LASN is a photographically oriented, professional journal featuring topics of concern and state-of-the-art projects designed or influenced by registered Landscape Architects.
Issue link: https://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/807417
Above: Viewed from the ramp above, the playground is organized into distinct zones. The play area at the rear has play structures by Landscape Structures. The picnic area at the back right and the gathering nook in the foreground both have custom blue site furniture. In the center, a custom musical fence designed by CBA and fabricated by Custom Fabrication, Inc., plays "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Left: The park glows softly at night for security and use. Light columns in two different heights (Forms + Surfaces) mark key points. Uplighting (HP2 by B-K Lighting) accents the adjacent building walls surrounding the play structures. Rope lights were fitted into the roofs of the play structures. 68 Landscape Architect and Specifier News One key goal shared by the city and CBA was to minimize the park's environmental impact. The splashpad was designed with a standalone bollard to activate the water, and a selection of the lowest-flow spray heads from the manufacturer to keep the total flow rate below a target of 20 GPM while providing a variety of play experiences. With the site now sloping in toward the park's center, stormwater and splashpad drainage was an issue. The solution was to use a 90% recycled material, pervious ceramic paver throughout the park, allowing stormwater and the splashpad's runoff to infiltrate directly into the ground rather than be directed to the city's storm drainage system. Unlike traditional "permeable pavers," water isn't limited to the joint spaces; it moves through the paver itself. Together with the rubber surface and the planting beds, the pervious pavers create a site with no impermeable surfaces other than the ramp itself! The park was planted with a mix of perennials and ornamental grasses. Salvaged and new stainless steel stars decorate both the refurbished entrance archway and an adjacent wall, where they float above the waves of color in and around panels with whimsical murals by local artist Joe Barillaro. Barillaro also painted murals on the ramp's abutments, including one that marks a new second entrance to the park from the end of the ramp and faces the highway. The colors in the murals were selected to complement the overall palette of the park, which was carefully curated to match elements throughout the park and provide a consistent "look and feel."