News
Architectural Record Features US Olympic & Paralympic Museum
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, completed as of May 2020, beautifully complements the backdrop of Pike’s Peak in Colorado Springs. The design by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, accompanied by landscape architecture by Hargreaves Jones, creates a sweeping sense of movement with three fully accessible floors of immersive galleries, a theater, and a café showcasing the natural beauty of the area.
Read more at Architectural Record.
Dallas City Council Unanimously Approves Carpenter Park for Construction
Hargreaves Jones’ dynamic design for this 5.6 acre park has been unanimously approved for construction by the Dallas City Council. In addition to showcasing Robert Irwin’s sculpture, Portal Park Slice, the park will include areas for children’s environmental play, dog play, interactive fountains, a pavilion, and more.
Find out more about the park here:
Hargreaves Jones Unveils Design Alternatives for the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex
At a public meeting on November 2, Hargreaves Jones revealed three design alternatives for the Silver Lake Reservoirs Complex Master Plan. The reservoirs were decommissioned as part of the City of Los Angeles domestic water distribution system in 2017 and are now being repurposed as a new public park and green infrastructure including stormwater reclamation and habitat restoration and expansion.
Read more about the concept designs for the project on The Eastsider.
Design With Nature Now Hits Bookshelves!
Congratulations to editors Frederick Steiner, Richard Weller, Karen M’Closkey and Billy Fleming on the publication of Design with Nature Now. As 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Ian McHarg’s seminal book, the University of Pennsylvania Stuarts Weitzman School of Design and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy collaborated to explore the legacy and continuance of McHarg’s vision for regional planning using natural systems. The publication explores Five Themes and 25 Projects, showcasing some of the most advanced ecological design projects in the world today, including Hargreaves Associates’ Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Read more about how Hargreaves turned this heavily polluted site into a high-performance ecological and recreational space.
Davenport River Vision Plan Inspires Forward Movement for Flood Solutions in the Mississippi River Basin
We are pleased to see that Davenport’s model of creating a river edge that receives floods, rather than attempts to control them with walls, is cited as an example of the way forward throughout the Mississippi River Basin. Our work in Davenport beginning in 2003 has helped establish a floodable riverfront park that allows the waters to spread out and slow down – thereby decreasing velocity and helping to alleviate downstream problems, as well as creating an open space amenity along the river and preserving views to the river from the city. As the article says:
Instead of relying on hard barriers that hold back the torrent and increase pressure on the system, it [Davenport] depends on its riverfront parkland and marsh to act as a release valve…“Building a floodwall, a solid-structure floodwall pushes problems downriver,” says Mayor Frank Klipsch, where the growing volume of water overwhelms the next town—and beyond.
And the example is catching on:
Mayor Klipsch is determined to keep an open riverfront and expand natural storage along the river. He’s not alone. The Mississippi was still well above flood stage in Iowa when he and the mayors of 89 other river communities released a statement calling for more natural infrastructure in response to the ongoing disaster.
…“In years past, if you wanted to stay mayor, you couldn’t talk about anything but a floodwall or a levee,” says Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, an association of 90 mayors. “Times have changed.”
Indeed, times have changed and if we want to respond to the growing numbers of storms and floods as our globe heats up and climate changes, we must look to solutions that work with natural systems rather than trying to control them. Landscape architects can lead the way to creating public amenities such as riverfront parks, wetlands and natural areas that are as much flood management infrastructure as open space destinations.
Read More:
Audubon: A Better Way to Decrease Disastrous Flooding on the Mississippi River
Oklahoma City’s New Signature Downtown Park Opens
Ten years in the making, Phase One of Scissortail Park opened in Oklahoma City on September 27th to an audience of 28,000 gathered for a concert on the Great Lawn, followed by a weekend of events. OKC Mayor, David Holt, described the experience of witnessing this new 36-acre signature park in use: “Magical. There is no other word for one of the most memorable nights in Oklahoma City history.” The park features open lawns, meadows, gardens, a lake, children’s play area, café and boathouse, an interactive fountain that evokes the blowing grasses of the plains, all set within a landscape of 1,000 new trees and woven into Oklahoma City’s downtown urban fabric. As one local visiting with her family said: “I love that there are different things to do but it’s not over-programmed. It’s awesome.”
Phase Two of the park will follow in 2021, and will complete the long-held vision of connecting downtown OKC to the Oklahoma River.
Read More: Citylab: A First Look at OKC’s 36-Acre Scissortail Park The Oklahoman: Oklahoma City’s Scissortail Park a Hit for the First Round of Visitors KFOR: 28,000 is a record for a concert crowd in the history of Oklahoma City,” OKC Mayor reflects on Scissortail Park grand opening The Oklahoman: Scissortail Park: Final day of grand opening – Photo Gallery
Il Paesaggio Al Centro: International Landcsape Conference Hosts Mary Margaret Jones as Key Note Speaker
Senior Principal Mary Margaret Jones will speak at the 2019 International Landscape Conference in Naples. The event will address critical issues in contemporary landscape design and management, including resources, pollution, and biodiversity.
Discovery Green Named a Great Place by the American Planning Association
The Houston Chronicle celebrates Discovery Green as the only Texas location to be recognized as one of the Great Places in America for 2019, along with 12 other winners. Once occupied solely by parking lots, this now vibrant public space brings art, performances, classes, and community events to engage and develop the Downtown District.
Vision Plan for Cleveland’s Shaker Square Unveiled
The result of a 9-month outreach and concept design phase, the vision for an enhanced, welcoming, and connected Shaker Square was unveiled at a celebratory meeting and picnic on the square. The plan seeks to enhance the many strengths of the square while increasing connectivity to and between the surrounding neighborhoods.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park featured in the Design With Nature Now Book and Exhibit at The McHarg Center
As 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Ian McHarg’s seminal book, Design With Nature, the University of Pennsylvania Stuarts Weitzman School of Design celebrates a continuance of McHarg’s vision for regional planning using natural systems by showcasing some of the most advanced ecological design projects in the world today. Hargreaves’ Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been selected as part of the Design With Nature Now: Five Themes, 25 Projects. These projects are featured in the Design With Nature Now book (now available for pre-order) and exhibit at The McHarg Center (June 21st – September 15th in the Meyerson Hall Lower Gallery). Read more about how Hargreaves turned this heavily polluted site into a high-performance ecological and recreational space.