Designing four new buildings In terms of the park’s architecture, a series of new buildings will be built within the park, in harmony with the surrounding environment. These added buildings are all intentionally immersed into the landscape contexts—some even partially buried into the landscape’s new hills. The buildings will create seamless exterior and interior experiences for park visitors—key among them the “Bridge Building,” future home of the park’s anchor institution, Explorations V Children’s Museum. This building is conceived to bridge between two constructed hills on the site, providing stunning rooftop views of the park. Park economic model While the park is privately funded, the park’s programmatic elements are intentionally being designed to generate income. The park will be made economically sustainable with robust implementation strategies for operations, maintenance, and revenue-generating events and facilities. For example the Explorations V Children’s Museum, will charge an admission fee. The surrounding area will host outdoor concerts, events and festivals, while other facilities, like the Nature Center, Events Center, and Welcome Center, will boast a cafe, multipurpose rooms for event rental, and a 350-seat banquet hall for weddings, corporate events, and other large gatherings. A perpetual care fund has been established to supplement future park maintenance and capital needs. Within the next 20 years, Polk County’s population is expected to grow to near one million. Sasaki, in partnership with a visionary and innovative client team, looks forward to capitalizing upon the economic, ecological, and community potential for a transformative park in this incredible downtown site.]]>