You understand why community spaces have the power to bring people together and how beautiful public amenities can influence where people choose to live, work or play. An appealing community image and desirable outdoor amenities can create uniquely recognizable community identity, make your project more competitive, and improve resident’s quality of life.
For several decades, we have provided outstanding amenities design services to multi-family developments, communities, neighborhoods and subdivisions. We work closely with clients to design the amenities necessary to make their project a success. In today’s marketplace, a professionally designed community that meets the resident's needs provides a competitive advantage to ensure successful development.
In the context of public space, amenities can include water, land, art, recreation and more. An amenity is something the public can use and engage with, and at Nadi Group, we’ve built a robust portfolio enhancing public spaces that meet and exceed the community’s needs. A few of our specialities include:
Even the mere sound of water can transform how a person feels at that moment, which is why fountains and water features should be essential tools in the development of public spaces. There are many ways to incorporate a fountain or water feature into a public space—it can act as a decorative piece, an entertainment piece or a functional piece of infrastructure. Landscape architects and designers can use and manipulate water in landscapes to produce different experiences for the user. They can design fountains and water features to act as a playground (splash pad), a hub or wayfinding device, or a place to cool off in (mist).
Land art extends far beyond the confines of the space. It shapes, critiques and captures the history, time and essence of where it’s placed, creating “more vibrant expressions of human imagination.” It’s a collaborative process to create a piece of permanent land art that has longevity. Artists, city councillors, government, design firms and communities work together to create a piece of public art that evokes a stronger sense of place and identity. It can also integrate within the built environment, “[breaking] the trend of blandness and sameness” and addressing issues such as health, safety and wayfinding.
The National Institute of Building Sciences defines a public plaza as “a community amenity that serves a variety of users, including building tenants and visitors and members of the public.” Public spaces, like a plaza, are instrumental to any city, town or community as they can be a wayfinding feature, offer opportunities for passive and active recreation and provide a canvas for public artwork.
Now, more than ever, private outside gathering spaces remain a critical component of any development. With innovation and creativity at the forefront, we can approach these spaces to form patios, dog parks and green roofs used exclusively by the people who live, work or play in the corresponding building. It’s an essential amenity to include as it provides physical, emotional and mental benefits; but also environmental considerations that will add value to the property, including rainwater harvesting, sense of place and community gardening.
Parks and open spaces are necessary for the health and wellbeing of our cities and communities. They offer opportunities for passive and recreational opportunities, mental relaxation and a deeper relationship with nature. Moreover, parks and open spaces provide a space for people who cannot easily access green space of their own. We can’t ignore the power these spaces have on the community, including revitalization efforts, engagement, economic development, safety, environmental stewardship, learning, arts and culture and tourism.
When we think of public spaces, we think of green space, benches, monuments and more. The most successful public spaces offer various amenities that can entertain and support a diverse range of people. Urban specialist Sangmoo Kim writes for the World Bank Organization, “Public spaces are the living rooms, gardens and corridors of urban areas. They serve to extend small living spaces and providing areas for social interaction and economic activities, which improves the development and desirability of a community.”
At Nadi Group, we see the intrinsic value of public spaces. However, like many of our projects, we approach developing public spaces with their genius loci in mind. In the context of public spaces, this is called placemaking. The art of placemaking “inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community… [facilitating] creative patterns of use, [and] paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.”
Successful and engaging public amenities support a greater sense of place and local character, which in turn, brings people together, creating stronger connections, safer streets and better value. Even incremental changes or updates to current spaces within established communities has insurmountable benefits whether it’s an urban area, roof top or privately-owned public space.
With each project, we start by understanding the area's genius loci. Public amenities should integrate with the landscape rather than disrupt it.
Whether it's a land art installation, public space plaza, unique entry monument or sophisticated water feature, the amenity must work within the protective spirit of the place.
So how do we determine a specific amenity work better in one space than another? Well, lots of research into the space's characteristics, the culture and the topography—to name a few, but we also learn about people's sense of place.
In architecture, many describe "Sense of Place" as "an overarching impression encompassing the general ways in which people feel about places, senses it, and assign concepts and values to it."
Understanding how the people who live there understand their community has a significant impact on how to move with public amenity design. At Nadi Group, we always consider the client's wants and desires, but it's also imperative to discover the wishes of those who use the space.
A public space with essential and relevant amenities can make a huge difference in where people want to live, work and play. Whether it's a public amenities project (on its own) or additions to a master/secondary plan—Nadi Group can help you achieve your goals and objectives. Not to mention assisting with the project's long-term viability and value.
We offer services and expertise in:
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