Si View Metropolitan Park

Harmsen recently completed work on a major improvement project to a historic park site in North bend for the Si View Metropolitan Park District. This project includes the addition of a large plaza that will be used as parking space during non-event times. The site is home to the Si View Community Center building built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). Our design is complimentary to this historic and iconic structure while enabling new program opportunities and replacing antiquated facilities. We have analyzed the pedestrian traffic and have designed a new system of sidewalks to move people comfortably and safely throughout the site program areas.

Parking & Plaza - The challenge of this project was to create a space that feels like a pedestrian plaza while allowing for the functional use of parking that embraces the historic nature of the site. We accomplish this with a combination of design elements that put the priority on the pedestrian, rather than the automobile. The plaza has been designed at grade with the park, eliminating the separation commonly created by curbing. To separate car traffic from the park and to delineate parking spaces, we use a series of bollards rather than using wheel stops which could be a trip hazard.

The plaza/parking lot is designed to be easily segmented with removable bollards. This allows for some parking during events but safely separates the recreation activity and the parking. To make the space inviting to pedestrians, we utilize the Streetprint product to imprint a colored brick pattern on the area utilized for the drive lane of the parking lot. The paved surface will be colored to reduce the heat island effect for the space and to increase comfort for park users. We selected pedestrian level historically accurate lighting, including lighted bollards and overhead fixtures. All elements used on this project are complementary to the historic community center building including lighting, bollards, benches, paving patterns, garbage cans and drinking fountains.

Environmental Design - It is the Park District’s and our desire to design this Plaza/Parking area as environmentally sensitive. We utilized porous paving and rain gardens to treat, store and infiltrate the site storm water. We are coating the asphalt with a high albedo coating that meets the minimum solar reflective quotient to attain the LEED heat island reduction point. Our plant palette is native and drought tolerant plants and our irrigation system is designed to be highly efficient in its water usage.

This project is being done in conjunction with a road improvement project for SE Orchard Drive designed by the City of North Bend. We have coordinated extensively with them, their surveyors, the Si View Metropolitan Parks District staff, Commissioners, and all sub-consultants.

For more photos click here to visit our Facebook album