Linear Retreat

Third-Year Undergraduate Design Studio

David Emmons, Fall 2018

The proposed artists' village, "Linear Retreat," is located just southeast of the Sunken Gardens at Allerton Park in Monticello, Illinois.  This proposed site location offers a new axis perpendicular to Allerton’s main axis, which is lined with formal gardens.  This new axis replicates the strong one-point perspectives featured throughout the park.

Allerton can be split into two categories: manicured formal gardens and forested trails. Both can be analyzed by the tree density of the site. By using an array of lines to delineate tree density, the personal cartography of the site shows contrasting landscape features. "Linear Retreat" combines the strong axis of the formal gardens as well as the less strict pockets of nature by abstracting the shifted lines of the tree density.

A ramped path with a strict border cuts through the tree line and reaches out into the meadow, creating a unique one-point perspective. Descending the ramp, one is surrounded by offset buildings that create pockets of nature within them. In these openings, outdoor spaces frame strong one-point perspectives perpendicular to the main ramp. The raised ramp descending down the ravine floats above the forest floor to allow for water to flow through and the native foliage to develop and grow within the site. This emphasizes the pockets of greenery that can spring up between the buildings. The retreat offers artists the ability to become fully surrounded by the unique landscape experiences.