BUTTERFLY GARDEN//LARA ANTABI
"Butterfly Harmony Park" is a unique style of intervention in a public park; it acts imperceptibly in the surroundings. This creative design of a park, located within a busy pedestrian route and beside a sports field, draws a crowd and interacts with them through its organic form and educational features.
The Butterfly Harmony Park's architecture is influenced by the forms and hues of flowers and trees in particular. By all these means, the park aims to create a seamless fusion of the natural world with constructed elements. Each component is designed to feel like it is a natural extension of the surroundings, resulting in a soothing and revitalizing experience. Within the park, the Butterfly Garden House is a closed area that is connected to the main road by a maze. This maze is not just a delightful walk through, but it also leads to an outdoor movie theater that is a semi-open space. It also offers peaceful spots for relaxation, featuring cozy benches and hammocks.
The first step involved a full analysis of the park, natural forms, and colors to try and determine how these components could be integrated to form a cohesive design for the park. The intent was to create a place of beauty and usefulness in form, where every piece lent to the whole. The Butterfly Garden House and outdoor movie theatre were designed for a more educational and inspirational breath, whereas the maze was designed for a sense of exploration and discovery.
Like the fusion of elements in my park design, I am immersed in both dynamic social contacts and academic work as an international architecture student at Abdullah Gul University. Life near campus provides access to 24/7 open studios where I often spend many hours honing my architectural visions. International classmates of mine often constitute a support system, and we work together on most assignments and hang out at campus cafes. This balancing of studying demands goes with the fact that the university gym keeps me stress-free and fit. Besides, this mixture of hard work, friendship, and routine keeps my life very dynamic and fulfilling as this very concept has directly inspired my projects like the Butterfly Harmony Park.
