School of Architecture | Fall 2012
In the heart of the metropolitan city of Puerto Rico In San Juan is the Rio Piedras Botanical Garden, which is home to more than 30,000 native and exotic species of plants in addition to its library, sculptures and fountains. Than Banyan sculptural staircase is located between the garden’s largest pond, The Fountain of the Three Basins and the Sculpture Garden that sits atop a 7 meter (24 feet) high slope. To Connect both areas, surges a sculptural staircase; its physical form characterized by the entwining of the banyan tree roots that forgather around the vicinity. The resulting project is transformed into a structure who’s organic morphology reaches out into the landscape creating different sets of views along its path. Just like Banyan trees, its path entwines with its surrounding and verbalizes the relationship between constructed and nature through its geometry and textures.
The main idea was to connect the Fountain od the Three Basins and the Sculpture Garden through a staircase that would also contain certain places along the way to sit down and appreciate the view.
Perspective - The staircase is a combination of materials like concrete, perforated and solid corten steel and wooden handrails.
Fountain Of The Three Basins | Photo credit: Edwin Rondon Betancourt
Sculpture Garden | Photo credit: Gabriel D'Attili
Existing Staircase to the Sculpture Garden | Photo credit: Ricardo David Jusino Rosa
The morphology of the staircase came from a graphic analysis of the native tree roots that grow up in the park.
This hand drawn analisys demonstrates how the hierarchy of the brances could determine the interaction of the staircase in an overlapping manner with the soil.
First analysis models from hand drawn diagrams
Simplification of model hierarchy and soil interaction.
Hand drawn Top View Plan and Floor Plan.
Sections ans Perspectives
Final Model.
