elemental
Proposal: West Mall Fountain Design Competition
Location: The University of Texas at Austin
Date: 2013
WEST CAMPUS currently houses more than 15,000 students, 50 greek organizations, and 12 co-ops. All of these are connected to the center of the University through West Mall. With the recent push for higher density in this neighborhood, foot-traffic through the area will only increase.
The West Campus GATEWAY to the University needs to be revived. The proposed re-design of the dry fountain supports the long-lasting, uplifting, and experiential goals of the University. Students will be greeted by the same slightly lifted, “racetrack” stone dish of the original fountain. In the center, a tapered STONE rises to just above eye-level. The source to several elements hides within the stone.
WATER spills out of the top of the stone and falls to a small ring lined with small white rocks, the inner pool. From the top of the inner pool, sixty-four thin steel channels collect and carry the water over a shallow planter. The channels empty into an outer pool where the water is filtered and drained before
emerging from the rock once again.
A TREE grows in the center, seemingly rooted in the water-filled stone. A single tree of multiple trunks, the crape myrtle has about 120 days in bloom starting in late-summer. The bright blossoms welcome students and signal the start of a new school year.
LIGHT glows from beneath the thin layer of white rocks in the inner pool to softly illuminate the sides of the stone with a shifting, scattered light. From within the stone, a multi-directional light emanates and dramatically highlights the underside of the tree’s canopy.
The new fountain will be an icon for the university, welcoming thousands of students daily through West Mall. At the center -- water, tree, and light spring from a SINGLE SOURCE hidden inside the overflowing stone.
