers are available, an experimental play. How about a local production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses or an avant-garde staging of The Odyssey? A micro-naumachia?
Even in its flooded state, however, the space is still occupiable, a point of interest just like any of the artificial lakes and pools in the park.
Surprisingly adaptable, it's a space attuned to the temporal vagaries of climate, the fluctuating rate of water consumption and the cultural preferences of Quito's residents.
Rainwater Harvesting in Al-Andalus
Dirt, oil, and organic matter will also accumulate along the bottom of the tank, making the it awfully icky to sit or walk on when the water level is low.
This sounds like a bad idea to me.
Those things don't sound insurmountable to me.
Also, be careful if all you see is problems, because you are looking past a great design. You may call yourself a realist, but realist rarely make history.
In the meantime, check out this stepwell that I wrote about a couple of years ago: Chand Baori.
As Alexander said, the most importat thing here is the fluctuating state of the weather and the people that uses the park. You can guess that the standart condition of the stage would be about half empty with 4 or five steps were you can sit next to the water. ...a floating stage here would be great
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