Architecture Firm:
Patano+Hafermann Architects LLC
Completion Date:
2010
Project Format (not yet built / built):
NYB
Project Size (sf / site acreage):
512 Acres - 5 Buildings - Phase I - 10,000 s.f.
Project Location:
Lake Sammamish State Park - Issaquah, WA
Budget ($/sq Ft, optional):
$23 million total for park redevelopment and 5 structures
Interior Designer:
NA
General Contractor:
NA
Landscape Designer:
Robert W. Droll Landscape Architects
Lighting Consultant:
NA
Structural Engineer:
KPFF Consulting Engineers
Mechanical Engineer:
Steven Rainbow Consulting
Electrical Engineer:
Cierra Electrical Group
Commissioning Agent:
NA
Air Quality Consultant:
NA
Civil Engineer:
KPFF Consulting Engineers
Owner:
Washington State Parks
Sustainable Sites:
Washington State Parks Vision Statement:
“Create a park for the 21st Century that will be an innovative model for the State’s diverse system of recreational, cultural, historical, and natural sites. Lake Sammamish State Park will be Washington’s signature park for protecting and celebrating urban natural areas, showcasing regionally significant wetlands and wildlife habitat, while enriching the lives of visitors and providing a valued legacy to future generations.”
Lake Sammamish State Park Redevelopment is organized around the fundamental principal of integrating the buildings with the landscape and the landscape with the buildings, blurring the distinctions between the two disciplines. Patano+Hafermann Architects’ competition winning entry in 2003 centered on this concept as an opportunity and methodology for unifying the 512 acre park with a consistent and understandable language involving built and landscaped elements. This concept is best described as ‘connectivity’.
Located at the southern end of the lake, Lake Sammamish State Park is a unique state park located in the center of a rapidly growing urban and sub-urban population. The master plan looked at addressing the issue of the park use declining while the surrounding population grew. The wide-ranging master plan that was accepted in 2007 involves wetland restoration and rehabilitation, shoreline restoration, replanting of native species and elimination of invasive plant species. In addition to improving the overall health of the park the charge from Washington State Parks was to create an iconic, sustainable vision for the park that can help organize the 512 acres and provide a unique identity and experience for the park users.
The architectural and landscape elements of the master plan create paths and markers that weave the park together utilizing a variety of structures, defined landscape elements and plantings, rain gardens that catch storm water runoff, wetlands, walking paths and boardwalks. The structures are topped with green roofs to blend into the site, catch rain water and to feed the rain gardens on site. The cladding on the structures is reclaimed cedar siding that will weather and blend into the site over the years. As the project matures the buildings will become more like the site and the landscape will grow and create spaces and experiences linking the structures and the varied environments of the park.
Toward Zero Energy:
Project Goal from Washington State Parks - Sustainability: Park development and operation will foster an exemplary architectural and landscape legacy, demonstrating leading edge sustainable design and deep respect for the natural environment.
Our unique partnership with Washington State Parks has allowed the investigation and development of numerous site based and low-energy strategies. The park’s peak use is seasonal allowing a majority of the sheltered functions to occur in open-air spaces. Typical strategies for the enclosed, year-round spaces utilize natural ventilation, day lighting strategies (skylights and clerestories), high R-Value green roofs, thermal mass from the concrete structure (recycled content and durable), and PV panels to power the fluorescent lights. The cladding systems for the buildings are reclaimed cedar siding salvaged from dismantled buildings in western Washington.
As the project develops our design team will be analyzing and quantifying theses systems as we work towards developing a net-zero projects at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Local and Sustainable Materials:
The structures located throughout Lake Sammamish State Park utilize repetitive concrete components that have the flexibility to form the variety of enclosures in the park ranging from Picnic Shelters to the Beach House to the Maintenance Facility. The concrete consists of recycled content and provides a durable structural system that is integrated into the green roof assembly and provides thermal mass for the interior spaces. The green roofs are planted with local, drought-resistant plants that reduce the heat island effect within the delicate footprint of the park. The wood cladding system is reclaimed cedar siding salvaged from dismantled buildings in western Washington, some of the source building are over 80 years old. The stone paving at the Picnic Shelters and along the landscape paths that weave the park together is found within the drainage basin of Issaquah Creek which runs through the center of the park. All plantings and landscape are native and restorative in nature as part of Lake Sammamish State Park’s goal to be Washington’s signature park for protecting and celebrating urban natural areas, showcasing regionally significant wetlands and wildlife habitat, while enriching the lives of visitors and providing a valued legacy to future generations.
