San Antonio, Texas
2007 - 2013

Mayor Phil Hardberger championed the acquisition of Voelcker Farm, 311 acres of degraded post-agricultural land north of downtown San Antonio. The design strategy for the city park emphasizes the power of a green microcosm where three eco-regions of Texas converge. The concept for a 'cultivated wild' called for preserving the Heritage Oaks and woodlands while restoring an endangered Lone Star icon of vast grasslands.

Resisting pressure to pack the park with programmed active recreation, the community promoted a passive landscape of learning where the majority of the park is reserved for ecological restoration. Carved out of the large landscape mosaic of forest and scrub, smaller carefully crafted outdoor rooms play host to environmental education programs focused on urban ecology.

PARTNERSHIP WITH STIMSON ASSOCIATES, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

Clients + Collaborators

City of San Antonio; Stephen Stimson Associates, landscape architects; Pape-Dawson, civil engineers; Raba-Kistner, geotechnical engineers; ARUP, structural engineers; Southwest Research Institute, hydrology and cultural resources; SWCA, botanical consultant; Bluestem, wildlife biologist; Juan Sepulveda, community coordinator

Kudos

American Society of Landscape Architects, National Design Honor Award, 2015
American Society of Landscape Architects, Boston Chapter, Design Honor Award, 2012
American Society of Landscape Architects, Boston Chapter, Analysis and Planning Honor Award, 2009
Winner of National Design Competition, Awarded Public Park Design Commission, 2007