By Ann Wegner
Staff Writer

In the regular rush of any city, it is assuring to know that there is also room for relaxation. The Star City Dream Garden, which will be constructed on a small plot of land between Duncan Hall and the Journal and Courier building in Lafayette, may provide an urban sanctuary for local citizens

Designs for the garden were developed by a group of Purdue landscape architecture students who recently presented their proposals for the transformation of the currently unused green space. Area students submitted ideas to the Purdue group, who incorporated these contributions into their own designs for ground cover, shrubbery and trees as well as tables, benches and walkways.

The landscape architecture students presented their plans on March 29 at Duncan Hall. Members of Duncan and the Journal and Courier, as well as the overseeing professor, Rob Sovinski, were present to receive the proposals and provide feedback.

Sovinski, associate professor of horticulture and landscape architecture, said the ideas included paved plazas, decorative lighting and banners, outdoor sculptures, quotes from local students carved into stone, benches and fountains.

He said the rejuvenated realm could provide a space for patrons to utilize during intermission of one of the hall's concerts, a place to enjoy a brown-bag lunch or to hold a wedding reception or an urban space where people could simply relax.

Construction for the garden will begin as soon as a selection is made from the variety of submissions. Sovinski said that a combination of the landscape architecture students' ideas is strongly discouraged.

"Each design is an individual, unique composition pursuing unity and harmony of space, forms and materials," he said. "A menu approach would simply dilute their ideas, not strengthen them. A little Van Gogh, a little Renoir and a little Monet doesn't make for a better painting."

David Carter, a junior in the School of Agriculture, is one of the landscape architecture students working on the project. He said that although the members of the receiving organizations liked different ideas from many of the designs, the final plan would be more cohesive if only one design was chosen as opposed to a combination.

The Purdue students are now waiting, having done their part in mapping out the plans, until the final selection is made. The official garden design should be selected soon, as construction of the garden is projected to be complete by the end of May.