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Over-the-Rhine DesignBuild Studio
Department of Architecture and Interior Design — Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Washington Park Alternative Design

 
      The Washington Park Alternative Design proposed plan came out of a community-based process. After the Cincinnati Park board, in conjunction with Cincinnati's preferred developer for Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), presented a preliminary scheme for the redesign of Washington Park to the Over-theRhine Community Council in September 2007, residents expressed concern about the lack of a deep water pool, basketball court, and other family-friendly and specifically teen-friendly activities. It was then that Miami University architecture students began working closely with the neighborhood residents and leaders to create an alternative plan that would help give the neighborhood a critical voice in the design process. Students in the Over-the-Rhine Residency Program simultaniously launched a petition drive in support of a pool and basketball court, gathering over 400 signatures from people who either live or work in Over-the-Rhine.

While respecting the formality of the current proposed plan, the alternative design suggests a dialogue between cultural institution and communtiy. By rotating the civic green and opening it to Music Hall, the space begins to naturally converse with its surroundings. A deep-water pool, dive well, and wading pool are located in the northeast corner of the park. A full length basketball court lies adjacent to the pool and is bordered by one end of the "Sound Garden." This interactive "garden" is comprised of large-scale instruments made from recycled materials, perhaps crafted by local designers. The Sound Garden physically and culturally links Music Hall to the surrounding neighborhood, suggesting the park as a place of relationship and conversation that looks to form new histories of community connection while respecting cultural tradition.