T.R. Proctor Park

Sustainable Design Through Design Thinking

Goal: Create a sustainable design for T.R. Proctor Park. Re-imagining an existing greenspace while understanding spatial design and utilizing the aspects of design thinking, empathize with the community and its needs, define a problem, ideate solutions and create a prototype.

In the case of T.R. Proctor Park there was a large under utilized space near the concession stand, no winter activities despite being an activity park, and very little space to sit within the entire park. I chose a 10,000 sq ft section beside the concession stand for my project, highlighted in the below image.

Project Area

The idea was to take this area and create a sustainable design and use a space that is currently only used as a walkthrough by park goers.

Ideate

Throughout previous projects I continued to add ideas to the final sustainable design project which would improve the greenspace at T.R. Proctor park. These ideas included the use of existing native trees and adding the blue aster, a New York native flower, the use of Adirondack chairs common to the area for seating in the study area along with a sitting wall which uses recycled asphalt, movable tables for the picnic area and the splashpad/ice rink for the largest area of the design.

Ideas for the use of the park were sketched before starting a conceptual site map. These ideas allowed me to decide what would be a good fit for the site as well as the layout plans.

Initial plans included an amphitheater, a possible community garden, a fountain or a larger picnic area.

Final Design

The decision was made for the final design. The design would include a splash pad/ Ice Rink which can also use rainwater, a study area with a sitting wall made of recycled asphalt, and a picnic area which would have a "Nike Turf" floor made of recycled shoe soles. The design would also include native plants.