Community Research

Goals

Program

The railroad tracks should only be moved if absolutely necessary.  They should be reduced to only one railroad line with one light rail line paralleling it.  A rooftop garden will be desired where applicable to reduce the amount of noise from the railroad as well as move pedestrians closer to the water.

A small resort that sits on or near the water will be implemented into the design.  Parks or other low density spaces will be placed in flood planes. 

A pedestrian trail will connect East and West Lewiston.  The trail should be along the water's edge and continue until it reaches the Potlatch Memorial Park. 

Park amenities such as information centers, bathrooms, boat launches, docks, parking, and camping areas are to be included in the design. 

High density work areas should be placed along main street.  High density residential zones will be accommodated with public transportation, meaning either bus stops or light rail. 

Create a high speed bypass around town.  Move main street closer to the water (like Clearwater Ave.).  Move sidewalks away from high speed traffic.  Keep small buffers between pedestrians and moving traffic.  Create adequate parking and other traffic needs.  Slow traffic down near high pedestrian zones.

Make enough jobs for local residents.  Preserve the topography of the land for the most part.  Move power lines and other utilities underground to clean up the surrounding views.

Schematic Design

One schematic design focused on the Potlatch Memorial Park a little too much.  It left the residents crammed in small spaces.

The second design moved too much of the levy in order to fill in some of the original potlatch area.  This would have taken a tremendous amount of time and money to complete.

The third schematic design seemed to balance all the elements the best.  It moved the levy only a little to the south in order to fill in some of the potlatch area, leaving a fairly nice sized lake for a park element.  The rest of the land was large enough to create my desired population density without making it too crammed.

Master Plan

Overview

Master plan

The master plan followed the contours when building the community.  The levy was pushed back a little in order to fill in part of the holding pond and to raise the height of the land. The land was then further broken down into sections where people of different ages were more likely to live according to the land cost.  This also broke things down into most affordable housing to most desirable and most expensive housing.  Within the master plan there is to be several government or public buildings, which include libraries, churches, fire stations, police stations, at least two elementary schools and one junior high school, civic centers, etc.  There is either parallel parking or angled parking along all roads, as well as other designated parking lots and underground parking where necessary.

To the left is the entire master plan and a legend to explain the different colors. (You may need to use the legend several times in order to understand the following pictures, so I left a large picture below for reference)

Average cars per unit with mass transit = 1.4
Maximum parking spots needed = 14006
Minimum parking spots needed = 10801
Area needed per parking stall in a parking lot = 350 sq ft
Mass transit includes Buses and Light Rail.

Detail

Main Street mixed use residential

Mixed use residential along existing road

The top picture is a close up of the residential and commercial use along main street.  Main street is located in the middle where all of the multi-use retail is shown in red.  Multi-use retail means that the bottom floors are used for retail while the upper floors of the building are used for residential purposes. Housing is fairly affordable in this section of town and has buildings of all shapes and sizes in order to give it a sense of diversity.

The bottom picture shows a development along the existing highway. It stretches up along the ridge to relatively flat areas where it is still possible to build.  The roads are to be no more than 8%.  Some housing along this slope is set into the hillside, leaving three stories on the north side and only two stories on the south side of some buildings.

Detail

East of Potlatch park residential

Southern hills of East Lewiston

These pictures show the most expensive housing on my plan.

The top picture is the most desirable piece of land due to its exposure to its natural environment.  You have Potlatch Memorial Park to the west, the river to the east, and hills to the north and to the south.  I designated this area to a lot of single family units with multi-family housing more in the middle, close to the light rail station.  The light rail also ends here.

The bottom picture shows the heights of East Lewiston.  From here you can overlook the city, the park, the river, and the hills to the north. With the water table far below, it is possible for underground parking here, with large green spaces above.

Detail

Reconstruction of East Lewiston

This picture shows the development closest to memorial bridge.  Most of the roads have been reused with minor changes.  The residential structures have been demolished to make way for high density housing.  The retail has been pushed against the street with parking in back in order to slow down traffic.  The highway still leads to the high speed bypass.

There were several buildings that were saved and used as public buildings.  The small lake was also saved and the flood plain around it was cleared of all built structures.  Some of the water was pumped underground to the river as overflow while the rest was pumped through a park and used as an aesthetically pleasing feature.

