Wings Over L.A.
Positioned at the north end of San Pedro, adjacent to the Los Angeles Cruise Ship Terminal, “Wings over L.A.” spans four existing hills that demark the southern terminus of the 110 Harbor Freeway and the western approach to the noted Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Presently a no-man’s land of denuded demolition, sub-standard housing and junk-yard commercial buildings, the creation of a BirdPark is meant to reinvigorate and revitalize the area, creating nature paths for walking and bicycling, rest areas for picnicking and barbecuing, observation points for viewing wildlife in a re-constructed Fresh Water Wetlands, themed commercial areas for shopping and dining, games areas for playing basketball, tennis, softball and soccer, and – the piece de resistance – the BirdPark, an arrangement of eight distinct habitats in large aviaries constructed on the crest of the hills. My entire thesis is a synecdoche – a representation of the whole by an expression of the part – sculpting mini ecosystems that translate the meaning of Peruvian Cloud Forest, Amazon Rain Forest, Kalahari Desert, African Plains, Boreal Forest and Fresh Water Wetlands. I think of my park as an “open” design, where interaction between park inhabitants (the birds) and park goers (humans) is not only possible, but is desirable. “Open” design enhances learning and understanding, the broad underlying theme to my whole concept. As well as the BirdPark, re-created wetland habitats will provide another small link in the chain of nurturing environments that has come to be know as “The Pacific Flyway”.
