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Open Source: Infrastructural Transparency in Suburban Public Spaces of Semi-Arid Regions



Situated on the semi-arid plains of the Mojave Desert, Los Angeles yet boasts the greatest population of any county in California, as well as a reputation as the cultural and economic hub of the West Coast. The story behind this growth and prosperity is actually intertwined with the process of constructing an infrastructure that could physically transport the single most-important life-giving substance to the region: water.

Los Angeles is dotted with the ghosts and current manifestations of water-related infrastructure everywhere: the concrete channels of the LA River, chain-link fences that demarcate the boundaries of storm drains, the ever-present LA Aqueduct on the horizon of the San Gabriel Mountains and accompanying your drive on the 5 freeway. At a distance or from a car, these structures often simply recede into the gritty urban fabric of the city. The question is how do they function 40 miles outside the city center, in the context of a tree-lined suburban landscape?

Spanish-style missions and typical terra-cotta roofed construction were the historic architectural response to the semi-arid climate of the region. What are the descendants of this desert typology in Los Angeles today? Is there an architectural language that is appropriately informed by regional climate issues and honors local traditions that can replace the blank-slate approach towards planned communities today?

The notorious subtext of Los Angeles is that of its sprawling suburbs and the anonymous neighborhoods that compose them. In a popular culture of increasing individuality and alternative leisure experiences, what is the role of the traditional public common? Is there space for public space in Suburbia?

SITE
The site is sandwiched between Saugus High School and a Church of Latter-day Saints, running adjacent to a portion of the LA Aqueduct and storm drain system. It includes a footbridge spanning 200 feet, a field of about 900 square feet and about 20,000 square feet in and along the storm drain.

PROGRAM
A redesign of the site to interface with established institutions, surrounding residents as well as the city at large will be the purpose of this intervention. An emphasis will be placed on education and public awareness about water-related infrastructure, reflecting of semi-arid climate of region through architecture, and bringing people together in a suburban culture of privacy and distance. Potential elements include a playground, outdoor ampitheatre, water education museum, a skate park, a better interface for car parking and gardens with native flora.

TIMELINE
January - Site visit, continued research of precedents and history
February - Site analysis and preliminary designs; Pin-up #1, #2
March - Design development; Pin-up #3, #4
April - Continued design development and final production; Pin-up #5, #6
May - Final Review

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chinatown. Directed by Roman Polanski. DVD. Paramount, 1974.
Gumprecht, Blake. The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death and Possible Rebirth. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
Joy, Rick. Desert Works. Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.
Krieg, John C. Desert Landscape Architecture. Boca Raton: CRC, 1998.
Macedo, Joseli. ”City Profile: Curitiba.” Cities. 21 (2004): 537-549.
Reed, Peter. Groundswell: Constructing the Contemporary Landscape. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2005.
Shower. Directed by Zhang Yang. DVD. Sony Pictures, 1999.