Phoenix Park Earns National Award

Civic Space Park Wins Prestigious National Design Award

Phoenix, AZ – The city of Phoenix’s Civic Space Park has earned a coveted national award for Landscape/Urban Design. The park was the “Best of 2009” winner in the Engineering News-Record’s annual awards of notable design and construction from throughout the country.

Civic Space Park entered the national competition because it was named the regional winner in the Landscape/Urban Design category by Southwest Contractor magazine. Civic Space Park beat out 10 other regional winners in the Landscape/Urban Design category. The Engineer News Record (enr.com) is a major trade publication for the design and construction industries.

Civic Space Park, developed as a partnership between community members, the city of Phoenix and Arizona State University, utilizes sustainable design techniques to generate power, keep the area cool and capture rain water. Sustainable park features include:

• Solar panels on the park’s shade structures will generate 75 kilowatts of power (enough to power 8-9 residential homes) to offset the park’s lighting and electrical needs.
• Extensive shade; more than 70 percent of the park’s surface area will be shaded when its trees and vegetation reach maturity.
• Hard surfaces made with pervious concrete and pavers that reduce heat reflection and allow rainfall to seep through. Water passing through the pervious concrete and pavers will enter an underground rainfall collection system that allows water not used by the park’s plants to seep naturally back into the ground.
• Trees planted with a system that utilizes grates and specially engineered soils to protect roots, minimize compaction and allow ample room for root expansion.

The park also houses the A.E. England building, named for the business formerly housed there. The building houses Fair Trade Café in its storefront retail space on the basement level. The building also offers space for meetings, presentations, small banquets, art events, classes, offices and restrooms. Arizona State University and the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will collaborate to manage and program the building.

Source: City of Phoenix