Parks + Civic Spaces
We design outdoor spaces that reflect the character of their contexts, so each project is unique expression of its community. But common to all our projects is the commitment to amplify local voices and meet local needs through art, agriculture, education and beauty.
The Franklin D. Reeves Center
Size
TBD
Client
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
Budget
TBD
WASHINGTON, DC — The Reeves CMC Venture development team has produced a plan to revive Black Broadway on U Street. Dynamic architectural forms create excitement at the iconic corner of 14th and U, framing courtyard spaces designed for performance, festivals and farmers markets. Influential figures from the local African American community feature prominently. Musical and cultural traditions are celebrated throughout the building and courtyard with visual arts and performance venues. Sound, light, and movement animate the courtyard space, and a cantilevered glass studio housing Alvin Ailey’s dance studios will be the first of its kind outside New York City.
Chuck Brown Memorial Park
Size
42,000 sf
Client
DC Department of Parks and Recreation
Budget
$1.8M
WASHINGTON, DC — BSD worked closely with the architects to prepare plans for a music venue and park to memorialize this iconic figure in American music history. Part of the existing DC Langdon Park was renovated and updated with a new performance area and image panels that tell the history of Chuck Brown and the Go-Go movement. Site features include a children’s percussive instrument play area, seating areas, plazas and walkways of pervious pavers, extensive bioretention areas and lush layers of native plantings. The team worked extensively with DPR, DGS and the community, and presented the project successfully before the Commission of Fine Arts.
Laurel Library and Emancipation Park
Size
41,000 sf facility
Client
Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
Budget
$15.6M
LAUREL, MD — BSD collaborated with community groups, PGCMLS and the design team to co-create a dynamic community hub in this historic town. In the 1870’s the site was a place of celebrations and events within The Grove, a community of formerly enslaved people, and those traditions still exist today. The design honors that history in a new Emancipation Park, which includes an amphitheater, splash pad, play areas, plaza and open flexible lawn space for festivals. Local artists produced sculpture for the site through the Art in Public Places program, and an innovative storm water management design includes pervious pavement systems and heavily planted bioretention facilities throughout the campus.
AWARDS: AIA/American Library Association (ALA) National Library Building Award;
AIA Maryland Chapter Public Building of the Year Award
Playgrounds and Community Parks
Size
Compact rooftop play spaces to 200+ acres
Client
Departments of Parks and Recreation, Public and Private Schools, Housing Developers
Budget
Varies
DC, MD, VA, PA, FL, KY — BSD has provided comprehensive design and construction administration services for dozens of playgrounds, parks and recreation areas of all scales. BSD turns site challenges into opportunities, activating slopes for amenities, finding thematic elements in historical contexts, and preserving trees to provide a shaded, leafy setting for new play areas. Our parks include multigenerational opportunities for active and passive recreation, incorporating adult fitness elements, accessible play opportunities, and a variety of innovative and culturally relevant features. Sustainable site design is integral to every park; bioretention areas, pervious pavement systems, interactive water re-use features and other visible interventions provide environmental education and demonstrate stewardship.
DC Water Headquarters
Size
N/A
Client
DC Water
Budget
N/A
WASHINGTON, DC — BSD was on a shortlisted team for this world-class facility on the Anacostia River waterfront. The team created a detailed design concept for a cutting-edge sustainable building and campus, working in close collaboration so visual and functional elements blended seamlessly and worked smoothly. Vegetated roofs and living walls in the building were coordinated with site elements such as an interactive water feature that would also serve as a stormwater management facility. Elevation was created on the flat plaza surface with tiers of bioretention gardens. Pervious pavements, tree canopy coverage and streetscape facilities complete the sustainable narrative and give a distinctive sense of place to the new Headquarters campus.
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BETHESDA, MD — Streets everywhere are being transformed to civic spaces, and Bethesda, Maryland is dedicating a five-block area to pedestrian-focused programming. Working with the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the design team has developed programming that supports adjacent restaurants, shops, and residents. The project is envisioned as an outdoor art gallery that celebrates local artists and animates a vibrant new gathering place for music, dining and socializing.
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Leonardtown, MD — BSD studied the history and culture of the project area and created a design that looks to the future while honoring the agrarian past of this rural site. The result is a soaring building that rises dramatically from a pristine field of native grasses, and interior spaces that look out over framed views of preserved mature trees and distant meadows. The Senior Center features activity terraces that extend the interior spaces, and contemplative spaces surrounded by masses of native plants that attract birds and butterflies. Other Senior Center amenities include pickleball courts and ADA compliant paths. A shaded area for horse-and-buggy parking was provided for the local Mennonite community.
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ELKRIDGE, MD — Set among preserved shade trees, the building invites community members of all ages and mobilities to a center for socializing, reading and learning. Among the many unique features is a Do-It-Yourself Education Center with a collection of items available for check-out, including garden and power tools, culinary equipment, and bicycle repair accessories. Despite its location on busy Route 1, the site is an oasis among native plants and trees. A long boardwalk winds through the forest, following the edge of a bioretention pond rimmed with masses of indigenous plants that attract and support wildlife.
AWARDS: USGBC Wintergreen Award
The Green at Parkside
Shaw Skate Park
Mt. Olivet Contemplative Garden
Marie Reed Recreation Center
Germantown Square Park
David Driskell Park
Joy Evans Park
Dulles 28 Splash Pad and Ice Rink
Greenbelt Skate Park
Ovid Hazen Wells Park
Hyattsville Library
Capital Crescent Trail
Greenmount Recreation Center
Springs at Reston
O Street Park