Sustainable infrastructure
This long-term solution for stormwater storage in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle consists of a 1.3-million-gallon stormwater storage tank in Washington Park and flood control improvements in the surrounding neighborhood. Nakano Associates designed an overlook on top of the storage tank to double its function as public infrastructure, and transformed the site into a reforested park.
Public artwork and walking trails welcome visitors to the new park and provide a valuable pedestrian connection in the hilly residential area. The design complements the classic landscape architecture of the nearby Washington Park Arboretum, originally designed by the Olmstead Brothers, by carefully siting paths, a large open lawn, and lush native plantings.
The design team artist Adam Kuby worked from the landscape design to craft an artwork that is fully-integrated with the site’s natural stormwater management system.
Rainwater drains through the permeable paving on top of the storage tank where it is slowed and directed to trickle down the chevron-patterned rock wall, and eventually seeps into the earth in a rain garden catch basin below. Bird houses are embedded in the wall to expand the integration to the immediate urban forest ecosystem.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Client: Seattle Public Utilities
Engineer: MWH Americas
Artist: Adam Kuby
Recognition:
