Blue Mile
Landscape architecture is not only about designing open parks and green space but also retrofitting nature element into the urban architecture. This project was sub project from ‘Put a ring on it’ masterplan and how individual open space can be design to fit into the vision of the overreaching masterplan. A stretch of circulating water/green park fitted into abandoned prison in Rotterdam ready to change into student apartment.
From Rottrdam station to Prison Park
The Rotterdam Prison is next to with existing Singel projects but it still is disconnected in detail atmosphere. This meant that from plan drawings, things are well matched and functioning well but in people scaled view, open spaces are hidden away and automobile roads becoming the main path isn’t helping at all for this beautiful water features.
In order to expose these hidden spots, first the existing Singel projects needed to be well connected and make sure people exiting from the Rotterdam Station can reach this sublime space easily.
The new connected Circular Park
To do this, street design had to be re-done. These exposed water stream is the biggest quality Netherlands can offer, yet here it is unused by the public, becoming only visual aesthetic during traveling via trams and cars.
Giving a new identity to the streetscape
Widening the nature space and pedestrian path is done in order to emphasise the existence of the green passage towards the Circular Park. This allows automobile transportations are re-directed to main paths where pedestrians and bike users can fully activate this area.
The Blue Mile enclosed garden
The Blue Mile Park is an enclosed garden yet important features are seen from the Circular Park, this is done in order to create an opening for the visitors to always have an option to enter this park yet private residents of the prison can have their own secret park at the same time.
Retrofitted natrual elements
All the green and water elements are retrofitted into the old industrial aged prison giving certain story of natural elements exploding out of this long abandoned prison like how the Angkor Wat and its natural discovery.
Local artist's vision
Local designers already started using this vision of having untouched nature within the prison and was showing the student apartment designers that this space shouldn’t be an ordinary park that can be applied anywhere. Using the existing condition of the site to tell a story is what landscape architects needs to do.
