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The site for Alaska's State Capitol
is a prominent location at
a shoreline bend in the Gastineau Channel. The architects
responded to this by considering the view from the Channel
(image at left) and linking their building to a waterfront
park via an enclosed footbridge. Working with the irregularly
triangular site, they located parking furthest inland, covering
it with the "Mall of Alaska",
a paved outdoor plaza with a regular grid of trees. Moving
towards the water, next is the dome (more detail on the next
page), and two office bars wrap the dome on either side, converging
near the tip of the site but bending to create a corner plaza,
the "Public Forum." Besides providing the Mall and
the Forum, a generous space
is left over between the Capitol Building and a nearby hotel,
though it doesn't appear to be a designed part of the entry.
Working with Earthscape, the landscape architects, hopefully
the design team will help make this outdoor space usable and
enjoyable. |
