INDIANAPOLIS ART PARK

The park, located at the gateway between urban and industrial Indianapolis, is organized around a series of constructed ecological zones that follow a gradient of low to high and wet to dry. These zones are a series of striations that run north to south with important pedestrian connections to adjacent properties. By manipulating the ground’s surface, micro-topographies are created that prepare the ground for a variety of hydrologic conditions. The design is grounded in sustainable principles including the collection, treatment, and re-use or storm water runoff; dense tree canopies to reduce urban heat island effect and to enhance human comfort; the use of local and recycled materials; the re-use of excavated fill material as landform foundations to avoid off hauling; and a plant palette of natives and non-native low water consumers to create a sensible and sustainable water budget. Overlays of program and art installations are woven into the ecological zones to produce a landscape of ecological performance, experiential quality, and programmatic richness that will become the nexus for new downtown development and a major destination for those interested in art and design.

Client: Buckingham Companies
Status: Design Development in Progress
Size: 9 Acres

701 2nd Street NE

For this mixed use residential and commercial project that is to play a key part of the redevelopment of the H-Street Corridor in Northeast Washington DC near Union Station, we envisioned design elements to extend the image and quality of the building into the public realm and create a hyper-social ground floor and rooftop for residents and visitors alike. Streetscape elements include a strong canopy of Zelkova trees, seating in the form of large bluestone monoliths, a new stair connecting 2nd and H Streets that features green wall panel system and provide a lush vertical moment of surprise in a place that has been a sea of concrete and asphalt for decades. Inside the building, two courtyards extend the landscape into the built space, providing opportunities for both passive and active/flexible uses through spatially layering design elements. Both stormwater and groundwater are key drivers of the design both in the streetscape and the two courtyards: Bio-filtration cells underlie the Zelkova canopy, and an Eco Pond in the South Courtyard is the manifestation of a raised water table and rainwater collection system that will sustain robust and varied wetland plant communities providing ranging texture and color throughout all seasons of the year.

Client: Fisher Brothers
Architects: Rockwell Group, Hickok Cole Architects
Status: Documentation in Progress
Size: 1.76 Acres

NORTHPOINT GATEWAY AND POCKET PARK

The NorthPoint gateway and pocket park are crucial connective open spaces designed as part of the NorthPoint mixed use redevelopment of an old railroad yard in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. To help the client draw attention to the project and connect the former industrial site to the existing city fabric and MBTA train lines, the project features a vibrant public stairway planted with undulating landforms that is the primary link to the pocket park below. The pocket park features gently sloping elliptical forms that provide green spaces for gathering, as well as a canopy of flowering understory trees, wood park benches, and café spaces that act as outdoor “rooms” at a range of scales. Together the park and gateway create a vibrant urban space and reinforce the urban experience of the district.

Client: The HYM Investment Group, LLC
Architect: CBT Architects
Status: Design Development in Progress
Size: 2.7 Acres

SUNING INTERNATIONAL IT HEADQUARTERS PARK

The landscape design for the Suning International Headquarters Park features site-sensitive strategies for integrating the architecture with the central park, creating a cohesive campus identity, and maximizing views to the regional mountains. Design strategies for the park optimize east/west connections and allow for passive wind flow through the building campus. Robust plant communities and regional vegetation complement water management strategies, while also maximizing opportunities for natural ventilation and light access to the buildings. An enhanced vegetated perimeter creates strong visual connections to the regional mountains, while also reinforcing the connection of the building campus to the site and central park landscape.

For a detailed description of the project, click here.

Client: Suning Appliance Co., Ltd.
Lead Architect: Santos Prescott and Associates
Collaborators: Atelier Ten
Status: Schematic Design Completed 2012
Project Size: 21 Acres

NANDASOFT INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PARK

 Well-defined hierarchy of park-like spaces, the project is the landscape component of master plan design for large urban technology campus that includes public facilities and commercial establishments designed to companies, innovators, scientists, and designers.

Location:
Client: Nandasoft Technology Corporation
Lead Architect: Santos Prescott and Associates
Status: Master Plan Completed 2012
Size: 34.6 Acres

DAREEN EAST BEACH

Dareen East Beach is a 173 acre park on the Arabian Gulf, designed to serve not only the needs of a rapidly growing city, but also to draw visitors from the greater region.  The park is composed of three distinct layers:  a neighborhood park, a sequence of large earth forms, and an ecological island. All park layers provide opportunities for gathering and play, add topographical complexity to the site, provide access to the water. The 60 acre island dune, the third layer, will be planted with native grasses, salt-tolerant shrubs and mangroves. Beaches, nature trails, and sites for picnics and camping will offer a quiet escape from the city, attracting human visitors as well as migratory birds and wildlife.

For a detailed description of the project, click here.

Client: Royal Commission for Jubail
Collaborators: FAEC+CBT Associate Architects and Engineers
Status: Concept Design Completed 2011
Project Size: 173 Acres