/ Merit Award
BSLA
Pa rks an d Recre a ti o n a l Fa c i l i ti e s
Spurr, Weston & Sampson’s Design Studio
project name.
location.
Quincy Street Open Space
Somerville, Massachusetts
The design for Quincy Street Open Space
represents an effort to create a different kind of
park; a place with room for a wilder and more
spontaneous atmosphere; a place that is less
pre-determined and managed, and welcomes
dynamic processes of nature and human use.
The ground plane functions as a venue for the
ephemeral and as an evolving organic system
of seasonal textures and experiences offered by
the evolving materiality of the vegetation and its
relationship with the deck. This intimacy creates
a unique urban garden atmosphere.
This close connection between the landscape
and all other life is important and is experienced
differently by everyone who visits. We find that
children are especially intrigued by their exposure
to this rich palette of plant life, soil, mulch, sticks,
organic debris, decay, and associated insects. This
intentional ensemble effectively attracts birds
and other urban wildlife which in turn creates a
diversely rich open space.
96
BSLA