Cesar Solis Community Park Wins APWA Award!
We’re HONORED to learn that our Cesar Solis Community Park project just won the 2019 Project of the Year award from the APWA San Diego/Imperial Counties! We love designing community projects, and this one had a community of its own in our wonderful project team: City of San Diego, Schmidt Design Group (prime), BSE Engineering (Mechanical/Plumbing), BWE (Structural Engineering), Kanrad Engineering (Electrical)
Cesar Solis Community Park is a 20-acre, joint-use park located between Vista Del Mar Elementary and Ocean View Hills School in the San Ysidro community of Ocean View Hills. This active park features a comfort station, a concession building and picnic/shade shelters as well as two softball fields with a soccer field overlay, tennis courts, a skate park, playgrounds and more. The park, named for retired Assistant San Diego Police Chief Cesar Solis (who became the department’s highest ranking Filipino American), is home to the first skate park in southern San Diego.
We provided architectural design services to the landscape architect for the General Development Plan. The design concept and layout for the park was derived from the radiating pattern of the entry drive surrounding the central core of the adjoining school. A tree-lined seat wall arc sweeps along the park site. Quotes from various academic and sports venues are etched into tile lining the seat wall arc to inspire the park users to think about the link between physical and intellectual achievements.
We then provided complete services for Phase 1 amenities within the park and the joint-use area, which included parking, a comfort station and concession building, two lighted softball fields with a soccer field overlay, open lawn areas, four tennis courts with support/restroom building, skate park, picnic and overlook areas with two picnic/shade shelters, and playgrounds for all ages. The playgrounds include equipment for the 2 to 12-year old users, which includes a climbing rock.
Future Phase II amenities will include a gym-recreation center, and Phase III amenities will provide a community aquatics center. All recreational facilities will be equipped with sports field lighting for extended evening play.
Designing parks gives us a chance to explore the connections between people and nature and to think about how these public spaces should inspire, serve and engage the surrounding community. We value the opportunities we have to do this; the opportunities to provide spaces for people to come together.
