Landscape/Urban Development: Award of Merit: Boulder Civic Area

Forming the Boulder Civic Area, a large park in the heart of the city, required the creation of mounds, rain gardens and wetland buffers. The landscaping includes new ground cover and 150 new trees.

Photo courtesy of PCL

Boulder Civic Area
Boulder, Colo.
Award of Merit

Owner: City of Boulder
Lead Design Firm: TLS Landscape Architecture
General Contractor: PCL Construction Services Inc.
Structural/Civil Engineer: JVA Inc.
MEP Engineer: Boulder Engineering

Forming the Boulder Civic Area, a large park in the heart of the city, required the creation of mounds, rain gardens and wetland buffers. Pedestrian and bike paths were redesigned, and crews replaced a pedestrian bridge.

A nature play area lets kids explore their surroundings and enjoy a tree house, a rope bridge and a wooden climbing structure. Located near the Boulder Public Library, the area includes water elements that receive water from an Archimedes screw, which travels down through a series of troughs, revolving gates and a rotating wheel. The landscaping includes new ground cover and 150 new trees.

Construction involved intensive coordination with the city of Boulder and the public to minimize disruption and maintain access to paths during construction. Ideas from the community also helped to integrate the creek into the design.