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/274582
March 2014 87 associated water rights for Salt River Project (SRP) irrigation. The parks department decided to use available SRP water to flood irrigate turf play areas in the park. Traditionally, this flood irrigation water would have been piped. Instead, the design team looked to the nearby Agua Fria River to provide the aesthetic inspiration. A concrete trapezoid carries the water, gates adjust the flow, and pipes release it. This meandering, boulder-strewn waterway or "irrigation rivulet" is not only the backbone of the design but representative of our early ancestors to bring water to sustain a community and crops. The park's use of water for irrigation is built around supplying only what is needed to sustain plant life. Planting Zones The park has three distinct planting zones. A riparian core was designed around the rivulet. Native ash trees provide shade, and the flowering desert willows offer radiant pink colors and fill the air with fragrance. A mix of river cobble and sand enhances the feeling of this riparian zone as it traverses the site. The second zone, a mesquite bosque, fills the interior of the park, with each tree offering a unique sculpture of branching, shadow patterns and cooling shade. And lastly, the perimeter is surrounded with the distinctive green trunks of Arizona's state tree, the Sonoran Desert's blue palo verde with its brilliant yellow blooms. As the trees reach maturity, over 28 percent of the park will be under tree canopy, which exceeds the city's goal of 25 percent coverage. Shade, Runoff and Terrain Several large custom designed group shade and picnic ramadas (sheltered roofs) are integrated into the site, with blue circular rooftops representing the surface of a body of water. Brilliant green "reed" support columns break through this surface, Above & Middle California Skate Parks integrated a custom designed skate park within the contours of a large turf berm, providing amphitheater style seating. Ramps set into the berm create a transition from hardscape to a landscape of desert willow, Arizona 'Fan-West' ash, blue palo verde and thornless hybrid 'AZT' mesquite trees. The skate plaza has specialized equipment for tricks and grinding. The grinding benches also offer seating for riders waiting their turn on the quarter pipe. 84-93.indd 87 2/28/14 5:10 PM