The challenge of the Parklands has been to give meaning to and magnify the promise of a lovely and subtle landscape. Assembled largely from farmland, undevelopable slopes, and wet bottomlands, the landscape is notable in both its magnitude and primitive state.
The designers and client responded to this by developing the conceptual design to respond to and expand upon these attributes.
Three strategies organized the master plan concept: Framework - The framework shapes the spatial context of the park, including preservation and restoration of the forest, meadows, wetlands, and watercourses; Connectivity - The connectivity component includes the River itself, the park road, the Loop trail, the bridges, and the secondary, wilder paths that provide access to and through the rooms of the Parklands; and Theater - The theatrical component includes the construction of ecological and recreational facilities, providing distinctive places for people to gather, learn, and play.
