Best Major Park Investment – $10M+

Best Major Park Investment – $10M+

These innovative projects reimagine public spaces for maximum enjoyment today and top-tier recreation for decades to come.

6 min read

Little Diversified Architectural Consulting — Park Circle Complex 

  • Facility Name: Park Circle Complex
  • City, State: North Charleston, S.C.
  • Cost of Project: $20 million
  • Type of Facility: Playground, Community Center, Farmer's Market, and Bandstand
  • Architectural Firm: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
  • Lead Architect Name: Emma Souder
  • Status: Complete
  • Square Footage: Playground – 55,000; Community Center – 17,500; Entire Park and Complex – 12.5 acres
  • Number of Floors: 1
  • % of reader vote: 32.98%

The City of North Charleston’s Park Circle Complex provides a center for recreation, education, culture, and events. The redevelopment project includes a new community center, farmer’s market/event pavilion, inclusive playground and baseball field, nature garden, open greenspace, and walking trails. Dubbed the “World’s Largest Inclusive Playground” by the World Record Academy, the 55,000-square-foot playground is the largest of its kind in the world. From sensory-rich attractions to agility equipment, the playground fosters distinct recreation areas for children of all ages and abilities. The playground accommodates wheelchair users with double-sized sidewalks and "transfer stations" for caretakers. On the baseball field, a specially developed turf system resists wear from foot traffic and supports wheelchairs and walking aids. The ballpark's press box doubles as a bandstand for musical acts. Home to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, the community building offers event space, classrooms, meeting rooms, performance and rehearsal space, a dance room and “backstage” dressing room, a catering kitchen and concessions, and administrative offices. The North Charleston Farmers' Market has also found a home with its new pavilion in Park Circle. Centrally located, the covered space features ceiling fans and power for booths, improving connectivity between the playground, ballpark, and restrooms.


TBG Partners — Skyline Park

  • Facility Name: Skyline Park
  • City, State: Austin, Texas
  • Cost of Project: Withheld at the request of Brookfield
  • Type of Facility: Public park within the Easton community of Southeast Austin
  • Lead Landscape Architect Name: TBG Partners
  • Status: Complete
  • Square Footage: 21 acres

Skyline Park is a 21-acre park that serves as the heartbeat of community connection in Austin's Easton Park neighborhood. The space has some of the best views of downtown Austin that can be experienced at various locations throughout the park. Constructed in three phases, glimpses of the skyline can be seen from the deep eddy-inspired splash pad, community pavilion, central greenspace, zipline, and multigenerational play areas. The park's different zones are connected by a pedestrian bridge that pulls inspiration from Austin’s famous Pennybacker Bridge. The two main playscapes were designed in collaboration with Earthscapes and offer multiple views and access points for children both big and small. Skyline Point is the highest point on the site and features an artful sculpture by local artist Nicholas DeBruyne. Skyline Park opened on May 4, 2024.


Dix.Hite + Partners — River Run Park

  • Facility Name: River Run Park
  • City, State: Northport, Ala.
  • Design Team:
    • The City of Northport, Ala. – Owner
    • Dix.Hite + Partners – Landscape Architecture
    • Chambless King – Architecture
    • TTL Engineering – Civil Engineering
    • MAK Engineering – Structural Engineering
    • Garner & Associates – Electrical Engineering
    • A Studio That Works – Branding + Graphics

River Run Park, a 36-acre sports tournament facility, is nestled along the Black Warrior River in Northport, Ala. Nine diamond fields are linked by a central promenade that also provides access to the storied architecture, three distinct playgrounds, proper team areas, and ecologically minded planting typologies. The park's thoughtful design extends beyond the playing fields, creating an engaging environment for visitors to explore and learn more about the history of baseball, neighboring ecosystems, and the story of Northport. The three playgrounds, strategically situated throughout the park, draw inspiration from the ecological and cultural history of Northport and work in tandem with the plantings to generate ‘rooms’ within the park to address the large scale of the space. 

River Run Park broke ground in March 2024. 


Archatrak — Chicago Bean Park Plaza

  • Facility Name: The Chicago Bean Park Plaza
  • City, State:  Millenium Park, Chicago, Ill.
  • Type of Facility: Public Plaza 
  • Architectural Firm: Epstein Global Architecture 
  • Lead Architect Name: Maxwell Riordan (AIA | Project Manager) 
  • Status: Complete 
  • Square Footage: 20,000 (project area)
  • Number of Floors: 1 
  • Construction period: Demolition (Oct .2023), Construction (April 27-June 21, 2024), Open (June 22, 2024) 

Cloud Gate, aka "The Bean," is one of the world’s largest permanent outdoor art installations. After two decades of heavy use, the surrounding plaza needed a makeover. In 2023, the City of Chicago, in conjunction with Epstein Global Architecture, reached out to Archatrak to upgrade the roughly 20,000-square-foot podium around The Chicago Bean, after the original pedestrian plaza began trapping water and leaking into the restaurant below.   

To radically improve the drainage system, the existing plaza was replaced with an elevated deck system, using 3-centimeter-thick porcelain pavers, laid over 8’x 4’ SpanTrak FRP grating panels, and supported by Archatrak‘s “Prime” adjustable height pedestals. Seeking to switch out the previous, precast pavers for a more durable option that was weather-, scratch-, and stain-resistant, the city chose our Italian-made, heavy-duty, porcelain pavers, with a custom concrete-inspired finish. This refined grey added continuity to the site and highlighted the sculptural beauty of The Bean. 

The Chicago Bean Plaza reopened this June with a modern touch. Our pedestal and porcelain paver system offer a refined look with outstanding durability that will stand up to the constant parade of visitors for many years to come.  


Biederman Redevelopment Ventures — China Basin Park at Mission Rock

  • Facility Name: China Basin Park in Mission Rock
  • City, State: San Francisco, Calif.
  • Type of Facility: Park
  • Architectural Firm: SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC
  • Status: Complete
  • Square Footage: 5 acres 
  • Client: Mission Rock Partners (Mission Rock Partners is a joint venture with the SF Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and Tishman Speyer

In summer 2017, the San Francisco Giants retained Biederman Redevelopment Ventures to advise on the development of a network of public spaces within its Mission Rock development project. The development will transform a current surface parking lot into a vibrant mixed-use district. Seeking to gain approval from the City of San Francisco, the Giants charged BRV with the task of developing placemaking guidelines, programming concepts, basic operation plans, and revenue generation strategies for Mission Rock’s public spaces.

After approval of the Developer Agreement, BRV was rehired to work with the project’s developer, Tishman Speyer, and the client team’s designer, SCAPE, to incorporate these ideas into the site design for China Basin Park, a waterfront park in Phase 1 of the Mission Rock project.

BRV detailed plans for China Basin Park’s programming, operations, and revenue development, and worked closely with SCAPE to align park operations and design. China Basin Park opened with great success in 2024.