Can you make this sad space awesome? Yes!

Today I will be submitting two of my entries for the Bright Lane "Can you make this sad space awesome?" design contest. The contest calls for submissions that transform this sad looking alleyway...

 

Into an awesome space! The alleyway is 12 feet wide X 153 feet deep, beside BrightLane's building located at 545 King Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The alley is located between a 5 story building (on the left)  and a 1 story building (on the right).

Urban Farmers Market

 

My first design submission is transforming the alleyway into an urban farmers market. The width of the alley way allows plenty of room for local farmers, artisans and businesses to set up tables and stands and provide amply room for movement through the alley. The site location, set between two buildings allows for the attachment of an overhead covering. This covering will help give the alley way a better sense of human scale, and protect from the elements like rain and bright sun. It would provide shade and help keep the temperature cooler. The single story brick wall on the right side of the alley way provides a great canvas for a local artist, school or organization to create a mural that would celebrate and promote community, sustainability and health through eating fresh local food from the farmers market.

 

 

Public Green Space

My second design submission transforms the alley way into a public green space. Removing the asphalt paving that covered the entire 153 foot depth of the alleyway and replacing it with an open paver and grass system would advocate for the use of more pervious ground cover material choices in cities. This open paver system is permeable, meaning it would allow water to pass through it and into the ground, rather than become runoff on the surface (like the icy standing water you see in the alleys current picture). The single story building wall tot he right of the ally could be transformed into a living green wall. Not only beautiful, a living green wall provides nature in a habitat where it was previously removed, and helps to filter rain water and pollutants in the air. Similar to the living green wall, the right side of the alley way also features living plants. The arches on the street level are filled in with open core bricks that are then filled with plants and flowers. Over head lighting spanning 12 feet across the alley way provides a decorative element and will make the space welcoming in the evening. Flexible seating would be provided throughout making this space an idea place to go on your lunch break or just when you need a break from the city.

 

 

Both of these renders were created in Photoshop using the original photo of the alleyway as the background. I am also hoping to create one more submission, an urban outdoor green gym in the space.

 

Let me know what you think! Questions, suggestions, anything! I'm also posting all the photos that will appear on the blog to [rr]architecture's Pinterest account. Be sure to follow and pin!

 

-A