Eucalyptus Grove Resuscitation (maze project)

Planned Project:

Utilizing the grid of the eucalyptus trees to make a series of interconnected rooms using twine and plastic sheeting. Possibly incorporating LEDs for night lighting. People navigating the maze could be video taped using the tower camera.

There is intended to be four rooms within the maze, each with slightly different purposes. Room 1 will contain large blocks to spread work out on or just sit on along with benches made of stumps and boards. Room 2 will contain five chairs and two desks, a room where students can work individually or collaborate. Room 3 is to relax in. Two hammocks will be found here. The fourth space is small and intimate with two stumps to sit on with a table between. A few of the spaces will have astro-turf ground cover for possible ground seating.

The intended effect of this intervention is to create more seating and motive to interact with the environment and each other by exploring a new interpretation of a forgotten and relatively unused space. The Plastic is meant to attract passers by to stop and take notice of their surroundings and recognize that students are in the process of taking action to refurbish campus into a social atmosphere that is interactive and fun to be in, not just a commuter campus.

Campus Impact:

Positive:

+ New place for interaction: verbal, scholastic, casual, fun

+ Breaks up monotonous walk of UCSD students from class to class

+ Playful space

+ Environmentally friendly project with little to no ecological impact

+ The maze is interactive in all weather conditions

Negative:

+ People are scared of the space and fail to enter

+ No roof over the space; rainy days people may be deterred from using the chairs.

+ Visual detraction of the grove, however, the way the light hits the plastic during different times in the day could be quite interesting and may be its strongest positive impact.

Schedule of Actions:

Week 5: 1st filming of movement pattern prior to maze, building of benches, boxes, collecting of hammocks and desks

Week 6: assemble in forest, plastic wrap goes up

Week 7: 2nd filming of movement pattern

Week 8: 3rd filming of movement pattern

Week 9: analyze/ compare films

Week 10: formulate conclusion, finished presentation