Concept A: Nucleus & Nature

Concept map of Nucleus & Nature concept design for Owen Park. Outside the boundary, existing buildings are at the top, and the Swannanoa River is at the bottom of the map. At the top of the park area are a nature trail and adventure playscape. At the center of the park, there is a pavilion and restroom, flexible use lawn, fitness station, multi-use sports courts, and shade pavilions. Parking spots are along the road which goes between the adventure playscape and the main pavilion. The bottom half of the park is river and wetland with two river paths creating wetland islands. The right side of the wetland has boardwalks jutting into it, and the left side of the boardwalk is not accessible by path. The amenities at the center and the wetland are divided by a walking path. At the right side of the map near the road, there is a wetland learning lab and a wetland pavilion. On the right side of the map at the end of the road, there is an overlook and an adaptive fishing platform.

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The Nucleus & Nature concept is organized around a civic heart - gathering space, play, flexible lawn, and sports courts that anchor the park while remaining fully embraced by the natural landscape around them. From that center, the site opens outward through a legible ecological gradient: forested woodland giving way to open meadow, wetland, and the Swannanoa River's edge. Each ecological zone has its own character and its own program to match.

Sheltered nodes and a winding, circuitous trail thread through the forest canopy. The meadow holds a mix of active program, open space, and trails. A central promenade runs along the meadow and wetland edge, the park's civic spine, orienting you toward the water, moving in and out of proximity to the river, offering long views across the landscape. A boardwalk system carries you through the wetland, past open water pools, with repeated moments of prospect and quiet engagement. Circulation here is less a web than a layered set of routes - some running parallel to a single ecological zone, others weaving continuously between all of them, always finding and reorienting toward the water. The park rewards exploration while always giving you somewhere to return to. 

Circulation & Parking

Vehicle access is concentrated in a central parking area, prioritizing pedestrian movement throughout the park. A riverfront promenade serves as the primary spine, with connecting paths linking destinations and key program spaces.

Circulation and Parking map of Nucleus & Nature concept for Owen Park. The main entrance is at the top right of the park along Beetree Creek. The waterfront promenade runs between the main amenities at the top of the park and the river and wetland area at the bottom of the park. Primary circulation runs through the amenity center near the road. Secondary circulation paths are located along the top border of the park and along Beetree Creek on the right side of the park. Boardwalks jut into the wetland in the right side of the park.

Program & Architecture

A centralized green space and large pavilion form the park’s civic heart. Active uses are concentrated at the core, transitioning to quieter gathering spaces toward the edges of the park.
 

Program & Architecture map of Nucleus & Nature concept for Owen Park. Constructed spaces are highlighted in yellow, and buildings and roofed pavilions are highlighted in blue. Yellow spaces include a large adventure play area and large gathering space in the main nucleus of the park. There are also eight yellow spaces along the main wetland front walking path, including overlooks and fitness nodes, and four additional spaces in the wetland on boardwalks and secondary paths, including an adaptive fishing platform on the left side of the park. Blue spaces include a play pavilion and restroom + main pavilion in the main nucleus and four areas along the main path.

Topography & Key Views

A more gently graded riverbank improves access to the Swannanoa River while protecting against scour and erosion. The form of the existing riverbank is largely preserved and eased, creating a broadened area for floodplain and wetland habitat. The river and wetlands are visually connected and parallel the landside of the park.

Typography & Key Views map of Nucleus & Nature concept for Owen Park. The map highlights 11 key views in the park that all look over the wetland and Swannanoa River. Nine of those views are from the main walking path, and two are from the wetland boardwalks.

Ecology & Vegetation

The park’s ecological character transitions from woodlands to meadows, wetlands, and the river’s riparian edge. Enhanced wetland buffers and riparian edges ensure the stability of the riverbank and help shield critical park infrastructure.
 

Ecology & Vegetation map of Nucleus & Nature concept for Owen Park. The top edge of the park and the area around the road is forest land with trees. The space between the road and the main walking path is meadow. Most the park is wetland with the river running through it. An island surrounded by river at the bottom of the park is half forest and half meadow.

