Youth Employment in Parks

We had two teenagers (Isaiah and Gaelan - left and right above, with Mike in the middle) in our office job shadowing Mike and I through Youth Employment in Parks, so we spent our morning showing them what we do typically (we're a landscape architecture firm). After taking them to Moose's Tooth, we drove around town a little bit looking at work that Alaskan landscape architects have done. It was enjoyable to share our profession with them, and we hope they had fun as well.

Below are some of the places that we visited, and while we did discuss them... any editorial below is my own.

Providence Regional Administration Building - Jon Petrunic and I did the design for this when I was still at Land Design North. We had fun with the opportunity to create a nice little plaza amenity for the users of the building, and it's turned out pretty well. It seems the crabapples didn't survive on this site, but it's great to see that either maintenance or people in the building have taken the initiative to plant perennials and annuals to warm it up and personalize it. (Land Design North and RIM Architects)

Spenard Skate Park - The equipment is a modular system from Skatewave. I'm a fan of skate parks and it's a well-used amenity in town. The skating part of it is pretty functional, but its setting is aesthetic with the combo wood & chainlink fence, and plantings and boulders at the entrance. (Parks & Recreation and ?)


Afognak Native Corporation Building - This is probably one of my favorite designed landscapes in Anchorage, definitely for an office building. It has a unity and a refined aesthetic that can be hard to achieve. It's a good balance of the natural with modern touches. Using native plantings and materials, and designed to keep stormwater on site (I assume), it's just a solid design on many levels. Kudos. I think this was the favorite for our YEP friends too. The lobby would be a great place to read on a rainy day. (KPB Architects I believe)

Habitat Housing in Midtown - Habitat does good things. I'm especially a fan of their used building materials at their ReStore. This residential development is pretty well squeezed onto the site, but it does have a bioswale/raingarden out front, a landscaped common area to one end, and courtyards that use unit pavers, giving them a warm feeling. I believe the pavers are heated to reduce winter maintenance, and they're also a porous paving system to allow stormwater to go down. Tamas Deak volunteered for the site design aspects I think.


Cuddy Midtown Park - This park continues to develop into a gem. As the landscape matures, it will continue to develop character and fulfill its potential. I believe there are other things that will be developed here to achieve the park's master plan? The place really seems to shine for events. Another place liked by our YEP mentorees. (Land Design North and a host of community involvement)
~Peter