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RIO
GRANDE VALLEY, NEW MEXICO In the Rio Grande valley, landforms are the background infrastructure to the making of place. They are perceived to contain power, embody meanings and offer protection within their embrace. The design of the I-25 Gateway Project, a proposed new rest area facility located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, reflects the basic spatial and formal landform organizations in the Rio Grande valley. The prominent encircling mountain ranges of the valley, which contain the notion of enclosure and evoke the form of the circle, are reflected in the most prominent features of the design, a circular drainage swale and man-made mound (or mountain) sheathed with black basalt rock. The swale is lined with trees and gives visual definition to the surrounding expanse of landscape without obstructing the view from the site. This ring, its outside face lined with black basalt rock, also unifies the complex, as well as provide the motorist a reference point in an otherwise continuous landscape. From the mound, dramatically experiencing both land and sky extending in all directions emphasizes the expansive dimensions of the valley and our connection to sun and sky. The sundial at the top of the mound marks the time of day, the solstices and introduces the element of time in the landscape. The swale also encloses a constructed wetlands for the purification of wastewater that is recycled to irrigate site landscaping. The sister facility, the Pojoaque Port-of-Entry, is located along Highway 285 between Santa Fe and Taos. A perimeter circular line of trees give visual definition and unifies the complex, similar to the I-25 Gateway Project. Building forms and materials are derived from New Mexico highway vernacular. The direct flow of traffic within the facility is accomplished by incorporating through and by-pass lanes and by means of a circular racetrack road configuration that eliminates vehicle cross over. The weigh-in-motion scales and AVI system are located so that legal vehicles may return directly to the highway without stopping. Trucks that do not meet standards are directed to the static scale or parking area for permit purchase or inspection. |