Past & Present
The mathematics of volume and scale speak across cultures and times. The volumetric representation of the mound’s vast dimensions - 400-feet long, 60-feet high, 80-feet wide - becomes an element that negotiates between past and present and requires the physical interaction of passersby. Because of its massiveness, the reenacted shellmound volume imposes a dramatic feature, visible from the highway and from adjacent roads and buildings. The shellmound volume thus anchors the reality of this human-made earth-form in a tangible, physical sense, underscoring its prior existence within the context of vast contemporary buildings.

• The suggestion of the volume takes the shape of a graceful structure-an arrangement of dramatic arches spaced 20 feet apart that correspond to the mound’s size and profile
• The volume reads as a structure that directly relates to the scale of the building volumes adjacent to it. It is illuminated to underscore its nighttime presence
• The partial volume emerges from the ground like a gigantic unfinished basket. Its exterior is defined by slender, braided copper cables that patina into a soft green tone over time
• The arches taper from their base to their apex, and are designed as hollow bundles that respect the manner in which reeds were historically arranged to construct shelters and watercraft
•  The structure potentially creates a gateway crossing Shellmound Drive and skirting the Temescal Creek