The Richmond Civic Center, especially its central plaza, is the symbolic heart of the city. When the Civic Center was completed in the early 1950’s, the landscape was not fully realized. The improvement program for the plaza and greater landscape is therefore less an act of renovation than a completion of a vision for the Civic Center. Framed by the architecturally significant historic complex, the site’s design adheres to a modernist aesthetic. It maintains fundamental historic elements while reinterpreting the overall structure of the complex, celebrating important civic and cultural axes and highlighting the architecture.
In a decidedly contemporary approach, the site design advances a clear sustainable agenda that includes water saving principles, recycled materials, urban heat island mitigation, and storm water management.
The large plaza accommodates a wide range of activities, yet its size is tempered by human-scaled spaces designed for lunch seating, outdoor wi-fi sessions, noontime concerts, and other public functions that make up the life of the Civic Center.
