PETRA MARAR

MODULE 1 PORTFOLIOOCTOBER 2011

CASCADILLA FALLS, ITHACA, NYLANDING & GROUNDING

ORANGE:ONION::TREMAN TRIANGLE:CASCADILLA FALLS

ONION

ORANGE

CASCADILLA FALLS, ITHACA, NYINTERVENTION

TODAY’S CONSTRUCTED

COMMUNITIES OFTEN MASK ECOLOGICAL

EVIDENCE AND PROCESSES. HARDSCAPE

DOMINATES WHILE STREET PLANTINGS, PARKS AND BURIED

INFRASTRUCTURE SELECTIVELY

‘REPRESENT’ NATURE AND ECOLOGY. IN

THIS CONTEXT, URBAN DWELLERS

EXPERIENCE AN INCREASING LOSS

OF CONNECTION TO THE FUNDAMENTAL

ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON

WHICH COMMUNITIES RELY. TO ADDRESS

THIS REALITY, THE CASCADILLA

CREEK TRAIL OFFERS A PLACE TO ENGAGE THE CREEK

ECOSYSTEM WITH ITHACA AND THE

REGION’S PEOPLE.

MASTER PLAN (above) | SECTION B (below)

WEST SLATE WALL

WEST BEDROCK

EAST SLATE WALL

EA

ST

BE

DR

OC

K

IN PLACE OF CONSTRUCTED HARDSCAPE, THE NEW PATH TAKES ITS ALIGNMENT, PATTERN AND FORM FROM THE GEOMETRY OF THE CREEK’S 10,000 YEAR OLD GEOLOGY. THE PATH AND RESTING SPACES CONFORM TO THE NATURAL GRID AND CURVATURE OF THE CREEK, ALL OF WHICH ARE CREATED BY THE ORIENTATION AND CONVERGENCE OF BEDROCK AND SLATE WALLS. THIS RECONCEIVED SEQUENCE AND EXPERIENCE DIRECTS PEDESTRIANS THROUGH ABUNDANT VEGETATION, ALONG ANCIENT STONE WALLS, AND ACROSS THE BEDROCK BENEATH THE EBB AND FLOW OF CASCADILLA CREEK, IN ORDER TO TRAVEL EFFICIENTLY BETWEEN CORNELL UNIVERSITY, COLLEGETOWN AND ITHACA’S DOWNTOWN.

CONCEPT DIAGRAM (above) | SECTION A (below)