Rosa Parks School Students Welcomed Back With New Play Yard

Nothing makes us happier than seeing kids show up for a new school year, and running with glee to Carducci Associates designed school yard improvements! Check out the new features at Rosa Parks School in Berkeley on school’s Facebook page, here. Associate Principal Wesley Bexton and Associate Karly Behncke (bios here) worked closely with a dedicated group of school staff, parents, and community members on this fast-paced project that incorporated a democratized, community committee and student data-driven design process, DSA submittal, approval, and construction, all in under nine months!

To quote the school principal:

“The Kids LOVE the new stuff, so do the parents and staff, WELL DONE and Thank you!”

Community Workshop for Hill Recreation Area

A community design workshop for the Hill Recreation Area Master Plan was held on August 9th to give residents one last chance to provide input before the approval process begins. Many community members turned out to the see the master plans and listen to Vince Lattanzio discuss the design elements.

More about the workshop can be found at here.

Re-Brand Marks 40 Years of Design / Respect Reimagine Reinvent

In celebration of our 40-year anniversary, Carducci Associates set out this past year to develop a new logo and color palette that represents our design evolution. As we crafted a fresh identity, we felt it was essential to respect our roots and the original poster and logo, drawing upon a creative heritage that has allowed us to evolve into a vital modern design firm. We look forward to an exciting future—and to sharing our newly designed website!

Joseph Conrad Square / A Safer, More Sustainable Urban Landscape

From the windows of our San Francisco office, we can see the trees of Joseph Conrad Square, a mini-park in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. The Square provides a respite from its high-traffic surroundings; however, the last designer to touch this small, leafy park was Garrett Eckbo, in 1985.

In 2015, the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District hired Carducci Associates to design short-term improvements to the Square, which falls under the responsibility of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Currently, the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) is also studying the Square as a possible T-Line MUNI station.

Principal Bill Fee and Associate Principal Jin Kim (bios here) proposed changes to the park that are based on the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Modest strategies include tree pruning, lampposts, irrigation system upgrades and colorful, low growing and drought tolerant plants. An existing retaining wall will be painted bright orange as a place-making device: as in, “I will meet you at the orange wall.”

Following meetings with neighborhood residents this year, the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department provided informal approval of the proposed design. The Department continues to move forward by raising funds, pruning trees and seeking approvals from the Mayor’s Office of Disability, for a categorical exemption from the Planning Department, and formal approval from the Recreation & Parks Commission. Once these goals are met, we will begin to install our design.

For current information on Joseph Conrad Square, visit here and here.

Below are original 1982 plan, paving and detail drawings by Garrett Eckbo with Eckbo Kay Associates.