Water Sky Garden
Encyclopedia
Water Sky Garden is a sculptural environment designed by artist Janet Echelman
. The garden is located outside the Richmond Olympic Oval
, an official venue for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The installation consists of a wetland treatment pond
, 300 ft. boardwalk
, two 52 ft. pedestrian bridge
s, two net sculpture
s, and a fountain
.
, a performance frequently used in Chinese festivals. The Nitobe Memorial Garden
and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden
, both in Vancouver, were important inspirations for paths, ponds and framing of the garden's landscape. The boardwalk was designed to encourage people to linger and view the garden.
The pond collects rainwater from the Oval's roof and surrounding landscape. It is then purified and re-circulated to be used to irrigate the plants in the surrounding space, provide clean water for the Oval, and empty into the adjacent Fraser River
. Aeration for the pond is provided by a fountain on the South side of the garden.
The "sky lanterns" are made of ultraviolet-resistant
PTFE
fiber nets, supported by painted galvanized steel rings. At night, the lanterns are lit with submerged lights, and the boardwalk is lit with LED
spotlights. The eastern lantern is 75 ft. at its largest diameter
, and the netting is 25 ft. deep. The northern lantern is 52 ft. at its largest diameter. Its net is 25 ft. deep with a 14 ft. tail that descends to the pond below. The garden was designed so that participants can both look at and look through the netted sculptures without obstructing the view of the Oval building or the surrounding garden area.
The initial design process began with the creation of a three-dimensional computer model created using custom software. Those forms were then translated into CAD software in order to define the geometry and surfaces of the sculpture. These digital structures were then exported to a gravity and wind simulator in order to determine the necessary twine tenacity to withstand strong winds. From this information, construction drawings are created which include specific looming patterns, color information, and lengths of meshes.
Janet Echelman
Janet Echelman is an American artist specializing in public art installations and sculpture. She graduated from Harvard University in 1987 with Highest Honors in Visual Studies. From 1988-1993 Echelman lived and worked in Bali, Indonesia before returning to America. She created her first permanent...
. The garden is located outside the Richmond Olympic Oval
Richmond Olympic Oval
The Richmond Olympic Oval , or the Richmond Oval is a facility in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was the venue of the speed skating events and the official Olympic anti-doping lab of the 2010 Winter Olympics...
, an official venue for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The installation consists of a wetland treatment pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
, 300 ft. boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, two 52 ft. pedestrian bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s, two net sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s, and a fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
.
Design
The boardwalk and "sky lanterns" were inspired by Richmond's cultural communities. Richmond's immigrant population is the highest of any city in Canada. More than half of these immigrants are of Asian descent. The boardwalk was designed to resemble the choreography of the Dragon DanceDragon dance
Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s. Another...
, a performance frequently used in Chinese festivals. The Nitobe Memorial Garden
Nitobe Memorial Garden
The Nitobe Memorial Garden is a 2½ acre traditional Japanese garden located at the University of British Columbia, just outside the city limits of Vancouver, Canada...
and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is the first full-size Chinese or "scholars" garden built outside of China, and is located in Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at 578 Carrall Street and consists of a freely accessible public park and a garden with an...
, both in Vancouver, were important inspirations for paths, ponds and framing of the garden's landscape. The boardwalk was designed to encourage people to linger and view the garden.
The pond collects rainwater from the Oval's roof and surrounding landscape. It is then purified and re-circulated to be used to irrigate the plants in the surrounding space, provide clean water for the Oval, and empty into the adjacent Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
. Aeration for the pond is provided by a fountain on the South side of the garden.
The "sky lanterns" are made of ultraviolet-resistant
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....
fiber nets, supported by painted galvanized steel rings. At night, the lanterns are lit with submerged lights, and the boardwalk is lit with LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
spotlights. The eastern lantern is 75 ft. at its largest diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
, and the netting is 25 ft. deep. The northern lantern is 52 ft. at its largest diameter. Its net is 25 ft. deep with a 14 ft. tail that descends to the pond below. The garden was designed so that participants can both look at and look through the netted sculptures without obstructing the view of the Oval building or the surrounding garden area.
The initial design process began with the creation of a three-dimensional computer model created using custom software. Those forms were then translated into CAD software in order to define the geometry and surfaces of the sculpture. These digital structures were then exported to a gravity and wind simulator in order to determine the necessary twine tenacity to withstand strong winds. From this information, construction drawings are created which include specific looming patterns, color information, and lengths of meshes.