Detail

Green roof

Shortly after the train passes under memorial bridge, it goes into a tunnel underground. It continues for about 3/4 of a mile underground until it starts emerging from the tunnel in the middle of a park.  Because the train is underground, it reduces the amount of noise made by the train as well as its eye sore.  Pedestrians can now go over the train to see the river as well as walk on the trail connecting Potlatch Memorial Park to Lewiston.  Only low density structures and green spaces should be built on top of the tunnel, such as miniature golf courses, parks, and parking lots.  The light rail stops underground here.  People can park their cars for free above ground, take an elevator or stairs below ground, and ride the light rail back into downtown to work or shop.  A boat dock and floating restaurant were also added to the park.

Detail

Potlatch Memorial Park

Memorial Lake

Potlatch Memorial Campgrounds

The following pictures show Potlatch Memorial Park. The first picture shows the entire park.  It is situated in the middle of East Lewiston, right where Potlatch once was.  A trail system goes throughout the entire park.  Small kiosks are situated throughout the park, telling visitors of the history behind certain artifacts left behind by Potlatch.  The kiosks also serve as resting points.

The lake is a remainder of the aeration ponds.  Part of it was filled in by cutting back part of the levy.  It is a wonderful recreation spot, equipped with a boat dock for non-motorized boats only, floating restaurant, sandy beach, and a building that can be rented for recreational purposes.  The wetlands around the lake still filter the water leftover by the aeration ponds.

Here you see a camping addition to the park.  It has an RV park on one side with a tent camp on the other.  You must pay at the information center in order to stay the night.  It also has a boat dock into the river.

Focus Area

East Lewiston Central Plaza from Master Plan

The objective of this sight is to create a space large enough to accommodate a number of different activities. Those activities should include shopping, waiting for the bus, passing by, eating, sitting, resting out of the hot summer sun, playing, etc. This multi-use area should also be aesthetically pleasing and make people want to come back over and over again. This area is also to remain fairly low maintenance. A water feature should also be placed in the sight to help regulate the temperature during the hot summer months.

Plan view of East Lewiston Central Plaza

1.  Create an open space that is usable for all ages.
2.  Construct a microclimate that is both warmer in winter but cooler in the summer.
3.  Build an open space that is safe in which children would want to come and play in while their parents shop nearby.
4.  Build an area that people would want to return to time and time again and not get bored.
5.  Create a space where desirable retail of different kinds would want to be located at.
6.  Construct a modern space with interesting facades that would bring a historical sense to the modern world.
7.  Integrate art into the project sight that is both aesthetically pleasing and practical.
8.  Construct a sight where typical eyesores are now part of the artwork, i.e. Bus stops, trash cans, seating area, etc.
9.  Build a space that flows into the Farmers Market and parking area just south of the sight.
10.  Make a space that is ADA compliant.
11.  Build a water feature that is integrated into the sight.

Detail

Bus stop

This detail shows you an overview of the bus stop.  Plant buffers separate the traffic from the busses and eliminate some noise and pollution.  There is a bus stop on both sides to eliminate confusion of the pedestrians or traffic congestions.

Detail

Parallel parking

Parallel parking is added along most streets to ensure that the streets have maximum parking capability.

Detail

Water features

The fountains in the middle are both aesthetically pleasing and practical.  Three fountains trickle down into a central pool no deeper than two inches.  A ramp that is 8% and 4 inch steps descend to the pool.  Pedestrians are encouraged to play in the water or cool their feet on a hot day.  The pool drains into a holding pond below ground where the water is purified and pumped back up into the fountains.  A rough pavement is used on the stairs and ramp to ensure that people don't slip when wet.

Detail

Artistic features and curved lines

Other features such as planting beds, paving, and artwork are installed to maximize people's interests. Planting beds also serve as barriers between people window shopping and people playing in the plaza.

Detail

Rooftop garden on East side of Plaza

Rooftop garden on West side of Plaza

Green roofs serve as outdoor spaces for residents living in the upper floors.  Pergolas offer shade in the hot summer and small steps raise the viewer in order to see over the 4 ft wall, which acts as a barrier so the people don't fall off.  The green roofs are situated on the top of the third floor with four story buildings around them.  The plants and the building walls help minimize the wind.  The building walls are white to help make sure the plants get maximum sunlight.  Tables and chairs are set out for the local residents.  The residents of that building as well as the surrounding buildings have access to the roof.

The second picture also shows a roofed structure above the garden.  This structure is a total of five stories high.  The fourth floor acts as an indoor seating area and the top floor is a bell tower which chimes every hour.

