The Life Boat: Recreational Center in Ypsilanti, MI
January - April 2021 | Individual Work | Professor: Claudia Wigger
The Life Boat is a community-oriented boathouse located on Ford Lake Park in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The boathouse expands on the park’s preexisting amenities. In addition to expanding access to the water, the boathouse addresses the lack of year-round recreational space, especially during the Fall and Winter. This initiative stems from the centrality of the park’s location as a potential hub for the neighboring residents, yet the park lacks cold-season programs to encourage continuous use. The addition of ice skating, meeting/event spaces, a fitness center, a cafeteria, and an indoor pool encourages neighboring residents to utilize the park throughout the cold seasons, as well as the warm.
The design heavily relied upon on-site analysis to ensure proper usage and to address the implications of such a large addition to an existing park.
First, the question of who would use the boathouse came to light. The neighboring buildings were then revealed to be primarily residential houses and multi-family complexes with very few commercial or public facilities. Therefore the nearby residents would be the most affected by the addition of a community center and boathouse. Next, the preexisting uses of the park were brought forth which revealed how the outdoor sports are warm weather oriented despite the seasonal weather changes in Michigan. Then, the chosen site location along the untouched shoreline to not disturb the amenity spaces within the park. Therefore, the dense woods on a steep hill were explored.
The sections below capture the figural nature of the center. The iconic figure of “boats on water” demonstrates the initiative to expand amenities within the park by demonstrating how the water has become another amenity space for human enjoyment. The angular boat forms contain the community spaces, meanwhile, the water waves hold the boat program. The contrasting forms are reflected in the spatial experience. The boat forms are spatially tight similar to the spatial organization in boats. Meanwhile, the waveforms mimic water through the repetitive rhythm of waves and the recreation of water refracting light through daylighting strategies.
