Proposal for a Dog Park, Los Angeles, California, 2015

Team: Andrew Kovacs, Naomi Steinhagen, Yessenia Juarez, Peter Boldt, Erin Wright

Project Description:

Proposal for a Dog Park is conceived as a masterplan inside a masterplan. This miniature masterplan is a series of 6 discreet districts of dog activities that range from leisure to exercise. Each district in the dog park is the result of making architecture from architecture - the repurposed use of objects either literally or conceptually.

1) Miniature Hedge Maze

Dogs come in very different sizes. The miniature hedge maze is strictly devoted to very small sized dogs. 3 partially buried tires are sited in-between the hedge to become micro-archways framing views in the park.

2) Dog Run Track (Frisbee Boulevard)

The dog run track connects two of the three entrances in the park. Adjacent to the track a number of freely scattered reclaimed doors are partially buried into the ground and recast as a dog jumping course.

3) Partially Amputated Astroturf Ziggurat

The partially amputated Astroturf ziggurat bifurcates the miniature masterplan of the dog park acting as a large bleacher to overview the entire park allowing both dogs and dog owners to clearly view all districts. Atop the partially amputated astroturf ziggurat sits the highest point in the park: a birdhouse-scraper.

4) Hypostyle Hydrants

The Hypostyle Hydrants is an area with the dog park where dogs can freely relax. 16 fire hydrants are arranged into a grid. Each of the hydrants is altered and adjusted to have a small sprinkler on top - creating a canopy of water from all 16 fire hydrants.

5) Monument Mound

Monument mound is made of sand and is a resting area for dogs. The mound is composed of iconic objects made colossal, such as an iPhone plug, a duck, a rook, a traffic cone and bollard, and a bowling pin and iconic monuments made miniature such as London’s Big Ben, Pisa’s Leaning Tower, and Paris’ Arc de Triomphe.

6) Replica Agility Course

The replica agility course is sited between the monument mound and the third entrance of the park. The course consist of a tunnel in the form of a colossal straw, a seesaw, and a stepped platform with a replica of William Pereira’s San Francisco Transamerica Pyramid to allow dogs to train for agility competitions.