Dickinson Memorial Park Wetland Educational Center - Billie Cohen Ltd.
Billie Cohen, Landscape, Design, New York, NY
Billie Cohen, Landscape, Design, New York, NY, garden, estate, residential, campus, public, community, playground, penthouse, rooftop, pool, invisible edge, steep slope, house, dock, views, terraced, architecture, patio, hanging, classic shingle style
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Dickinson Memorial Park Wetland Educational Center

The mission of the restoration of Dickinson Memorial Park was to transform a typical suburban recreational park into an environmental learning center, linking existing natural features and newly incorporated habitats with family recreation. The tennis court, softball field, skatepark, playground, and community pavilion for picnics, events, and concerts were immersed in the native habitat gardens and wetlands. The park acts as a base for innovative site programming that raises environmental “literacy” and awareness to the healing and restorative power of nature.

 

Portions of the wetlands ecosystem running through the entire park, connecting to trout streams and other vital waterways in the region, had been partially “filled in” through the years. The environmental significance and function of these wetlands to provide wildlife habitats for bird populations and native plants had been lost. In response, the playground which Billie Cohen ltd. completed in 2014, connected the adjacent wetland system and streams to the park, thus giving visitors the opportunity to experience a deeper connection to the park’s biodiversity and its relevancy to the greater ecosystem.

 

The proposed Community/ Education Center plan advances this sustainability mission through promoting a whole-systems approach to building design and includes a palette of green and sustainable infrastructure systems that will explore relationships between the physical, built, and natural environments: a showcase of possibilities for conscious construction. New trails and boardwalks will lead visitors through the site’s various ecosystems, transforming and enriching the park experience for schools, families, and people of all ages.

 

Programming at the Center will focus on local ecology and green systems inviting educators and park guides to collaborate and develop new curriculums for students K-12. Additional site programming will enhance existing programs (ie – summer camp, after-school, weekend, and adult programs) and will encourage new programs, local stewardship, and regional partnerships/ alliances with other educational and community institutions.

 

Transforming this recreational park is crucial at a time when habitats and beautiful open spaces are rapidly disappearing because of development. The new Dickinson Park will exemplify that construction and habitat ecosystems can be mutually enhancing. By integrating recreational facilities with the restored ecosystems, the Community/ Education Center plan will transform and enrich the park experience for schools, families, and people of all ages.

LOCATION:

Newtown, CT

Dickinson Memorial Park booklet (pdf)

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