Updates: Grass, Surveys and More

The evolution of the design, especially the deck piece, led our class to meet on site yesterday morning in some interesting foggy conditions. We are preparing to continue construction next Monday (weather permitting) with tree plantings. One woman has donated a tree in memorial of her late husband and will be meeting us to help with its planting.

First things first: we checked on the mounds we built before spring break. They all look happy, healthy, and ready to grow! All four constructed mounds can be seen in this series, and we have proposed one more mound to be built on the other side of the deck

Looks like the grass is bouncing back from the mistreatment it suffered from the wheels of the dump trucks and tractors

We had to re-survey the land again since the revised deck has moved slightly. Here a student assesses the grade change

The clouds begin breaking up to reveal the beautiful Flatirons behind

Donations

Previous posts suggested that if you would like to donate to the Burke Park Design/Build you can mail checks to the PLAY Foundation. We have decided with the city that checks can instead be made out to Parks and Recreation, NOT the PLAY Foundation, and the price of $200 for a memorial tree stays the same.

Deck Revisions

Permitting and weather delays will limit what we can build by the first week of May when our semester ends, which means a pared down version of the deck. To ensure that we can build a deck at all, one of the instructors worked with city staff over break. They agreed on a smaller size and simpler foundation (see last post). The cutout in the middle has transformed into a cut out of the southwest corner. The folds, which received good responses from community members, remain on either end.

Plan view of the new deck design

Post-Spring Break, Construction Continues & Donations

We are back from spring break and ready to get to it! The seeds that we planted on the new mounds got a lot of moisture last week and should be off to a healthy start. We are all working in the studio, contending with the break’s events. The deck for the outdoor classroom is undergoing more changes—permitting and weather delays have made it unlikely we could accomplish the plan from before by the end of the semester. Check back for details and drawings.

Some people have been asking how they can donate to the project. The Kickstarter page we launched has closed and was unsuccessful, but there are still opportunities to donate. Checks or cash can be sent to the PLAY Foundation at PO Box 20935, Boulder, CO 80308, with a memo stating its purpose for the Burke Park Design/Build.  $200 will donate a tree, with a memorial plaque if you so choose. If you choose this route, you can contact erin.mapes@colorado.edu to work out the details and make sure we know you donated a tree.

Stay tuned, we are making a lot of progess!

Construction Beginnings

The class got to spend some time in the sun this week—a welcome change from computer screens and classroom lights. We were beginning construction on our design, which meant building and shaping the grassy mounds of Memorial Grove. On Monday we had a dump truck deliver several loads to the areas that the city scraped the sod off of last week, which we then shoveled and raked into shape. This morning (Wednesday), we finished shaping the mounds and laid down seed and protective jute. The timing couldn’t have been better since we are expecting rain and snow this weekend, which will water the seeds into place and help jumpstart their germination.

Students stand by as a dump truck delivers top soil

Many hands make light work—mounds take shape quickly as several students shovel and rake soil into place

A rope runs along the spine of a mound as we evaluate its symmetry

Seeds are divided into buckets

A student tosses seed out onto the mound. The mounds will feature low maintenance native grasses

A team of students rolls out jute on top of the mounds to protect the new seeds

 

Seeds rest beneath a jute covering and await the weekend’s precipitation

The final product (for now.) It will take a few months for the grass to be established

Masterplan

Don’t forget to check out our Kickstarter page at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/654128728/burke-park-design-build?ref=live, or visit http://www.kickstarter.com and search “Burke Park.”

We are quickly approaching a finalized masterplan, although our instructors are quick to remind us that the masterplan will always be subject to change, no matter how well-developed it is. For now, though, we have completed a mostly final design and will be beginning construction early  next week! Those of you out this weekend may notice that some grass is torn up-these areas are where the grassy  mounds of Memorial Grove will be placed.

The final-for-now masterplan, with additions noted in blue

Details of the wooden deck for the outdoor classroom

 

Details from Memorial Grove. We laid out mound locations last Thursday

Details from the community garden strand. The garden is not going in yet, but some fruit trees will

The biome strand may go in this semester. Biomes wil potentially have clusters of trees around boulders

 

 

Updates and Construction

The class made some good progress this week in terms of finalizing the design. On Wednesday morning, some representatives from the City of Boulder met us bright and early to approve materials and help us get started on permitting for the deck and concrete walls. It went really well and everything that we have phased to finish this semester, which is the Memorial Grove strand and the outdoor classroom, got tentative approval from the city. It still has to complete the permitting process.

Jeff and John, from the city, discuss details with the instructors

Stay tuned for new masterplan images, and don’t forget to check out our Kickstarter page at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/654128728/burke-park-design-build?ref=live, or go to http://www.kickstarter.com and search “Burke Park.”

Kickstarter

Our class is looking for ways to fundraise and involve the Fraiser Meadows community. This morning we launched a Kickstarter page! Copy and paste the address below into your search bar, or go to http://www.kickstarter.com and search “Burke Park.” A link will come up showing our project.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/654128728/burke-park-design-build?ref=live

Check it out!

Design Layout

The class spent last Wednesday’s studio time at Burke Park, laying out the design. Some representatives from the Parks and Recreation department met us there and helped us figure out where there were existing constraints like water lines, property lines and fiber optics cables. The plan needed to be massaged into place around the constraints introduced by Parks and Rec, and we wound up with a classroom space near the path and wetlands with fantastic views.

Class and instructor work on the  re-design of the outdoor classroom to fit within new spatial constraints

Once the classroom was successfully relocated, the students gathered and stood around to see if it is big enough to accommodate a class of about 25

Flags mark the outline of the central gathering space and outdoor classroom, looking over the wetlands of Thunderbird Lake

 

 

 

Site Visits and Boundary Lines

The class came a long way last week in finalizing the design and location of the outdoor classroom. On Monday we met with our contact from the Parks and Rec department, who helped us define the boundary lines on Burke Park. Half of the park is land that belongs to the school district; the other half belongs to the City of Boulder. Since the school district and city have different permitting processes, we will only be able to build on the city’s land this semester. This information really helped us figure out where will be able to put our resources.

An image from the City of Boulder showing property lines. Our class will be building north of the yellow line. Click to enlarge image.

This new information doesn’t change the masterplan and will have very little effect on each strand, but some strands, like the Biome strand, will be phased to be built after it can go through a review process with the school district.