The project questions LA’s automobile oriented society and is an urban response to the forthcoming arrival of the High Speed Rail, initiating redevelopment of areas within downtown, re-invigorating the Californian dream and recapture freedom and mobility.
The proposed transformation of Los Angeles Union Station connects the existing station, with its captured and manicured nature, towards the LA River bed, which has a similarly overpowered and totally controlled encasement. The proposed structural skeleton doubles as concealed water inlets and outlets to distribute recycled greywater to vegetate various areas of the proposed structure, together combining natural plant filtration and artificial water flows, to purify air in downtown’s major traffic node. The channeling of water to the station platforms and a series of new vegetated courtyard spaces offer a more tranquil experience to transit in contrary to the busy-ness experienced in conventional transit.
In its wider contest, by aligning the new high speed rail with my proposed diversion of the existing rail tracks from the river, the opportunity arises to activate connections to the river, in doing so not only creating a new landscape of ground and water interaction, but moreover stimulating the needed development of other areas within downtown.
This post was submitted by Mark Chan.
