Unzipped Garden: A Sustainable Temporary Landscape
A decommissioned parking lot slated for redevelopment in San José’s South First Area (SoFA) acts as a landing pad for BIG’s Serpentine Pavilion “unzipped wall” in yearlong local residency. The structure, designed for the Serpentine Gallery’s 2016 annual architectural commission in London, is an exercise in geometry, in which a straight wall, made up of 1,800 identical fiberglass modules, deforms into a curved, cavernous space.
Expanding on this architectural concept, the blank site was reconceived as a series of dunes nestled against the pavilion. Curved lines balloon into landforms, delineating spaces for gatherings, exhibitions and performances. The fabrication of this temporary undulating ground borrowed intersecting vault construction techniques and materials typically employed to build skateparks. Framed in lightweight lumber and skinned in Masonite, the dunes were designed to be mobile, allowing for larger events such as markets.
The lofted sculptural mounds of ‘Unzipped Gardens’ allowed sufficient depth to accommodate clusters of African Sumac and California Live Oak trees planted in submerged boxes – a temporary forest that provides shade and a sense of enclosure. A temporary irrigation system relied on water collected and stored by a drainage mat beneath the dunes. San Jose’s tree coverage has dropped dramatically over the years. From 2012-2018, the city lost nearly three-square miles of trees, a 1.5% overall drop in tree canopy. Because of the temporary nature of this pop-up project, all trees were specifically selected in coordination with Urban Forestry to be donated and installed permanently on San Jose city streets at the end of the residency.
Expanding on the linearity of the pavilion, the existing blacktop surface was transformed into a striated canvas. Alternating painted and planted strips extend in parallel with the pavilion’s building modules – visible through the see-through boxes. The bold stripes traverse the expanse of the site; the consistent pattern interrupted by the constructed topography. Superimposed on the dunes, the tilted succession of strata echoes the geology of the larger region’s fault system. The ground mural, geological striations in shades of green street coating, achieves solar reflectivity that serves to cool the surrounding environment and minimize the heat island effect.
As a pop-up social and cultural space re-activating San Jose’s downtown, ‘Unzipped Gardens’ continues to host informal gatherings as well as public talks, shows, performances and educational programs. The site is currently enjoyed as a roller rink and beer garden open to the public.
• Architecture offices involved in the design:
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), RMW Architecture & Interiors
• Other credits:
Clarity Home Builders, General Contractor
Native Sons, Landscape Contractor
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