Sustainable Water:
Lake Sammamish State Park boasts the mouths and stretches of three salmon bearing streams, over 6,800 feet of lake shoreline, and a system of degraded and emergent wetlands covering over three hundred acres. The park is also the largest and most accessible state park nestled within the state’s largest metropolitan population.
Stormwater(Site and Buildings)
State Parks developed Lake Sammamish at a time when the stormwater standards were considerably more lenient. Presently, only a small portion of the New Beach parking lot treats stormwater with detention facilities and even these do not meet today’s standards. Lake Sammamish is listed as a “Sensitive Lake” treatment area requiring higher treatment level.
Through park redevelopment, the agency intends to construct contemporary stormwater treatment systems for both new and existing impervious surfaces. All stormwater plans should address direct oil and other pollutant removal, runoff detention to slow the rate of discharge to pre-development levels, and water treatment to improve discharge quality to near pre development levels.
As an integral part of park redevelopment, improve all existing parking lots and roadways to meet contemporary standards for stormwater treatment and retention. Parking area design will apply appropriate use of bioswales, pervious pavement, and other alternative paving systems (e.g., grasscrete) to reduce impact of parking areas on natural hydrologic processes and help preserve the park’s aesthetic appearance. Stormwater improvements will likely result in a modest reduction in the park’s overall parking capacity (50-75 stalls).
Throughout the design process, State Parks should seek ways to reduce impervious surfaces and employ the latest stormwater treatment and detention methods to achieve full compliance. Systems will demonstrate measurable performance and be maintainable.
The building components will handle storm water in a variety of methods. The green roofs utilize the rainfall and slow the excess runoff dispersal. Our goal is to handle all storm water on site. Roof runoff will be diverted into rain gardens along the landscaped paths, providing areas for contemplation and varied plantings. The design team is researching the potential of using grey water or roof runoff for toilet flushing.
Critical Areas
Wetlands are an important asset to Lake Sammamish State Park. This conceptual plan locates improvements on uplands to avoid and minimize impacts to these areas. Lawn areas that meet Category III wetland criteria are acknowledged as low value and low functioning wetlands that if impacted will require mitigation.
King County maps include portions of the park in a Level 1 Flow Control Zone. The proposed Hans Jensen Retreat area lies within a seismic and landslide hazard area, both having special requirements for facilities design and permitting. In addition, Tibbetts and Issaquah Creeks are major drainage basin conveyance routes that handle most of the storm water from the developed areas of the City of Issaquah.
Some recommended improvements lie within floodplains of Issaquah, Tibbetts and Laughing Jacob’s Creeks. Development of facilities in these areas will require floodplain analyses to guide site design and minimize potential impacts.
IEQ and Comfort:
The Lake Sammamish State Park structures are primarily open-air providing a direct relationship between the large open spaces of the park and the sheltered functions that take place in and around the buildings. These spaces will be full of breezes, daylight and be subject to the temperature fluctuations that occur in the northwest’s mild climate. Where year-round use is necessary natural ventilation and daylighting through skylights and clerestories creates healthy interior environments. Low VOC materials, natural materials and indoor vegetation provide an enhanced experience for the user. When artificial light is required, PV panels on the roof will power the lights creating an educational opportunity for park users and educational groups that are on site.
Collective Wisdom and Feedback:
The entire design process for Lake Sammamish State Park has involved a committed client in Washington State Parks, and involved community and a design team with the expertise to implement the sustainable strategies. The architectural community in the northwest is at the forefront of the sustainable charge and the shared information available for the profession’s use is impressive. As a young design firm, Patano+Hafermann Architects are practicing architecture as we have learned architecture. The approach at Lake Sammamish State Park is not a revolution for our design team, it is however an excellent opportunity to build a model project for the region.
Regional/Community Design:
Lake Sammamish State Park is located immediately north and west of the City of Issaquah, Washington, at the southern tip of Lake Sammamish. Surrounded by suburban, urban, and commercial development, the 512-acre park hosts over 1.2 million visitors annually and provides prized lowland open space and wildlife habitat. Developed areas account for approximately 30% of the park including a wide array of day-use and overnight facilities. The larger balance of the park (over 320 acres) remains in a diverse system of wetlands and natural areas.
The redevelopment of the park and construction of a sustainable built environment creates interpretive opportunities for the growing population surrounding Lake Sammamish State Park. Envisioned as a model project by Washington State Parks, this project has the potential of influencing the development strategies of parks through the state as well as demonstrating to the park’s users low impact methods of building and low energy solutions while still creating comfortable, healthy environments.
