Petroglyph Estates Park

About

Located at the site of a stormwater control basin, Petroglyph Estates Park provides a unique opportunity for the City of Albuquerque and landscape architect to develop a continuously evolving and adapting natural setting that connects visitors with nature.

Categories Place Botanic & Arboretum Parks & Play Spaces Recreation

Various plants and shrubbery sprawl throughout the park and reflect the variety of ecosystems of the West Mesa.

Project Details

Description

This project is a neighborhood park that is approximately 2.5 acres on Albuquerque’s West Mesa. The site is a stormwater control basin, which steered the design from the beginning to be a park with a completely different type of design. The City of Albuquerque and landscape architect took this opportunity to develop a natural setting that would continuously evolve and adapt. Native vegetation has replaced traditional turfgrass and winding pathways now lead through slight ecosystem changes that reflect microclimates within the site’s various hydrological zones.

The character of the park has led it to become a pioneering design that allows for greater connections to nature. A variety of animal silhouettes are located throughout the park, which encourage visitors to get off the paths and into the landscape. An informational sign located at an overlook point lists the animal species and serves as a guide to find all the hidden creatures. Other signage describes the plant communities and how they adapt to changing conditions.

The park has become a destination for nature-based schools that use the space regularly as an outdoor classroom. The local beekeeping organization visits the site to observe how native plant species promote populations of native bees and other pollinators. No costs are associated with entry to the park.

Details

Design Firm
Pland Collaborative

Project Managers
Greg Miller

General Contractor
AUI Construction

Subcontractor
Sequoia Landscape

Budget
$470,000

Start Date
May 2014

End Date
July 2015

Funders & Supporters

City of Albuquerque
Dave Simon, Director Parks and Recreation Department
David Flores Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Department
Laurie Firor Division Manager Parks and Recreation Department
Wilson and Company Lead Civil Engineer

Swirling patterns of vegetation and basalt reflect the natural arroyo ecosystems of the region.

Children explore a muddy path made by a low-flow channel with their feet. One adult is watching the children play and another is walking through the adjacent field.

Two children discover the silhouette of a small dragonfly silhouette sculpture placed on the vertical side a rock. There are multiple animal silhouettes scattered throughout the park.

As the park has no rules about remaining on the concrete paths, three adults wander off a concrete path to explore and enjoy the park’s open space.

A sign with images of the major plant species and descriptions of their importance in the natural ecosystem of the park and West Mesa region.

A sign with words and drawings that identity the animals found in the park.

Recent Case Studies

A girl, equipped with climbing gear, glances down and beams with pride as she scales a rocky slope that is completely vertical. Her body, which boasts a straight and confident posture, is supported by a harness that leads to the top of the slope. The sky above is a muted blue color, with wisps of clouds trailing by.

Program

Brown Girls Climb INC

With a focus on mentorship, education, and community building, Brown Girls Climb creates opportunities for women and non-binary individuals of color to connect, learn, and thrive in climbing through indoor gym meetups, outdoor climbing workshops, and more.

A group of volunteers hike in a line along a thin trail as they make their way to their work site, where they will be doing trail work for the day. Thin trees cover the trail ahead of them, and in the distance are the silhouettes of vast mountains. The clear blue sky overhead promises a sunny day.

Program

Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation helps volunteers of all ages to develop a land ethic and give back to the wilderness by opening trails, restoring heavily used areas, maintaining historic structures, and fighting weeds in Montana’s 1.6 million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

An aerial view of the garden, with the multi-story Unicare Bakke hospital in the background. Groves of mature, leafy trees flank the vertical axes of the rehabilitation garden.

Place

Unicare Bakke Hospital Rehabilitation Garden

The 6000 square meter Unicare Bakke Rehabilitation Garden was designed to create a more accessible and useful outdoor environment for therapists and their patients receiving physical rehabilitation based on evidence collected from survey research.