Our work for Everett Middle School transforms an underused parking lot into a jam-packed playground that reduces stormwater runoff and increases student health and happiness.
With limited resources, Everett does its best to serve students but still struggles with finding a positive outlet for kids' energy. One problem: their playground was a literal parking lot. There were no athletic fields or courts or play equipment. No shade. No space for outdoor learning. During recess, kids wandered around aimlessly, hot, unhappy, and often finding trouble. But that's all changing. Thanks to a public utilities grant and a generous private donor, Everett can finally give the kids a place of their own. And they reached out to Groundworks Office to make the most of this incredible opportunity.
To make a space for the kids of Everett, we began by asking the kids what they wanted in that space. We held in-person workshops and used a digital “kit of parts” to let every student share their dreams for the playground. We challenged them to deal with the limited space, make hard choices, and select the features that are most meaningful to them. Parents, teachers, and other leaders from the school district also shared their perspectives. With this new understanding, we began identifying commonalities and refining the plan to make it beautiful as well as functional.
At the center of the new park, a multi-purpose, low-maintenance sports field and ball courts anchor the design. Around these large spaces, we added outdoor classrooms, a small amphitheater, learning gardens, climbing areas, a new shade structure, and extensive planting beds. This network of planters forms part of a bio-retention system mandated by the state grant, along with the porous field surfaces concealing check dams and the mature trees shading the new, smaller, teacher parking lot. It was a challenge to fit so many programs into the available area while successfully meeting the school's rigorous standards and state requirements. But the end result will create new opportunities for learning while strengthening the city's infrastructure.
The Everett community has been incredibly excited by what we've been able to design together, and optimistic that this new park will make a real difference in the kids' lives.
With limited resources, Everett does its best to serve students but still struggles with finding a positive outlet for kids' energy. One problem: their playground was a literal parking lot. There were no athletic fields or courts or play equipment. No shade. No space for outdoor learning. During recess, kids wandered around aimlessly, hot, unhappy, and often finding trouble. But that's all changing. Thanks to a public utilities grant and a generous private donor, Everett can finally give the kids a place of their own. And they reached out to Groundworks Office to make the most of this incredible opportunity.
To make a space for the kids of Everett, we began by asking the kids what they wanted in that space. We held in-person workshops and used a digital “kit of parts” to let every student share their dreams for the playground. We challenged them to deal with the limited space, make hard choices, and select the features that are most meaningful to them. Parents, teachers, and other leaders from the school district also shared their perspectives. With this new understanding, we began identifying commonalities and refining the plan to make it beautiful as well as functional.
At the center of the new park, a multi-purpose, low-maintenance sports field and ball courts anchor the design. Around these large spaces, we added outdoor classrooms, a small amphitheater, learning gardens, climbing areas, a new shade structure, and extensive planting beds. This network of planters forms part of a bio-retention system mandated by the state grant, along with the porous field surfaces concealing check dams and the mature trees shading the new, smaller, teacher parking lot. It was a challenge to fit so many programs into the available area while successfully meeting the school's rigorous standards and state requirements. But the end result will create new opportunities for learning while strengthening the city's infrastructure.
The Everett community has been incredibly excited by what we've been able to design together, and optimistic that this new park will make a real difference in the kids' lives.