Three Dimensional Studies

My model in plan view

In order to convey my focus area a little better, I decided to make a model of it.  The model followed my focus area almost exactly, except for elevation differences along curbs and roadways.

Overview

Birds eye view of model

There was a lot of detail put into the model, but the only thing that wasn't detailed too much was the building facades.  The facades in real life should all have a similar style that is fairly modern, but still have a western feel to them.

The materials I used where only representations of the structures I was making.  They included lichen, heavenly bamboo, sands of different colors, balsa wood, plywood, paint, synthetic leaf material, and foam.

Detail

Central Plaza

Central Plaza

In these pictures of my model you can see the different heights of the trees I constructed, the water fountains, the lighting system, and the arcs of the pavements. 

The edges of the plazas were used as borders for the trees, leaving a nice canopy with an open area in the middle.  This allowed sunlight in to the water feature and the seating area which would be considerably colder.

Detail

Water feature

Here you can see a picture of the water fountains and seating area itself.  The paved benches arc with the surrounding pavement that leads your eye into the pool below.  The sitting area is raised so that adults who might be watching their children can observe them playing in the water.  They are also enclosed by planters and one ornamental tree so that they do not feel so exposed.

Detail

Main street

Parking behind buildings

Bus Stop

This series of pictures shows Main street and parking.  The first picture gives you a view of the road from a pedestrians point of view if they were getting out of their car from the parallel parking.  The speed limit here would be no more than 25 mph. In order to slow down the traffic even more for pedestrians who might be crossing the road to go to the Farmers Market, I have placed a planting strip on the center line in which the driver has to go around.  You will also notice a red paved strip.  This strip is made out of bricks that are porous and drain into gravel below them.

The second and third picture show the parking lots behind the buildings.  The first two rows of parking are reserved for local residents and people who work at the plaza.  The remaining rows are open to the public.  In the third picture you can see some garden plots behind the trees.  They act as private green spaces for the residents who live in the surrounding buildings and can be purchased or rented.

The fourth and fifth picture show the bus stop, which can also be a taxi stop on occasion.  The planters that separate the bus stop from the traffic are to remain small enough that the bus driver can maneuver around them and see over them. A shelter is placed on either side of the road for individuals to get out of the weather and wait for the bus.  A time schedule and ticket purchase is also to be placed inside of each shelter.

Detail

Food court from a bird eyes view

Food court from a pedestrians view

Attached to one of the buildings is an outdoor food court.  During the warm seasons this court would be filled with tables and chairs and be swarmed with people.  The cutout of the building would give it an enclosed feeling, ensured by the planters and the canopy of a Norway maple.

Passersby would also be able to see some people sitting and eating.  This would provoke curiosity and perhaps even lure them to come and dine at the restaurant.

Detail

East rooftop garden

West Rooftop garden

These pictures show the rooftop gardens that are open to the residents.  Individuals can bring their own materials to sit on or tables and chairs can be provided by the landlords.  On the top picture, stairs from the residents who live below are exposed to the weather and will have a drain that feeds up into the planters.  A four foot high wall will be around the entire roof.  Pergolas act as shade devices. 

Art piece from inside arcade

Arcade

Art installation

The following pictures show the covered walk and the public art installation.  The covered walk runs through every building on the north side of Main Street.  This is because of the southern exposure to the sun.  It acts as a cooling agent.  It is a total of 10 feet high and 10 feet wide.  This gives enough room for two wheelchairs to pass by each other easily while others are window shopping.  The top of the arcade is used as balconies for residents on the second floors of the buildings.  From inside of the arcade you can see the public art piece in the East Lewiston Central Plaza.  This art installation will hopefully draw peoples attention into the plaza.  The form of the art piece curves along just as the paving patterns in the plaza do.  It should be made out of stainless steel or aluminum.

Entrance from east parking

Entrance from west parking

View of bell tower

I also wanted to show the views on and off sight as well.

When you enter the plaza from the back parking lots, you can see the fountains from a distance as well as some of the planting materials.

The second picture is the western white pine which serves as the only evergreen tree.  All other evergreen plants are shrubs.  If all the other trees are deciduous, they allow maximum sunlight during the winter.  The single evergreen acts as the plaza's Christmas tree as well as the only green tree during the winter. The seating around it is most welcoming during the holidays.

The bottom picture gives us a view of the bell tower from the plaza.  Its chimes give the plaza a pleasant sound as well as acts as a function for telling time.  Other sounds from the plaza include the trickling of water and the rustling of leaves.  A small tree barrier helps diminish the noise from the street.