Santa Monica Civic Center Parks - Sustainable Park Workshop

Tomorrow at 1pm, the design team for the Santa Monica Civic Parks project will be hosting an educational workshop on sustainable park landscapes.  The talk will focus on, among other things, how native plants and ecologies in Southern California work, and how they can inform and participate in the Santa Monica Civic Park project.  More on the workshop from the project's website below:

As part of the series of workshops to engage the Santa Monica community in the design process for two new Civic Center parks, an educational workshop on sustainable park landscapes will be held on January 29. Members of the park design team under the leadership of James Corner Field Operations will make in-depth presentations on sustainable landscapes and discuss opportunities for the new parks. (pdf announcement)

Speakers: 
Bob Perry, professor, author and preeminent expert on ecology, water conservation and California native plants

John Greenlee, internationally-recognized horticulturalist, grass and meadow expert, author and lecturer

Lisa Switkin and Sarah Weidner Astheimer, lead park designers with James Corner Field Operations

When:   Saturday, January 29 at 1 pm
Where: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, East Wing (1855 Main Street, Santa Monica 90401)
Questions? Email ccs@smgov.net.

SM Civic Center Park - Updated Concept

Image from Field Operations. All Rights Reserved.

The updated concept for the Santa Monica Civic Center Parks was presented to the community last Saturday, featuring a dynamic synthesis of the three previous concepts based on feedback from the community, with additional design detailing.  The preferred concept from the last meeting was the Arroyo Wash concept, with added facets from the other concepts, and the new concept promises an interesting coastal park with elements people might recognize from other recent Field Ops work such as the High Line.  Check out the entire presentation here, and get ready for the next community meeting on January 29th.   

Santa Monica Palisades Garden Walk - Initial Concepts

Image from Santa Monica Civic Parks Project and Field Operations.  All Rights Reserved.

James Corner and Field Operations held the second community workshop on Sunday, sharing the results from the previous workshop as well as three initial schemes for the high-profile park project.  A complete pdf of the presentation as well as summaries of the concepts and feedback are available for download on the project's website.  Initial impressions: three interesting and distinct ideas for the space, but The Arroyo Wash Concept is my clear favorite.  Something about the lines and character of the graphic imply something genuine about the site in a way that the other concepts don't quite capture.  They feel more introduced, forced, or perhaps even over-designed at this stage, whereas the Arroyo Wash Concept has a simple, strong elegance to it.  Will be interesting to see how the feedback process and design development help shape concept selection and development. 

Image from Santa Monica Civic Parks Project and Field Operations.  All Rights Reserved.

Image from Santa Monica Civic Parks Project and Field Operations.  All Rights Reserved.

Santa Monica Palisades Garden Walk + Town Square Open House

 (Image from Santa Monica Civic Center Parks.  All Rights Reserved.)

Today is the first Community Workshop / Open House for the Santa Monica Palisades Garden Walk + Town Square project.  The Workshop will include a presentation by Field Operations, the lead design consultant for the project, and a number of activities to engage the community.  Further workshops are scheduled for September (Concept Design), November (Schematic Design) and January (Design Development).  More information is available at the project website:

You're invited to a Community Workshop + Open House + Site Walk on July 24th from 1 - 4 pm (presentation at 1:15 pm).  This is your opportunity to meet the Design Team, led by James Corner Field Operations, and make your mark. Kids are welcome.

Details
Where: Enter across from Santa Monica City Hall (1685 Main Street)
Attire: Walking shoes, sun hat and sunscreen
Parking: Validated parking in the Civic Center Parking Structure (333 Civic Center Drive)
Bus: Site served by Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 or Rapid 3
Bike: Santa Monica's popular free bike valet on-site

Santa Monica Palisades Garden Walk Update

(image from The Architect's Newspaper.  All Rights Reserved)

James Corner and Field Operations have won the competition for Santa Monica's future 7-acre Palisades Garden Walk.  Best known for their work on the recently completed High Line project in New York, Field Operations was selected for their landscape expertise and strong work in the public process.  Interestingly, teams did not present any concept designs in their interviews, so the design for the Garden Walk should be a work produced with the citizens of Santa Monica.  As for reaction to the selection, Christopher Hawthorne, the architecture critic for the LA Times, had a promising look at the potential for Corner and the project.  Let's hope some of it can be realized over the coming years.

Santa Monica Palisades Garden Walk Finalists Announced

View of Project Site and Context.  Project will take place in large dirt area east of the Santa Monica Pier. 
(image from http://archpaper.com/uploads/image/RFQ_PalisadesGarden.jpg)

I am a bit late on this announcement, but the City of Santa Monica has selected 6 finalists for the high-profile Palisades Garden Walk and Town Square project.   The impressive group includes: Peter Walker and Partners, Gehry Partners, James Corner Field Operations, Studio Works, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, and SWA Group.

The project will redevelop a large patch of dirt between the Santa Monica Pier and the Santa Monica City Hall (see detailed view of project site to the right - image courtesy of City of Santa Monica).  The project will include 7 acres of park space bordered by future residential development with the goal of creating a dynamic open space that will connect the Santa Monica Civic Center to the rest of the city. The project scope is summed up well by Architect's Newspaper, which first reported the finalists in December:

According to the project’s RFQ, the Town Square, adjacent to Santa Monica’s City Hall, is set to be a space for cultural and civic events, while the Palisades Garden Walk, to its south, will focus on the city’s unique “cultural” and “horticultural” offerings, including a botanical element and water features. Adjacent streetscape improvements, as well as pedestrian and bicycle paths, will connect the parks to the city, while Moore Ruble Yudell’s Santa Monica Village will sit just adjacent. The city has committed $25 million for design and construction of the project, and construction is planned to begin in August 2011.

Funding for the project was approved in June, and interviews will occur this month with a winner chosen sometime shortly thereafter.   The selection panel is said to include Ken Smith and USC architecture dean Qingyun Ma.  A public process will be implemented by the winning team to help develop the final plan.

More coverage of the project can be found at the following websites:
The Dirt
Curbed LA
Santa Monica City Government - RFQ and Base Images