With the dwindling amount of weeks left, students and instructors are really feeling the grind of a deadline. The construction documents are nearing finish, after much deliberation and discussion on how the Wilapa tree platform structure will get built.

A visit from Randy B. from HOK also provided much help. Thanks Randy!

 

 

Students also created (and finished) a budget and schedule! We are learning valuable methods of how to actually build something from dimensions on paper. Additionally, we are under budget (hooray!). 

FUN FACTS

• We have eaten cookies every morning for the past 5 weeks. 
• The notorious quote, “You don’t realize what you had until it’s gone” proves true (Curie Lunch)
• Structure is hard

 

Now three weeks into the Park Design, we have no time for stopping, it is full speed ahead. The ACE Design Build Group is making progress! This week was spent mostly pushing the design ideas forward and start finalizing them. Construction time is almost upon us!

 

Site Model Group

The site model group spent the week honing their model making skills by finishing a model of the existing site! They have also begun experimenting with modeling parts of the new site proposal as they are being finalized.

 

Site Plan Team

The site plan team has started working on the computer, making the site plan not only in CAD, but making a 3D Model in Sketchup. Of course, though we have been going full speed ahead on the computer, we couldn’t leave out a hand rendered site plan!

 

Design Features Team

The Design Features Team has narrowed down the features to the following: a rock climbing slide, a bubble bounce, a ‘Wilapa Tree’ Climbing Feature, and a water feature. Each of these features have been sketched, developed, and are starting to be digitized. Our next task: Refining them for the new site plan.

 

Park Precedent Site Visits

The group had a chance to visit 4 parks in Chicago. This was an invaluable, and super fun exercise to get us to think about what features/qualities are good/bad in a park. We plan to use the insights from this trip to refine our park design and bring it to the next level. As a special surprise, we also got our T-Shirts!