BIRD'S NEST GATHERING SPACE   FROM ABOVE

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After spending four weeks exploring design opportunities with the elements of light, air, earth, and water, my introduction to architecture studio at UO tasked us with a general design prompt: design a space at the existing Laurelwood Golf Course site where an Oregon food can be experienced.  Challenging myself to transform the site at a larger scale I proposed to convert the entire golf course into a nature preserve filled with native Oregon edible plants, transforming the site into an informative public amenity that was also ecologically restorative.  At the existing hilltop parking lot, visitor's would be greeted by an informational center.  The partially covered structure has slotted openings in its southern wall to cast a rhythmic pattern of light on the floor.  The gently curving floor plan causes the light pattern to disappear ahead, enticing visitors to continue in and discover what's around the corner.  After a sequence of informational signs and structurally integrated benches, rounding the curve, visitors are given a perfectly framed view of Eugene's iconic Spencer Butte.  Stepping forward to the end of the curve visitors are rewarded with a panoramic view of the preserve, and on axis with the visitor's center and the butte in the distance ahead is a structure reminiscent of a bird's nest.  Utilizing the golf courses existing network of cart paths, visitors can navigate their way to this beacon of a gathering space while collecting native berries along the way to be enjoyed at the destination.  The new site becomes a perfect location for school field trips, casual picnics, jogging, or simply walking in a restored, native ecosystem.