2022 - DART 335: Interpretive Public Spaces, Concordia Univeristy, Montreal

Completed for the Interpretive Public Spaces course at Concordia, this project was motivated by the prompt "Agitnature". The challenge was to create a public garden that engaged critically with both materiality and themes of sustainability. My design consists of a splash pad with traditional rubber poured-in-place safety surfacing using recycled tire in-fill, but that aims to engage with the concerns of chemical run-off from such materials by including a transparent drainage wall inset with bubble-shaped planters housing mustard plants. These plants have been studied as part of a process called "phytoremediation" where certain species of plant life have been shown to naturally filter heavy metals from soil and water. Their integration here explores the possibility of a closed loop recirculation system using bromination rather than chlorination to treat water in a fashion that is safe for both humans and plants, and in turn the plants filter heavy metals from rubber run-off to make the recirculated water suitable for play. By integrating a splash pad into what otherwise could have been just a garden, this project also aims to reduce waste by prolonging the project's life through the added value of an activity space open to the community.