After reviewing the Nucleus & Nature design, how much do you agree with each of the following statements?

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What excites you about the Nucleus & Nature design?

What could strengthen the Nucleus & Nature design?

Concept B: Immersive Ecology

Concept map of Immersive Ecology concept design for Owen Park. Existing buildings are at the top of the map, and the Swannanoa River flows into the center of the park, dividing it into two spaces. The road from the park entrance leads to the larger space above the river and ends in a main parking loop. Three smaller parking nodes are located along the road. Above the parking loop are a forest pavilion and a birding walk. Between the road and the river are wetland and forest area. The wetland is primarily on the right side of the park and has boardwalks going through it. The left side is primarily forest with boardwalks and two types of walking paths going through it. Between those areas in the very center of the park is a nature play pavilion and restroom. Below that pavilion, there is an informal rock crossing leading to more walking paths on the other side of the river.

The Immersive Ecology concept disperses program throughout the landscape as small, ecology-anchored nodes - each one embedded in a specific zone and designed to reveal it. There is no single civic heart. Instead, a network of sinuous, interconnected paths encourages discovery across the full breadth of the site, with parking distributed to match.

Water is a constant presence - daylighted and woven through the landscape as stormwater becomes celebrated as part of the experience. The wetland boardwalk carries you through emergent marsh, close to the water and the life within it. The river overlook is a destination you arrive at, and the far bank of the Swannanoa hints at what lies beyond. Each node pulls you deeper, whether the path runs over land or water. The restroom and play pavilion sit close to arrival, and are easy to find. Everything else unfolds as you go. 

Circulation & Parking

A looped arrival drive organizes vehicular circulation throughout the park. Pedestrian paths weave through diverse ecological zones, creating a wide variety of routes, circuits, and experiences.

Circulation and Parking map of Immersive Ecology concept for Owen Park. The main entrance is at the top right of the park along Beetree Creek. The primary circulation goes around the top perimeter of the park and along the top edge of the wetland. The secondary circulation includes paths around the parking loop and road and on the bottom side of the river. There are three parking crossings, including one on the primary circulation path. Boardwalks are located primarily on the perimeter of the wetland on the right side of the park, but there are a few smaller boardwalks along the top side of the river on the left side of the park.

Program & Architecture

Park uses are woven throughout the site, creating opportunities for exploration, discovery, and engagement with the natural landscape. 
 

Program & Architecture map of Immersive Ecology concept for Owen Park. Constructed spaces are highlighted in yellow, and buildings and roofed pavilions are highlighted in blue. There are nine yellow spaces along the primarily circulation path, including pavilions, interpretive nodes, a bridge, and an adaptive fishing platform. There are four yellow spaces on the boardwalks, including a wetland classroom, overlook, and a kayak launch. There are also two yellow interpretive nodes across an informal rock bridge on the bottom side of the river. There are four blue spaces along the primary path, including an overlook, two pavilions, and a play area with restrooms.

Ecology & Vegetation

The park’s ecological systems are woven throughout the landscape, anchored by expanded internal wetlands that manage stormwater and respond to seasonal rainfall. Wet and dry areas of the park are intentionally threaded together in a carefully choreographed sequence of spaces that unfold organically. 

Typography & Key Views map of Immersive Ecology concept for Owen Park. Eight main view areas are highlighted, all overlooking the river and wetland area. Six of the view areas are located along the primary path, and two are located on the wetland boardwalks.

Topography & Key Views

The interplay between wet and dry areas of the park creates the impression of an undulating riverbank. This approach allows for an enriched sense of discovery at the river's edge, each moment along the river offering a distinctive experience and view. 
 

Ecology & Vegetation map of Immersive Ecology concept for Owen Park. The top part of the park is primarily forest on the top with meadow areas peppered in, and the bottom part of the park is primarily meadow with forest peppered in. Those two areas are separated by the river and wetland in the middle.

After reviewing the Immersive Ecology design, how much do you agree with each of the following statements?

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What excites you about the Immersive Ecology design?

What could strengthen the Immersive Ecology design?

After reviewing both concepts, which design best fits your vision for the new Owen Park?

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