Springdale Veterans Memorial Park
Year: 2020
Location: Springdale, Arkansas
Competition Entry: Springdale Veterans Memorial Design Competition
Recognition: First Place
Team: Conor O’Shea, Katie Bulin
Springdale Veterans Memorial Park is a seven-acre destination honoring military veterans that provides a range of opportunities for contemplation and commemoration.
The Memorial Wall and Plaza occupy the center of the site and are cupped by densely planted tree groves, masses of spring bulbs, and flowering perennials. Gently mounding landforms encircle the park, buffering noise and light, and providing a visual backdrop. The one-acre Great Lawn is a flexible space for a range of activities including picnicking or watching events on the plaza. Its gentle upwards slope of nearly four feet helps provide views down towards the plaza. The Water Ribbon encircles the lawn, creating a sense of enclosure, reflecting the sky, and creating a cooling effect on the microclimate. Alternating rows of Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) and Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) make up the Stars and Stripes Grove. During the fall, the Ginkgo leaves turn bright yellow and fall off suddenly, creating a striping effect with the contrasting tall, narrow, and evergreen pines. At the Honor Grove, bronze plaques are nestled among Cinnamon Ferns (Osmunda cinnamomea) and white Tulips (Tulipa ‘Maureen’), and beneath the cathedral-like branching of a grid of 28 American Elms (Ulmus americana).
