Moundscape Park
Mellon Studio
Jennifer Newsom
Designed By
Noah Gear
Moundscape Park
Petersfield, Jamaica
FA 2024
Cornell University
Context
This park is inspired by Jamaica’s beautiful topography and the rich history it represents. During the period of enslavement, the island was full of plantations that cultivated crops on the flat lands of Jamaica. When the British took control of the island from the Spaniards, groups of enslaved people fled to the mountains and created their own communities of free people. These groups are known as the Maroons. The Maroons settled in the most dangerous parts of the island’s landscape to protect themselves from being found. They learned to use the topography to their advantage, enabling them to remain free and communicate with other free communities. Through research of this time period, there is a clear correlation between topography and liberation. Cockpit Country (shown above) is the most iconic landform on the island. Its rolling hills create a beautiful blanket of green across a 20-square-mile area. Cockpit Country is home to many unique plant and animal species that exist only in this part of the island.
The site of the park is in Petersfield, Jamaica, on the southwestern part of the island. The land where the park exists was once a plantation. As a form of architectural resistance, this park is designed to represent the landscape of the island where freedom thrived. It is a way to reclaim the land and honor the beauty of Jamaica.
Program
The park contains multiple features that benefit the community. At the northern entrance, there is a space for a market where local vendors can sell their produce and provide healthy food options for the neighborhood. The café serves as a gathering space and creates opportunities for the PGBS Community Center to generate income. The café serves both interior and exterior spaces, catering to spectators enjoying the soccer games. Above the café and market is a rooftop terrace containing carefully cultivated mounds filled with shrubs and wildflowers. The community can use this space for events and to watch soccer games. The park also includes a tutoring center for the children of the community. Located just a few hundred feet from the local high school, the tutoring center provides a space where children can get help with their homework and participate in after-school programs. Beyond the tutoring center is the “moundscape” playground. Children can jump from one miniature mound to another and climb on built-in grips. Finally, there is a space that can be rented out for events such as weddings and birthday celebrations.
This park serves as a space where children and community members can come together. It also enables the community center to raise funds to host programs for the neighborhood, making it a vibrant and multifaceted resource for the community.
