NATIONAL CENTER FOR CIVIL & HUMAN RIGHTS EXPANSION
PROJECT DETAILS
LOCATION: ATLANTA, GA
WHEN: 2021
TYPE OF WORK: PROFESSIONAL
ROLE: PROJECT MANAGER
LANDSCAPE TEAM: SWATI KHIMESRA
CLIENT: NATIONAL CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
DESIGN PHASE: SD
CONSULTANT TEAM: PERKINS & WILL
NCCHR EXPANSION - SCHEMATIC DESIGN
As project manager for the landscape design of this iconic site, I was thrilled to work with the talented designers at Perkins & Will - some of whom had worked on the original building over a decade ago. The landscape design Is informed by universal access principles, sustainability, safety, and genius loci. It seeks to make the outdoor spaces surrounding the Center more comfortable, engaging, and enjoyable for people while complementing the existing and proposed architectural designs and engineering systems.
As I developed different options for schematic level landscape design concepts, I attended recurring meetings with a large consultant group led by PW; interviewed user groups to learn more about maintenance processes and existing issues; modeled the landscape concepts in Rhino 3D for exchange with the architects; prepared visuals such as diagrams and sketches to present to the client group; and wrote a graphic narrative for the schematic design booklet
this image is property of Perkins and Will - it is a rendering prepared by designers at Perkins & Will. A 3D Rhino model which I collaborated on is the basis for the rendering INTIAL SITE OBSERVATIONS AND IDEAS
Swati Khimesra and I spent a hot and sunny August day in downtown Atlanta where we gathered field observations. We noticed that although many people walked past our site, few entered the Center and almost no one lingered around outside, even though the site includes some outdoor seating areas (see image to the right labeled “NCCHR LOWER PLAZA”, the person in the image is the only person we saw sitting in that space for the several hours we spent there). We hypothesized that the main reason that people weren’t lingering on site was the heat, which made the space uncomfortable. Although the whole city was hot that day, we felt much more comfortable in Pemberton Place and Centennial Park, both walking distance from our project site. The key difference is that those areas were much better shaded. I diagrammatically illustrated my observations of the microclimate after our visit. This observation along with the shade study helped us to develop a key planting strategy in our design, that is, use shade to make gathering spaces more comfortable.