The Gustafson Guthrie Nichol's design for the new civic park at Hemisfair in San Antonio introduces public plazas and courtyards, an event lawn and stage, intimate gardens, a promenade that connects spaces within and beyond the park, and a variety of water features.

The Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN) team of landscape architects, based in Seattle, presented the design for a new 16-acre civic park at Hemisfair in San Antonio. The public presentation shared the design team's research of the city and the region, specifics of the park's features, and conceptual renderings of the civic park.

Located just three blocks from the Alamo and within San Antonio's 1968 International Exposition grounds, the civic park at Hemisfair is part of a more than 90-acre downtown district that is catalyzing development in San Antonio. The civic park design integrates up to six new buildings totaling over 600,000 sq. ft., with additional below-grade parking.

The Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corp. shepherded the development of the civic park's program with active community participation through public work sessions and surveys. GGN participated in this outreach, and the publicly generated programming ideas formed the foundation of the design work.

San Antonio's relationship to its river influenced the design. The city has a character of life at the level of the San Antonio River, and another at the level of the street, 20 feet above the river. The design creates promontory views across the civic park, and connections between the River Walk, historic neighborhoods and the resurgent
downtown core.

Plazas and an event lawn will accommodate over 12,000 people. A stage will face a gently contoured lawn.

Water will emerge from a source fountain in the northwest corner plaza and travel along a promenade in a channel reminiscent of the area's acequias, irrigation channels that were integral to regional farming.

In the southern half of the civic park, water levels will flow in shallow pools, like the natural stone formations that collect water throughout the surrounding Hill Country. A sustainable mix of municipal recycled water and onsite processed wastewater and stormwater will feed the water features, in keeping with San Antonio's long history of being a water-connected and water-conscious city.

GGN is leading a team of local and national consultants. The core team includes architectural design and urban planning from Alamo Architects and sustainability and water management expertise from Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Other team members include: Jaster-Quintanilla, CNG Engineering, CMS Collaborative, Drew Collaborative Works, Tillett Lighting Design, Vickrey & Associates, ETM Associates, Theatre Projects Consultants, Toole Design Group, and Ximenes & Associates, Inc.