Bilger Quarry area project, 2021.

The project is in an abandoned quarry next to Rockridge shopping center and St. Mary Cemetery in Oakland. It seeks to revitalize the area currently losing grounds against online shopping by introducing cultural and communal spaces. A series of building connected by public walkways, the project invites visitors to wander around and view the scenery of the quarry and activities taking place inside. Dark interior encourages pleasant occupation of the well-shaded site. Views of brightly lit exterior pour in from all openings. The contrast between darkness and light enhances people’s perception of the abandoned quarry. The dynamic experience of nature as one walks through them, and the calm, collected experience of viewing them from inside may reveal a renewed appreciation for the simplicity and the humble quality of daily lives. A life that becomes part of the unmistakably beautiful nature.
As visitors climb the tower to the cemetery, they leave the darkness of the quarry and arrives at a vista of Oakland. Maybe then, they will have renewed appreciation for the ordinariness of the cityscape and find comfort in the scenery of daily lives.