Windmill Train Station on the LA River

This was one of my first studio projects. Our professor wanted us to focus on various “zoom levels” or scales. Our class started by doing an environmental study of the LA River. We then “zoomed in” to think about the design of space in immediate contact with the human-scale of the body. We then took a step back to consider, analyze and understand the history of the LA River within the context of LA County.  Our class took a trip to Los Angeles to visit the project site at the LA River in order to get a better feel for the landscape and local community. I conducted informal interviews with a few local residents and workers that I met on the street, which I reflected on as part of the inspiration for my project. A few people mentioned illegal dumping at our project site, so I decided to design the train station to be a means to “clean” the area. My concept was that the train station could have a “park” of helix windmills on top of the station that would generate electricity from the wind/energy produced as the trains passed through the station. I also conceptualized the station as a lung – breathing people in and out as the day progressed. I also imagined it as a place of recreation with clean/environmental sorts of stores such as a fair trade cafe or local farmers’ vending area.

Computer Programs Used: AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop, Rhino