Lakeshore East Park - SOM

Added : 09 Jun 2011 | Visits : 1977 | Average votes : %

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The Lakeshore East Park in Chicago, designed by the Office of James Burnett is a part of a larger redevelopment project and is envisaged as a place with increased interaction within the community.

The proposed 28-acre Lakeshore East development in Chicago’s Inner Loop includes residential units, hotel rooms, 2.2m square feet of commercial space, retail space, elementary school and a 6-acre urban park. The later designed by the Office of James Burnett is the central amenity in this $4 billion redevelopment project that overlooks the confluence of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

The entrance to the park is simple free-flowing space which leads the visitors into the lush landscape. Spaces in the park have been designed keeping in mind the different kinds of visitors. There are places for the children, for dog-owners as well as for casual visitors – all within the same park.

There is a peripheral boundary path which is interconnected with pedestrian pathways that make all the corners of the park accessible. Inspired by the curves of the sailboats that dot Lake Michigan, two sweeping promenades serve as the primary east-west circulation across the site. These are lined with a series of fountain basins, seating areas and ornamental gardens.

Chicago’s 3-tiered transit system resulted in a grade change of almost 25’ from the south to the north of the site. To overcome this, the landscape firm created a stand which offers a view of the park and reinforces the axial connection. The paved north axis leads to a limestone staircase through the park which ends in a plaza at the north end of the site. The plaza continues the form language of the axial connection and extrudes it into the third dimension, through the addition of seat walls set in plinths of decomposed granite and surrounded by mixed under-storey plantings. ‘Cleveland Select’ pears reinforce the axis and strengthen the formal organisation of the plaza.

As a landscape feature, the designers have placed stainless steel weirs that pierce the red granite walls and spill water over the rough-hewn Lannon stone basin, into stainless grates below, allowing passers-bys to cool themselves on a warm summer day. Large basalt stones line the bottom of the basins, providing sculptural interest during the fierce Chicago winter while the fountains will lay dormant. The flora in the park consists of a variety of ornamental plants that celebrate the horticultural diversity of Chicago and provide displays of color with changing seasons. A series of botanical courts extend along the western water garden and echoe the form and proportion of the promenades.

The children’s area is the place at the intersection of the promenades and the North Grant axis. It is marked by a circular plaza with an interactive water feature and safe play surface. Three smaller plazas with individual play themes are arranged around the perimeter of the plaza, allowing children to play and wander throughout the spaces. Small, intimate perennial gardens offer a tactile, child scale garden experience while the surrounding lawn areas provide overflow space for additional activities.

The designers have also catered to dog owners by placing a dog park along the transitioning slope, near the south side of the park. The area offers a safe, secure area for owners to play with their dogs. Thorn-less Honey Locusts emerge from three sod-covered berms that emphasize the six-foot grade change across the dog park. Slicing through the highest of the berms, a low stone fountain wall spills water into a meandering runnel that collects at the base of the smallest mound. Dogs jockey for position at the drinking bowl and chase each other across the simple, geometric pattern of gravel, unit pavers and coloured concrete at all hours of the day and night.

The landscape firm which became an integral part of the project, set guidelines for open space which would later guide the design and development of the park. The site which was once a 9-hole golf course plays an integral role in the community and demonstrates the ability of landscape architecture to spur growth and development today. The park, with its multifunctional areas, has become an integral part of Chicago’s open space network.

PHOTO CREDITS: David Seide, Steinkamp Photography