After talking to the Boathouse District Foundation Director a few weeks ago I got the impression he was very impressed with that I was designing for the area. His major concern was my location and the feasibility of being able to build there with the railroad currently owning the property. He said it was do able and he liked it but it was at least a 20 year project just get obtain the property and move the rail lines. He proposed to me a secondary location for my project (a site he is looking to develop in the near future). It is currently the "Pull-a-Part" Salvage yard North of the River between the main N/S railroad tracks and the Chesapeake Boathouse. He said this new location is the missing piece between the boathouse district and the new Downtown Park system the City is building as part of MAPS 3. He also said they are looking at trying to introduce more commercial spaces in that area as well to help draw people into the boathouse district. He listed a restaurant and office space being two of the more critical spaces. He then went on and stated that from what he has seen on my blog thus far that this would be something he would be interested in submitting to the city of Oklahoma City. That posed somewhat of a problem for me in that do I keep working on my original site (which is quite a bit larger) or do I switch sites with the thinking that my Thesis project might help spark what type of facility will end up there. I went out after our meeting and walked down the north side of the river trails and looked around the site he proposed to see what all it possessed and if it would still work for what I was wanting to accomplish. I printed out the Google maps image and started sketching sight lines and such and what all would be needed to change with my original building in order to accommodate the new site. Everything seemed to work out I did not have to change my building or rearrange spaces on the new site (which was my main time concern) so I am pushing forward with the new site. Placing my facilities in this new location will also connect and give the Chesapeake Boathouse something interesting to look at since it will go right up to the west end of the trail directly across their little waterway connecting to Bricktown.
While searching for different types of cyclocross tracks I came across this series of images (below) of the cycling complex at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. I originally thought I had a "new concept" trying to bring together all disciplines in one condensed area but the more I research the more instances I find of other places doing this as well. That is a good thing in that if other people are already doing it then it must work. Mine will just be the first in the area...
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Infiltration Basin Reinforcement
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My site is located south of the boathouses between I-35 and Lincoln Blvd with the railroad tracks to the south. This image shows my propert line, primary and secondary entrances, areas of concern, and surrounding building types
This plan, like the previous two, has a more dense area of trees on the west half of the property. It also has a large parking lot just south east of the building blocking it from the river and allowing access into the main entrance of the building. A second entrance is placed on the west end allowing views and entrances to all the cycling courses detailed in the lower photo.
In this plan unlike the other 2 I am showing the 3 courses cross each other just west of the building. The courses will not actually cross but tunnels and bridges will be used to keep the trails separate thus altering the terrain and creating a better utilized site. This plan also shows roof access for both the cyclocross course and mountain bike course.
This image shows the main sustainable features of my building as site. The first being the "hydro Energy" system I plan to utilize for a majority of my power. I explained that system earlier on in my blog. I plan to use as little of solar energy as possible for the simple fact that Oklahoma ranks 3rd in the nation in Hail damage. Other features I plan to incoperate into my building are: composting toilet or gray water treatment system; rain water harvesting off roof and parking areas to hold water for use in the building as well as irrigating the site; clear story windows to allow for natural daylighting as well as pressure release in the case of tornados; stack vent system to allow for natural cooling of the interior of the building; a green roof system to provide better insulation value in the roof as well as providing a sloped surface for the mountain bike and cyclocross courses. Not only do the trees to the south of my site help with noise, they also help block the strong winds from the south entering the site, as well as provide natural shade from the hot sun.
My site is located south of the boathouses between I-35 and Lincoln Blvd with the railroad tracks to the south. This image shows my propert line, primary and secondary entrances, areas of concern, and surrounding building types
This images shows my building (velodrome) with proposed parking and areas of trees and landscaping to help deal with noise, wind, and sun issues. The main difference between this and option #1 is the location of the parking in relation to the building.
This image shows the different course locations around the building. With the building/parking placement, there is vehicle access to each of the areas for events and maintenance. No course overlaps vehicle traffic, so there is no need to be afraid of bike/vehicle accidents. This layout allows both the cyclocross and mountain bike courses access to the roof of the building. I placed the cyclocross course in the area I wanted to keep the view open to look across the river to the boathouse district. This allows me to put the mountain bike couse in the more tree dence area. Later on in my analysis, I will draw a topographic map better detailing the course areas, but for now, I am just showing location.
This image shows the main sustainable features of my building as site. The first being the "hydro Energy" system I plan to utilize for a majority of my power. I explained that system earlier on in my blog. I plan to use as little of solar energy as possible for the simple fact that Oklahoma ranks 3rd in the nation in Hail damage. Other features I plan to incoperate into my building are: composting toilet or gray water treatment system; rain water harvesting off roof and parking areas to hold water for use in the building as well as irrigating the site; clear story windows to allow for natural daylighting as well as pressure release in the case of tornados; stack vent system to allow for natural cooling of the interior of the building; a green roof system to provide better insulation value in the roof as well as providing a sloped surface for the mountain bike and cyclocross courses. Not only do the trees to the south of my site help with noise, they also help block the strong winds from the south entering the site, as well as provide natural shade from the hot sun.
This is the first of 2 layouts I am designing for my site. It will show the main features of my site and how they interact with the rest of the site.
My site is located south of the boathouses between I-35 and Lincoln Blvd with the railroad tracks to the south. This image shows my propert line, primary and secondary entrances, areas of concern, and surrounding building types.
This images shows my building (velodrome) with proposed parking and areas of trees and landscaping to help deal with noise, wind, and sun issues.
This image shows the different course locations around the building. With the building/parking placement, there is vehicle access to each of the areas for events and maintenance. No course overlaps vehicle traffic, so there is no need to be afraid of bike/vehicle accidents. This layout allows both the cyclocross and mountain bike courses access to the roof of the building. I placed the cyclocross course in the area I wanted to keep the view open to look across the river to the boathouse district. This allows me to put the mountain bike couse in the more tree dence area. Later on in my analysis, I will draw a topographic map better detailing the course areas, but for now, I am just showing location.
This image shows the main sustainable features of my building as site. The first being the "hydro Energy" system I plan to utilize for a majority of my power. I explained that system earlier on in my blog. I plan to use as little of solar energy as possible for the simple fact that Oklahoma ranks 3rd in the nation in Hail damage. Other features I plan to incoperate into my building are: composting toilet or gray water treatment system; rain water harvesting off roof and parking areas to hold water for use in the building as well as irrigating the site; clear story windows to allow for natural daylighting as well as pressure release in the case of tornados; stack vent system to allow for natural cooling of the interior of the building; a green roof system to provide better insulation value in the roof as well as providing a sloped surface for the mountain bike and cyclocross courses. Not only do the trees to the south of my site help with noise, they also help block the strong winds from the south entering the site, as well as provide natural shade from the hot sun.
My name is Andrew Stevens and I am a Graduate Student at the University of Oklahoma School of Architecture. This blog is for me to share with you my thought process and design images for a Net-Zero Velodrome in the Oklahoma City, OK area.