Featured System:
Project Type:
Children’s Park
Project location: San Diego, CA
Awards:
2024 ASCC Decorative Concrete Council Award, Vertical Facades Under 5,000 SF – 2nd Place
Children’s Park has been an iconic component of San Diego’s downtown open space since its construction in 1996. In 2018, Spurlock Landscape Architects was selected to implement the General Development Plan for the park project and since then, the Park has undergone a $9 million renovation, transforming it into a vibrant communal space aimed at enhancing urban living and promoting community well-being.
Key upgrades to the 1.4-acre park include a series of large and unique play structures, an off-leash dog area, fitness equipment, game tables, and a vendor building with covered outdoor seating. Additionally, a new elevated walkway engages visitors with the existing Civic Pond and water feature.
We had the pleasure of working with Spurlock early on during the design development phase and proposed the Lithocrete Sedimentary Wall system to achieve their design intent. We then made a series of different integrally-colored concrete samples with varying levels of etch until we achieved the color palette and texture they desired, and helped them select an aggregate blend that we would be seeding in between the color layers.
According to Spurlock, the sedimentary walls were designed to reflect the history and materials of the project's site by incorporating colors, decomposed granite, and rocks directly sourced from the area to create the layers. These site walls played a crucial role in ensuring accessible paths-of-travel between various park areas by adjusting the grade. Additionally, they were strategically placed around existing trees in the dog park to preserve the original finish grades and protect the root zones, while also serving as seating for dog owners and providing agility features for the dogs.
In the play and fitness areas, the walls were designed stepped every 18 inches to offer seating for park users, deterring sleeping and skateboarding, and maintaining a playful appearance. The varied seat heights were thoughtfully designed to accommodate both adults and children sitting together. Overall, these walls have become a dynamic element of the park, not only addressing technical grading and tree protection but also providing an engaging feature for children and animals to explore.