North Carolina: Environmental Park wins design award

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2004

In the town of Knightdale, N.C., not only are they enjoying a new environmentally friendly park, but residents and the design firm of Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern, Inc. (HSMM) are celebrating a new award. The North Carolina American Society of Landscape Architects awarded HSMM with the Large Scale Architectural Design Award of Recognition for work they did within the park.

The Knightdale Environmental Park won for its creative reconstruction of almost eight acres of urban wetlands. The site was made into an educational site for the community by illustrating the relationship of wetlands ecology to water quality through interpretive educational elements.

Local science teachers gave input, with students from the North Carolina State University School of Design donating sculptures made from recycled materials. The park also includes rehabilitation of a silt-choked pond, renovated trails and reconstructed wetlands. The result provides the community, according to officials, "a unique environmental and recreational experience."