Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture: In June 2012, the revitalized Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square opened to the public in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. Spearheaded by the adjacent Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the project transformed an underused, 1960s concrete plaza into a vital community space. The park design emerged through a highly collaborative process, beginning with a national, invited competition and evolving through a series of meetings with the community. Today, the park breathes new life into the site and neighborhood, with flexible spaces for a variety of activities, an inviting “community green,” and accessible pathways linking adjacent uses. The planting design consists exclusively of species native to the region and includes a bioswale to process the plaza’s stormwater, connecting visitors with the experiential qualities of local ecosystems. Cloud Arbor, a stunning interactive mist sculpture by artist Ned Kahn, integrates seamlessly with the park landscape and fosters a connection with the nearby museum.
Project Title: Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square
Project Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Area: 1.27 Acres
Year Completed: 2012
Budget: 4.1M (1 M for Sculpture)
Landscape Architect: Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture
Client/Owner: Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh/City of Pittsburgh
Photography credit: Marion Brenner, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture
Design Team:
Public Artist: Ned Kahn
Civil Engineer/MEP: Stantec (Formerly Burt Hill – Pittsburgh)
Structural Engineer: Atlantic Engineering Services
Client Team:
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: Jane Werner, Executive Director
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: Chris Siefert, Deputy Director
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: Vickie Watson, Project Coordinator
Program Consultant: Dennis McCarthy
Construction Team:
General Contractor: P.J. Dick
Landscape Contractor: Butler Landscaping
Paving and Stone Contractor: Harris Masonry
Misting System Design/Build: KoolFog
