Visitors to the new outdoor shopping center opening Friday at Dos Lagos will probably be lured past the fashions to an eye-catching, one-of-a-kind walkway and bridge made of 91 steel ribs wrapped in bamboo.
The pedestrian promenade spanning a pair of lakes is the most prominent feature of the 12-acre heart of
the Dos Lagos community in Corona designed by Monrovia architect Norberto F. Nardi.
 |
| Caitlin M. Kelly / The Press-Enterprise |
| Construction worker Jorge Diaz keeps to the shade as he walks along the pedestrian walkway at the Dos Lagos development in Corona in August. |
|
|
|
The broad walkway links The romenade Shops at Dos Lagos and an phitheater with the office buildings, hotel and homes planned on the north side of the lakes. Nardi said it was inspired by the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Like that famous Italian bridge, it is envisioned to become a busy gathering place for Dos Lagos residents, workers and shoppers.
Nardi observed that the interior of the 820-foot long structure looks like the inside of the skeleton of a whale. The bamboo-encased walk follows an undulating path and opens strategically to provide views of the lakes and a 9-foot waterfall separating the two bodies of water.
It took six months to design the walkway, Nardi said. One objective was to position the bamboo -- a trellis that will be covered alternately with roses and lilacs, depending on the
season -- to maximize shade hroughout the day. Another purpose was to block the sound and view of nearby Interstate 15.
Ali Sahabi, developer of the 543-acre Dos Lagos mixed-use community, said from the start Nardi's design for the combination walkway and bridge was controversial. "I had to, in a big way, trust the architect because all my executive management team for one reason or another were against it," he said.
One of the concerns was the cost, which kept growing with the price of materials, Sahabi said. Ultimately, the area containing the lakes and surrounding park cost $11 million to develop. Of that, $2 million was for the promenade, he said.
Only one steel fabrication shop in Illinois would take on the job of custom building the ribs providing the structural support for the walkway, and each rib had to be installed at a slightly different angle, Sahabi said. And he said a company in Florida was the only one capable of installing the extra-hard, 2-inch diameter bamboo imported from Vietnam.
Sahabi said he and the former doubters on his development team are pleased with the result. He said the sculpturelike walkway provides a memorable landmark for the Dos Lagos project. Still, he acknowledged that the bamboo structure is a form of art, and like all art will probably have its critics.
"I felt that an artistic element was going to make us different from any other project," Sahabi said. "People for many years to come are going to be talking about this."
Copyright The Press-Enterprise Co.
BACK TO ARTICLES...
|
