FIFTH STREET STATION - Charlottesville, Virginia
This was a quick project in which we designed a small plaza primarily intended for outdoor dining. The tricky part here was figuring out a way to negotiate gracefully eighteen inches of grade change from one building to the other, across a relatively short distance, while also fulfilling a program which demanded consistently flat levels for comfortable seating. Since the primary eatery was uphill, the terrace -- also the top "tread" of the stair -- favored this side.
We suggested guy wires be mounted to the ground and connected to the catenaries above in order to subtly delineate the seating "booths". The guy wires create a very porous barrier that does not inhibit view while also serving as a structure for twining vines. In keeping with the theme of the railroad, the plantings at the entrance to the courtyard and their somewhat haphazard placement are reminiscent of the volunteer species one might see along the edges of the tracks.
Office: Site Solutions
Status: Planning & design
Principal-in-Charge: Eric Shade
Grading and 3D-modeling: John Merritt
3D-modeling assistance: Sushmitha Sunder
