Schuylkill Sanctuary, 2023
Schuylkill Sanctuary is an architectural and ecological intervention sited at the Schuylkill River Trail, where the Schuylkill River and Walnut Street Bridge intersect in Philadelphia’s Center City.
The forms found in Schuylkill Sanctuary are both derived from the action of walking, and also meant to inspire the action of walking in people at the site, in contrast to the fast pace of the many runners and bikers at the site.
The intervention consists of a series of carefully arranged poles either inserted into the ground and strung up in trees. The way in which the different groups of poles were positioned is related to the structure being designed for not only the people, but also the animals and wildlife at the site. In this way, the intervention asks pedestrians and visitors to think about broader connections between human, wildlife, city, environment, and history.
Fig 1. Detail from axonometric drawing
Fig 2. Render
Schuylkill Sanctuary moreover speaks to and incorporates Philadelphia’s rich history of gardens through the pollinator garden. Philadelphia and its surrounding regions have long been known for its gardens, which would include Longwood Gardens, the Morris Arboretum, Penn’s own campus, and countless smaller garden like spaces found throughout peoples homes and yards. The inclusion of a garden in my intervention was meant to acknowledge this rich tradition in Philadelphia’s history.
My drawings and illustrations of the intervention are meant to bring it to life and depict individual moments of happenstance and experiences that the site is meant to facilitate, as well as both solitary and shared encounters with nature. These include moments like a mother with a stroller visiting the site in view of a perching hawk, a dog relieving itself in the midst of visitors admiring the wildflowers, or an individual sitting on the lower sections of the intervention watching mute swans nest only a few feet away.
They moreover emphasize a sense of lightness that doesn’t impose itself on the site, and also a feeling of colorful vibrancy that comes in contrast with the industrial urban bustle of the site.
© 2023 Victor Li