Orange County Great Park

Is there a bigger project potentially affecting the future of the Los Angeles / Orange County region than the Orange County Great Park?  After hearing all of the press, and getting a chance to listen to designers Ken Smith and Mia Lehrer talk about the project at this year's ASLA Convention, I finally got to visit the initial offering of the park this past October.  While only 27-acres of the 1,347 acre project, the 2009 ASLA Award winning Preview Park project is functioning as a prototyping ground for the rest of the park.  Design ideas, details, and materials are being tested while initial events are being implemented to promote use of the space by nearby residents.

The Balloon Observation platform provides the showpiece and primary activity of the Preview Park.  Guests get a free ride 400 feet in the air on the balloon with great views of the surrounding landscape, and what will eventually become the rest of the park.  As of yet, there is little to see, but the ride does provide an interesting opportunity to understand the true scale of the project.  Protected by large berms covered in deergrass and slopes of reused concrete slab, the element of arrival at the balloon is well conceived.



Also well-conceived are the various site furnishings and details throughout the preview park, including a number of bench, light, and swale concepts.  The only criticism is that they feel a bit incongruous once you leave the observation platform, most likely because different styles, materials, and ideas are being tested all in one location.  Future editing will probably help resolve this lack of cohesion.  The last major element in the Preview Park is the beginning of the graphic  timeline which tells the story of the park's cultural history for visitors.

Overall, the Preview Park intimated a graphic-oriented, highly-detailed, and richly textured future for the Great Park that builds off the history of the former airfield.  Beyond some lack of cohesion across the whole 27-acres, the biggest concern that jumped out to me was the need for ongoing maintenance throughout the park.  While the vivid orange chosen for the balloon and park details effectively brands the project, it is not performing well in an exterior environment.  The faded balloon provides the most notable example of this,although efforts are underway to use a different material and coating to project the longevity of the color.

While the ultimate success (let alone funding) of the massive park is still up in the air, the Preview Park is full of interesting design ideas, and provides great potential for the future outcome of the park.

(images from author, all rights reserved)