Prairie Erratic 

Urbana, Illinois

Prairie Erratic is a proposal for a small open space adjacent to the Urbana Municipal Building.

The concept merges vestiges of the glacial landscape and native plant with an evocative formal layout. A series of earth mounds rotate around a small central sitting area - a talking circle. The mounds alternate between native prairie grasses, and more interactive turf grass. Atop the mounds are stacked erratics, suggestive of neolithic sculptures, ancient totems, or more contemporary abstract forms. Among the stacked erratics are individual erratics placed radially around the center to suggest seating places.

A square paving grid forms the base of the space, integrating the site into the larger organizational grid.

Design Competition: 1990-91

Design Collaborator: Jonathan Hammond