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Program diagram architecture park4/23/2024 The conversion of a former blighted industrial laydown yard into a public amenity, designed to be sustainable and low impact and with thoughtful place-making in mind, has had a deep and forward-facing impact on citizens, visitors, students, and society. This low-lying building was designed as a dynamic juxtaposition to the pavilion-the board-formed concrete walls are highly textured compared to the smooth, fiberglass-formed petals, and the more geometric forms contrast with the curves of the pavilion.Ĭonfluence Park demonstrates how the conversion of a former blighted industrial laydown yard into a public amenity can showcase sustainability concepts, low-impact design, and thoughtful place-making, underscoring the importance of this small facility’s forward-facing impact on its citizens, visitors, students, and society.Ĭonfluence Park’s DNA is defined by a spirit of inclusion and collaboration. A green roof provides thermal mass for passive heating and cooling, while a solar photovoltaic array is intended to produce 100% of the park’s energy needs. The multipurpose Estela Avery Education Center building houses park amenities and a classroom/event space that opens to the pavilion, blurring the lines between indoors and out. They were then lifted into place in pairs to form structural arches. ![]() ![]() Each petal was cast on-site using a modified tilt-up construction technique and digitally fabricated fiberglass composite molds. The central pavilion, made up of 22 concrete “petals,” forms a network of vaults to provide shade and direct the flow of rainwater into an underground cistern used for the park’s sewage conveyance and irrigation needs. central pavilion, and three smaller “satellite” pavilions dispersed throughout the park. The $12.8 million park’s elements seek to highlight urban ecology and development, including 3.5 acres of native planting, a 2,000 sq. “This project is both architecturally functional but also just a beautiful space where I’d want to be in.” -Jury comment Even the lines in the design of the paver patterns are reminiscent of the flow and confluence of waterways. Large gestures like the shaped land of the park represent the convergence of five regional landscape ecotypes in the south Texas region, while more specific details like the pavilion “petals” are inspired by the plant structures that funnel dew and rainwater to their roots. The park is located at the confluence of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek, and this idea of confluence-of water, ecology, and culture-is ingrained in every aspect of the design. The design solution was inspired by the client’s stated project directive: to create a park that will educate the community about native Texan ecological systems, river dynamics, watershed protection, and the importance of conserving natural resources. The foundation tasked the design team with transforming a former industrial laydown yard into a one-of-a-kind outdoor educational center to serve the San Antonio community. The client, the San Antonio River Foundation, is dedicated to making the San Antonio River Basin a vibrant cultural, educational, ecological, and recreational experience. Located along the edge of the San Antonio River, Confluence Park is part of the country’s largest urban environmental restoration project and is an inviting gateway to running, biking, and paddling trails. Confluence Park is a living learning laboratory designed to inspire people to gain a greater understanding of Texas ecotypes and the impact of urban development on our watershed.
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