2022
Community, ResiliencySmithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum
The landscape design developed for the Anacostia Community Museum includes a series of ‘outdoor rooms’ to accommodate a variety of programmatic opportunities. Landscape features frame the Museum to create a clear hierarchy and sense of place while improving the site’s functionality and a diverse pallet of low-maintenance plants emphasizes a welcoming environment for visitors. Mature trees were preserved throughout the … Read more »
Resiliency, Streets & Public PlacesCool Streets Guidelines
Downtown Silver Spring encompasses a heat island. Dark impervious surfaces such as streets, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, on-street parking, and parking lots are getting hotter each year due to climate change and extreme temperatures. In fact, Silver Spring’s high impervious surface ratio, low tree canopy cover, dark-colored street surfaces, and lack of shaded open spaces or shaded refuges further exacerbate the … Read more »
Parks & WaterfrontsTaylor Farm Park Master Plan
The site’s history spans the civil war, including a long and storied legacy as a working farm. The team worked closely with area residents to craft a plan that will introduce land-compatible uses that celebrate the ecological beauty of the park while providing a signature amenity. The heavily wooded 100-acre property includes water and wetlands, providing beauty and development limitations. … Read more »
Streets & Public PlacesSycamore Hill Gateway
A modest granite monument was once the only visual reminder of Sycamore Hill Baptist Church and the ‘Downtown’ community once located at Town Common. Although there were a limited number of physical elements to remember ‘Downtown,’ residents still recall the spirit and vitality of the predominately African American neighborhood, which was eradicated because of the City’s Urban Renewal project in … Read more »
Community, Parks & Waterfronts, Streets & Public PlacesJean R. Packard Occoquan Center
Set along a scenic bluff overlooking the Occoquan River, the Jean R. Packard Occoquan Center is a popular multipurpose venue accommodating special events, park offices, educational exhibits, a café, and visitor amenities. The award-winning design of the 18,367-square-foot, LEED® Gold building minimized site disturbances and optimized views of the river, framed through carefully preserved mature trees including a grove of … Read more »
Community, Parks & WaterfrontsEva Walker Park
The master plan for Eva Walker Park envisions the transformation of an existing 5.6-acre park into an inviting public amenity commemorating the life of community leader Eva Walker and honoring the heritage of Haiti, the historic African American neighborhood that surrounds the property. The plan proposes recreational and sensory experiences for all ages, including gardens, a nature playground, artwork and … Read more »