Philippe Chalin
3 ACRES
ON THE LAKE
Dusable Park Proposal Project
Although the parcel of land in question is destined for use as real estate, today the area is virtually unconstructible. The traces of radioactive pollution found in the ground and the mounds of debris almost 6 m high make the environment seem hostile. Yet its heritage value as the landing site for Jean Baptiste DUSABLE, founding father of the City of Chicago, gives added appeal to its rehabilitation.
The initial
intention of the project is to consolidate the isolated, untouchable nature
of the land by creating a large area of luxurious vegetation, similar
to that which covered the banks of the lake before any urban development
took place.
The dominant
species is the reed (Phragmites Australis). This aquatic plant grows to
a height of 2 m 50 and its stem is persistent in winter. It is not frequently
used in landscaping because of its invasive nature, but offers a number
of advantages in both aesthetic and ecological terms. At the end of the
fall, most of the Reed Bed (1) will be cut down to enable its regeneration
the following spring and to prevent the plants from proliferating. Uncut
plots some thirty square metres in surface area, to be used as hibernation
areas for birds, will provide a moving spectacle with the changing of
the seasons.
Another advantage
is that the reeds will also act on the quality of the water in the lake
by fixing the heavy metals that are present in fairly large quantities
in the water of the lake, and will provide refuge for certain species
during winter, enabling them to reproduce in the spring.
The Jean
Baptiste Dusable Memorial (2) is located in the centre of the park, in
the continuation of the pathway across the island.
A concrete
quay (3), 5 m wide, is located on the edges of the parcel. It is flanked
on either side by the water of the lake. On one side Lake Michigan, on
the other, a shallow canal (4) 6 m wide. It is designed on the one hand
to underscore the inaccessible nature of the Reed Bed, and on the other
to enable certain species of fish to reproduce. It is linked to the lake
by culverts (5).
From the quay, access to the Reed Bed is limited by crossover points (6)
leading to a north-south pathway across the park (7) in the middle of
the walls of reeds.
Two small
irrigation canals (8) supply the Reed Bed with water from the lake. To
the west, a circular watering point (9) is reserved for growing aquatic
species of plants, such as Bulrushes, Dwarf Lake Irises, or Branched Bur-Reed.
To the south-west, an observation platform (10) 2m 50 high overlooking the Reed Bed will provide a panoramic view of the site before an eventual visit...
Chalin,
Philippe
Le Havre, France
philippe.chalin@wanadoo.fr