Photo: Brissette Architects Inc.Design-build construction company Outside the Lines (OTL), which specializes in water features, rockwork and themed environments, has been chosen to help with Butterfly Palladium in Buena Park, California.
The company will be responsible for designing and constructing a 45-foot tall artificial mountain along with water features with the goal of being reminiscent of a visit to a tropical Costa Rican rainforest.
“As a new entertainment destination, Butterfly Palladium will meet the demand of today’s consumers, who increasingly prefer experience-driven attractions,” says J. Wickham Zimmerman, CEO of OTL. “The new Butterfly Palladium will create an interactive environment that will appeal to families, groups and individuals, and will attract visitors from throughout Southern California.”
Photo: Brissette Architects Inc.The mountain OTL is creating will serve as the focal point of the $25 million entertainment destination. Waterfall features will surround the mountain along with 2,500 square feet of rockwork for artificial streams, and the design will include planter pockets to allow plants to grow in the rockwork just as it would in a Central American rainforest.
“Together, these features will deliver immersive entertainment, making the Butterfly Palladium a must-see for both tourists and local Southern Californians,” Zimmerman said. “The attraction will be tremendously interactive, as well as educational, providing multiple reasons to visit on numerous occasions.”
The 53,000 square-foot destination is designed to include sanctuaries for butterflies and bees, a 3-D movie theater, gift shop, restaurant and a 10,000 square-foot atrium for special events
“This project is an excellent example of creativity, imagination and precise execution, all of which will come together to create a high-traffic destination that will be well-loved for years to come,” Zimmerman said.
OTL will be working along with the project’s developer, Rubin Stahl; lead architect Brissette Architects, Inc.; the City of Buena Park; associate architect amk STUDIO; general contractor Acon Development, Inc.; landscape architect Conceptual Design & Planning Company (CDPC); and others.
The project is expected to be complete in 2019.
LiveWall used to create blooms on Bloomington parking garage
A newly constructed parking garage in Bloomington, Indiana, got a boost of color after having a LiveWall installation that turned five of the parking window openings into green walls.
“The idea was to break up the otherwise stark exterior of the six-story parking garage with an interesting and visually appealing element, achieved by incorporating some green design,” said Stephen Andoh, AIA, LEED AP, project manager for Axis Architecture + Interiors and the project architect.
Photo: LiveWallThe green wall has a total of 180 plants with a variety of seven annuals in shades of yellow, red, pink, purple and green.
“LiveWall was a good choice for an outside green wall exposed to the elements,” said Joel Fleming, project manager for Hagerman Construction Corporation, the project’s general contractor. “Its components are strong and durable.”
The window openings for the parking garage are 8 feet long by 6 feet tall. ProCLAD, Inc., which was the contractor selected to install the green wall designed a framework within the window openings with 4-inch by 4-inch by ¼-inch tube steel. They then bolted the horizontal aluminum rails to the tube steel frames.
“LiveWall’s structural design lent itself to a secure installation within the garage windows in a way that allows easy access from behind the green wall on the inside of the garage,” said Logan Messmer, project engineer.
Each of the five sections of the green wall has six rows of LiveWall modular planter boxes that slide into the rails.
BrightView revitalizes playground and landscape area in California
BrightView employees from the Landscape Development, Landscape Services and Tree Company divisions banded together to create a safe recreational area for children at Ruby’s Place.
Ruby’s Place is a non-profit organization in Hayward, California, that provides shelter and support for people directly affected by domestic violent and human trafficking. The non-profit’s Children’s Program offers therapeutic services for kids by encouraging play therapy in a positive environment.
Yet the shelter’s three playgrounds were abandoned and unsafe for use, although it was the only area for the more than a dozen children at the facility to play in.
Photo: BrightViewThe BrightView team stepped in and removed the existing structures in the three playgrounds to make way for new underground drainage, concrete walkways, fencing, planter boxes and a synthetic turf field. The crew also created an outdoor area for families with a shade trellis and installed drought-tolerant trees, shrubs and groundcovers.
“It has been so rewarding to see all of our BrightView team members from different service lines come together to give back to our community for such a worthwhile cause,” said Skip Stevens, vice president and general manager at BrightView Landscape Development. “It’s very rewarding to be able to provide a play space that is fun, safe and a positive environment for the children and families at Ruby’s Place.”
BrightView worked along with Ruby’s Place and HomeAid and partnered with various vendors, contractors and donors to make this transformation possible. Later this spring, BrightView team members will return to help fix up other areas of the shelter.
Porous Pave used for two-mile long shared path in Orlando
Permeable Coating Solutions, Inc. used 75,000 square feet of Porous Pave XL to complete the Westmoreland Shared Use Path in Orlando, Florida.
Photo: Porous PaveThe path is two miles long and runs along the east side of Westmoreland Drive, the main road through the historic African-American neighborhood in the west-central area of downtown Orlando.
The Shared Use Path serves as a safe walking and biking route for students who are traveling to and from The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) which was opened back in August 2017. It also connects to the larger downtown city center, such as the downtown campus of the University of Central Florida and Valencia College.
The project required permeable paving because of the poor drainage in the area and issues with stormwater runoff. Porous Pave XL is a porous pour-in-place paving material that is made from 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent kiln-dried aggregate mixed on site with a liquid binder.
“Porous Pave was a good choice because of its high degree of porosity and the material’s aesthetic qualities,” said Clint Pletzer, PE, project manager with AVCON, Inc. the engineering and planning firm in charge of the project.
