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The city of Westminster, Colo., pop. 108,850, a northwest suburb of Denver, sits on the high plains near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Westminster Historical Society notes that before the 1850s, the area was dotted with small, marshy ponds and largely inhabited by buffalo and antelope, although ?EUR??,,????'?????<
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The city of Westminster is celebrating its 100th anniversary throughout 2011.
A Central Gathering Place Westminster Center Park opened in the summer of 2010 and has become a favored destination of the local community.
The 10-acre park site was deeded to the city as part of the public land dedication associated with an adjacent commercial development. In 2007, the city started initial planning for a signature city park. Through an extensive public outreach, the city staff developed a program for the park that included:
The city staff and the consultant team worked together to create a site master plan that incorporated the various program elements, fit the topography of the site and responded to the surrounding area. Additional public meetings were held to gather input and keep the community informed about the progress of the project.
The Thames River paving is constructed of blue crushed glass and stained Lithocrete. The glass is tumbled smooth for bare feet comfort. The interactive water feature jets are integrated into the paving. A trench drain (Urban Accessories) encircles the plaza. The street grid is made with sandscape-textured concrete, with sandblasted and stained street names with 6?EUR??,,????'?????<
Geometry Design The park site is located across 92nd Avenue north of city hall. The site drops approximately 20 feet from south to north. East of the site are single-family residences, with multifamily residential on the north side and commercial development to the west. The formal geometry of city hall is projected onto the site with the program elements organized around the central gathering space. The central space is also positioned to take advantage of the magnificent views of the Rocky Mountains to the west. As 92nd Avenue is a busy four-lane street, the site-grading plan accommodates a future underpass connection to city hall. The site has curvilinear walks around large lawn panels for informal park uses. The walks were laid out to accommodate the installation of future sculptures similar to the art walk at city hall. As this park was anticipated as a popular destination, off-street parking is provided on two sides of the park.
Westminster, England Design Theme The design team reached across the Atlantic to find inspiration for the park design. The sister city of Westminster, Colo. is the eponymous Westminster, England, a central borough of London located along the Thames River. The 14-story clock tower at city hall was designed to symbolize Big Ben. A paving pattern reflecting the Westminster, England street grid helps organize the central gathering space. A River Thames water feature activates the space.
Located in the center of the plaza is a vertical monument reminiscent of Big Ben, which maintains a visual connection to the city hall clock tower. The theme for the playground is the Peter Pan fable, which originated in Kensington Gardens near Westminster, England.
?EUR??,,????'?????< In refining the Peter Pan idea further, the design team settled on a ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Structures The family of structures includes a performance shelter, shade structures and restroom facility. The brick colors and patterns match those of city hall. The performance shelter has a curved brick wall as a backdrop for performers. The backside of this wall is also the source of the water feature. The structures have stainless steel bands with cut out patterns and LED lighting to create visual interest after sunset. The structures are located to the north and south of the central plaza to frame the views to the west. The performance shelter and amphitheater were modeled in Google SketchUp to minimize the impact of the setting sun on the audience and performers.
Integration of Water It was important for the interactive water feature to activate the center plaza space. The design team worked to incorporate the water feature into the overall park theme. Four precast concrete lion head sculptures on the back wall of the performance shelter spit water into a small pool. The water then flows symbolically through the plaza as the Thames River. This paving was designed with stained Lithocrete concrete paving which is made with vibrant blue glass to sparkle in the bright Colorado sunlight. Randomly activated water jets along the river are a huge hit with the kids. Water bubbles out of boulders into a small trough for younger children to explore. The water leads to the playground where it again flows symbolically as blue colored rubberized surfacing.
The mechanical system for the water feature was designed to minimize maintenance and maximize use. The components are located in a separate room of the restroom facility. The design team recognized the water elements would be treated by the community as a ?EUR??,,????'?????<
As Westminster, Colo. is in a semi-arid climate, it was important for the design team to conserve potable water as much as possible. The water feature has minimal pools to reduce evaporation loss. A wind sensor is located on the restroom roof to automatically shut down the water feature on windy days. The irrigation system taps into the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Drought tolerant and salt tolerant plant materials were specified. Reclaimed water tends to have high salt concentrations. A water quality facility was unobtrusively integrated into the low point of the site to treat stormwater before it leaves the site.
Project Budget The initial city budget was not adequate to complete this signature community park with high-quality design elements. The design team discussed phasing options, but the city decided to apply for grants to supplement their budget. They were successful in obtaining grants from the Arapahoe Co. Open Space program and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO-state lottery funds). The design team prepared the construction documents with several alternates to provide the city with maximum flexibility. The poor economy resulted in very low bids and allowed the city to award the entire project. The underpass connection to city hall may be implemented in the future, depending on funding availability.
The successful collaboration between city staff and the consultant team resulted in a signature community park that has been heavily used since it opened in May 2010. On any given hot summer day, families can be found setting up their towels and blankets as early as 6:00 a.m. in anticipation of cooling off in the water feature. Special events and recreation programs have been booked in the performance shelter. Frisbees and soccer balls can be seen floating across the informal turf areas. The completed park has realized a long-term vision of the city and given nearby residents a gathering place.
About the Firm The Architerra Group, Inc. was formed in 1999 to provide landscape architectural consulting services to public sector clients. Their work includes planning and design services for parks, athletic facilities, open spaces, multi-use trails, streetscapes, urban spaces, educational facilities, drainage and environmental restoration projects. The staff includes two RLAs who have an active role in all projects and possess over 40 years of experience. The support staff is highly educated and trained in the profession. The staff is also actively involved in promoting landscape architecture through ASLA, CLARB and in the local community through numerous volunteer projects. The firm has won numerous ASLA Colorado Chapter awards for planning merit, design merit, land stewardship and the President?EUR??,,????'?????<
Vendors/Materials
Art Vendor: Chevo Studios, Denver
Vendor: Colorado Hardscapes, Denver
Hardscapes
Playground Equipment Custom glass fiber reinforced concrete structures
Custom Play Structures
Landscape Structures Vendor: Rocky Mountain Recreation, Littleton, Colo.
Custom sandstone crocodile Vendor: Tribble Stone, Boulder, Colo.
Rubberized playground surfacing Vendor: Robert Kirk, Denver
Site Furnishings
Vendor: Rocky Mountain Recreation, Littleton, Colo.
Drain grates
Vendor: Recreation Plus, Ltd., Golden, Colo.
Lighting Architectural Area Lighting, City of Industry, Calif.
Masonry
Summit Brick Co., Pueblo
Raleigh, North Carolina
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
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