Lions Park

Another aspect of the project we are starting to explore is a bridge element crossing over the swale to connect to the other end of the exercise path. Here we are looking at possibilities that try to fit in either with the aesthetic of the pads themselves or talk to the potential language of the path connecting all the pieces.

Here are a few proposals looking at the path needed to connect the pads together. We spent awhile convincing ourselves that a path was in fact necessary, but its our belief now that we should provide solid footing for everybody to access the equipment. The question we’re facing now is just how solid/hard/well defined that path needs to be.

On one hand, we don’t want to put something in there that would take away from the existing beauty of the space, which would lean us in the direction of a path that hopefully more or less disappears. The top image depicts this idea. The goal with the crushed red brick would be to provide a surface for a low “ground cover” such as moss or clover to take over so that over time it appears to be a path of clover (as a side note we’re looking at crushed red brick because that is the material used at the front boarder of the park). With a path that basically becomes a surface, the exercise pads would simply “float” over it.

The other side of the argument is to provide a more solid/permanent path that doesn’t rely on a ground cover to take over. The second image depicts a path made of metal grate that would allow users to walk above the forest ground. The grate would be the dominant continuous path above the exercise pads. This option would give users more confident footing but is it appropriate for the space?…..

Decisions decisions……

The team is finally back from “summer vacation” (with architecture degrees in hand)!!! And what better way to start back than redesigning/rethinking one of our big ideas….asking ourselves whether or not it is appropriate to construct such a massive base of concrete for the equipment to sit on in this type of environment. Doing a big concrete pour in the middle of a field is one thing, but we are dealing with a very different condition. We have trees…that we don’t want to kill…that are one of the biggest reasons we located the equipment here in the first place…and trees have roots…that don’t like to be cut (shocker I know). Because of this, we have had to rethink our approach.

Because of our desire not to kill the trees, it’s more appropriate to touch the ground in the lightest way possible. Which in turn means the smallest amount of excavation possible. Which gives the trees the best chance of survival. To accomplish this, we are now exploring the idea of a cantilevered concrete slab (taking clues from the existing skate park). Taking it one step further, what if that slab appeared to float off the ground entirely….food for thought….

We’ve been hard at work preparing the front entry bed of the park for planting perennial plugs. The process has gone something like this:

1. Remove about eighty cubic yards of poor soil from the bed.

2. Jackhammer and remove a band of asphalt left behind from an old parking lot.

3. Remove and re-pour a section of broken sidewalk.

4. Refill bed with nursery grade top soil.

5. String 5x5 grid across the bed.

6. Using the strings as reference, draw planting designs over the new soil using sand.

The next and final step will be plugging about 1700 individual perennial plants.

It is that time of the year again- time to reseed those native warm season grasses. We have broadcast a mix of big bluestem, little bluestem and indiangrass to help ensure a full stand of prairie grass this summer. Later in the season, we’ll throw in some wildflowers- echinacea and rudbeckia.

Some plans and sections we presented at Pig Roast….

Here are a series of perspectives we presented at Pig Roast!

The top image shows the fitness equipment’s concrete pad dissolving into the path that brings you to each machine. We like the idea of using the stick language already found in the park just shrunken down to about 4 feet. The sticks in the path are allowed to be pretty sparse with them becoming more and more dense as they head towards the pad. At the end of the pad where the equipment is located they come together and form a solid object. By allowing grass and small vegetation to grow up around the sticks the visual and physical impact of the pad are lessened. We know we don’t want a long strip (or tongue as we’re calling it) of concrete connecting the pads to the path. We like a more subtle approach where nature and the surroundings are still the focus.