CREJ

June 2021 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \ 41 I n recent months, the need for privacy has become more important than ever. It’s the job of public outdoor space to provide ar- eas to be active, play outdoors, exercise or gather with friends for a concert. It’s also important to have public space that can let us un- wind in a different way, a public space that can let us rest and reconnect with the beautiful place we live. In collaboration with Design Workshop, our firm has completed design on the future addi- tion to the Centennial Center Park. With direction from a forward-thinking city agency, this addition explores the need to provide public space that can serve more restful, passive and meditative functions. The existing context brought challenges, including its immense size, proximity to a critical roadway, and its juxtaposition with the existing active areas. The project adds new structures to the exist- ing park that orient themselves around a communal lawn, while new paths, gardens, picnic areas and other site moments combine to create a series of connected and peaceful moments that balance within the larger context of the site. Each intervention acts as a counterpoint to soften and protect from the extremely successful and energetic playgrounds and am- phitheater of the existing park. To provide for the new spaces and comply with the sheer size of the site, the park was subdivided into unique rooms, that through careful balance of vegetation and built elements create a sense of privacy and calm. To maintain a sense of connection and preserve security, the rooms are connect- ed through the ramble, a walk between moments that becomes a restful act in itself. To act as an intermediary between the gardens, and the existing park and buildings, three new structures combine around a cen- tral lawn that become the Upper Bluff. The primary structure is a series of steel moment frames orga- nized around the central point of the lawn. A roof plane turns from porous to solid before finally turning vertical to block sound and sight from the busy nearby street. Varying roof heights bal- ance the need for the space to create individual areas, while their Centennial Center Park Adds More Restful ‘Rooms’ to Foster Privacy Alexander Bender Project Manager, Tomecek Studio Architecture