Natural Playground and Public Park

Transforming an abandoned floodplain parking lot into a dynamic, accessible, and ecologically resilient public park.

RDG designed a three-acre park near the Ashuelot River on the site of what is now an abandoned parking lot. The park is ADA-accessible and includes a series of bioswales to infiltrate stormwater, a native meadow, a shaded stone-dust plaza with infrastructure to increase floodwater storage, and an accessible natural playground.

The project was initiated by a group of private citizens, who enlisted RDG to help them organize a collaborative design process with city officials. RDG has also assisted in setting a timeline, which includes an ownership transfer of the site and its future amenities to the City. Currently, the project is in fundraising with plans to break ground in Summer 2018.

  • Detailed black-and-white construction plan of the natural playground area, with labeled elements including a treehouse, slide, ramps, tunnel, hand pump, sand play zones, balancing net, log steps, climbing rope tower, and a toddler playspace.
  • Bird's-eye watercolor illustration of the proposed Ashuelot Greenspace park, showing a densely treed site with solar-canopied parking areas, a central natural playground, winding paths, meadow plantings, and the Ashuelot River visible at the upper left.
  • Illustrated elevation sketch of a natural playground design featuring log climbing structures, a sand play area, hand pump water feature, a red-roofed pavilion, and a multi-level wooden treehouse tower, with large shade trees in the background.

Client

Private clients
New Hampshire

Key Features

  • Native meadow
  • Increased floodwater storage capacity
  • Accessible natural playground

Services

  • Project goal setting and visioning
  • Site analysis
  • Schematic site plans
  • Permitting support

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