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The theme of the day is water. Waterfronts…watering plants…aquaponics…wastewater…the Brooklyn Navy Yard…all fairly disjunct from one another yet all united by this similarity. In fact, a water feature of some sort has been a feature of almost everything we’ve seen so far this week. It’s something that any sort of designer must take into account, which is why I’ve chosen clips of water for today’s blog.
The first came from very early on in the day at Gantry State Park, while listening to Tom speak about conceptualizing the piers. The effect that water—in this particular case waves crashing on the shore—can have on the human body is simply fascinating. It has the ability to be so calming and so soothing, and suddenly evokes a contemplative sensation that effectively distracts one from the other burdensome noises of the urban context. For me at least, I think the juxtaposition of the expansive and flat bodies of water against the commanding high-rises of Manhattan creates an attack and release, and without the release that the waterfront provides it would be quite difficult to live in a city as tremendous as New York. One feature that I also thought was done well was the sandy area in Hunter’s Point South Park. Some may find it kitschy, but I think a little sand adjacent to the open water can go a long way when done correctly. Personally, I’ve always found the beach to be one of the most effective means of stress relief and relaxation, and even though the sand does not meet the water in this case per sé, it is still enough to make that mental connection to an actual beach, which is also something quite rare to find within the limits of any city.
The second sound clip I’ve chosen as a representation of today’s theme is from the water system flowing inside the greenhouse at Oko Farms. While I did not find the farm to be the best example of our trips thus far, it did open my eyes to the rigor and complexity of an aquaponic system. The stages of the process and the amount of life they were actually breeding was staggering, which ranged from the basil and other common plants to the fish to the zooplankton to the algae and beyond. All the while, everything depended on the water; not only a certain amount of it, but a certain temperature, a certain pH balance, a certain oxygen level, etc. All of it seemed so labor intensive and also sort of helter-skelter, but to imagine that type of farm done more professionally on a larger scale in a location that could support it seems like a situation that could have such a positive effect on the immediate surrounding context.
I also enjoyed my time learning about the rich background of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, however, I was a little disappointed in that there was no immediate waterfront, at least where we visited. What it did aid in doing was solidifying the importance of the waterfront in New York City’s history.
The first came from very early on in the day at Gantry State Park, while listening to Tom speak about conceptualizing the piers. The effect that water—in this particular case waves crashing on the shore—can have on the human body is simply fascinating. It has the ability to be so calming and so soothing, and suddenly evokes a contemplative sensation that effectively distracts one from the other burdensome noises of the urban context. For me at least, I think the juxtaposition of the expansive and flat bodies of water against the commanding high-rises of Manhattan creates an attack and release, and without the release that the waterfront provides it would be quite difficult to live in a city as tremendous as New York. One feature that I also thought was done well was the sandy area in Hunter’s Point South Park. Some may find it kitschy, but I think a little sand adjacent to the open water can go a long way when done correctly. Personally, I’ve always found the beach to be one of the most effective means of stress relief and relaxation, and even though the sand does not meet the water in this case per sé, it is still enough to make that mental connection to an actual beach, which is also something quite rare to find within the limits of any city.
The second sound clip I’ve chosen as a representation of today’s theme is from the water system flowing inside the greenhouse at Oko Farms. While I did not find the farm to be the best example of our trips thus far, it did open my eyes to the rigor and complexity of an aquaponic system. The stages of the process and the amount of life they were actually breeding was staggering, which ranged from the basil and other common plants to the fish to the zooplankton to the algae and beyond. All the while, everything depended on the water; not only a certain amount of it, but a certain temperature, a certain pH balance, a certain oxygen level, etc. All of it seemed so labor intensive and also sort of helter-skelter, but to imagine that type of farm done more professionally on a larger scale in a location that could support it seems like a situation that could have such a positive effect on the immediate surrounding context.
I also enjoyed my time learning about the rich background of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, however, I was a little disappointed in that there was no immediate waterfront, at least where we visited. What it did aid in doing was solidifying the importance of the waterfront in New York City’s history.
