Seward Park Playground

Seattle, Washington

ROLE: landscape architecture

SCOPE OF WORK: design development, construction documentation and construction        administration

STATUS: completed 2010

CONSULTANT TEAM: Laurie Pfarr (civil engineer)

CLIENT: Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation

Johnson+Southerland worked with the Seattle Parks Department and the Seward Park Playground Improvement Foundation to develop a bigger, more diverse playground that better serves Seward Park. One of Seattle’s largest parks, Seward Park draws an array of users from one of the most ethnically and socio-economically diverse zip codes in the United States. With its 3 mile shoreline, developed parkland and undeveloped native forest, Seward Park also attracts region-wide visitors, especially during special events in the summer. The forest adventure-themed playground serves as an introduction to the forest and is an appropriate component of an Olmsted Brothers legacy park. The playground design was developed through a public engagement process and addresses the concerns and interests of a variety of groups, including the Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks and the adjacent Audubon Center.