Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park

Written by Connor Walker

Within a decade, the city of Phoenix, Arizona will transform a 32-acre downtown urban park into a vibrant cultural hub. Spanning over one half mile of U.S. Interstate Highway 10, the recently-approved, competition-winning masterplan was envisioned by New York's !melk and locally based WEDDLE GILMORE black rock studio.

More on the masterplan, after the break...

Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park - Image 2 of 11 — Master Plan. Image © !melk

The phased masterplan has been divided into three programmatic spaces: the valley, canyon, and plateau. The “valley” will be the park’s neighborhood commons, comprised of a sward of green hills suitable for picnics and relaxation. The “canyon” will act as an urban center, whose busy plaza will cater to food vendors and provide direct access to the neighboring Burton Barr Public Library. The park’s “plateau” will be used as a venue for large community events, including those planned by the adjacent Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park - Image 5 of 11 — Oasis Plaza. Image © !melk

Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park - Lighting — Adventure Plaza. Image © !melk

Each of these spaces will be defined by large, structural forms abstracted from Phoenix’s buttes. The size of these structures will serve to minimize the apparent size of the park, and help develop a microclimate. This idea of microclimate is carried a step further through the park’s landscaping scheme. The numerous plants planted in the park will provide shade, frame pathways, add fragrance, and create natural partitions between spaces. The gardens will be watered using captured run-off and irrigated using energy-efficient techniques, a sustainable solution to maintaining so much foliage in an arid climate.

Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park - Image 9 of 11 — Cloud. Image © !melk

Perhaps its most distinctive feature, large cloud-like screens will be suspended over parts of the park, including the Central Avenue bridge that passes over it. These screens will mark the location of the park within the city, and provide additional shade from the desert sun.

Weddle Gilmore and !melk Redesign Phoenix's Hance Park - Image 7 of 11 — Butte. Image © !melk

Initial construction will begin with renovations to the “canyon” section of the site, as well as the entrances to and from Central Avenue. Development will continue in phases, moving outward from these points in the park.