Chatham Garden Gates
Weathered steel gates reveal the hidden geology and hydrology of Chatham University’s Sustainability Campus.
Weathered steel gates reveal the hidden geology and hydrology of Chatham University’s Sustainability Campus.
1. Full scale weathered steel mockup with corresponding geologic section.
2. North gate layout and overlaid mockup of reach codes and river names.
3. Detail of wood mockup for north gates.
4. Installed gates, image copyright Mithun.
5. Detail of pattern created for back side of gates.
6. Wood mockup of one of three geologic gate panels.
7. Two of the north gate panels installed. Image copyright of Mithun.
Details
I worked with Mithun to create five gate facades for the wastewater demonstration garden at Chatham University’s Eden Hall Sustainability Campus. Inspired by site research and the campus mission, I used local watershed and geologic data to visualize the site’s relationship to its greater ecological contexts. The south gates use nearby boring data to translate the sites’ unique underlying strata, such as the 300 million year old Pittsburgh Redbeds that are vulnerable to landslides. The north gate incorporates USGS stream reach data for the two watersheds straddled by the campus, which eventually drain to the Gulf of Mexico. The weathered steel patina will change over time, in concert with the transformation of the landscape.
Role: Artist/designer and fabricator liaison within a collaborative interdisciplinary team.
2. North gate layout and overlaid mockup of reach codes and river names.
3. Detail of wood mockup for north gates.
4. Installed gates, image copyright Mithun.
5. Detail of pattern created for back side of gates.
6. Wood mockup of one of three geologic gate panels.
7. Two of the north gate panels installed. Image copyright of Mithun.
Details
I worked with Mithun to create five gate facades for the wastewater demonstration garden at Chatham University’s Eden Hall Sustainability Campus. Inspired by site research and the campus mission, I used local watershed and geologic data to visualize the site’s relationship to its greater ecological contexts. The south gates use nearby boring data to translate the sites’ unique underlying strata, such as the 300 million year old Pittsburgh Redbeds that are vulnerable to landslides. The north gate incorporates USGS stream reach data for the two watersheds straddled by the campus, which eventually drain to the Gulf of Mexico. The weathered steel patina will change over time, in concert with the transformation of the landscape.
Role: Artist/designer and fabricator liaison within a collaborative interdisciplinary team.