Location:
2120 S Tennyson Way
Client:
Denver Parks and Recreation
Completed:
Spring 2024
Services Provided:
Concept design
Site and landscape design
Graphics
ADA assessment and review
Construction documents
Bidding assistance
Construction period services
Project Overview:
Denver Parks and Recreation hired Em Dub Design to improve parking, accessibility, and drainage at Harvey Park Recreation Center. The city had several goals for this project:
– Convert a portion of the existing tennis courts into a parking lot.
– Create accessible routes from the new parking lot to the recreation center building, pool, and park.
– Address water intrusion and flooding from the road to the recreation center building.
– An additional goal identified later in the project was to create accessible routes from street parking to the entrances of the building.
This project involved a few complexities and Em Dub Design worked closely with Parks & Recreation, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), and our engineers
to identify successful solutions.
First, because this project was bond-funded, it had a set budget. This proved to be challenging due to construction prices that were escalating dramatically throughout the industry and the city
at the time of design. Additionally, as the project got underway, the tennis courts were identified to contain asbestos which required separate abatement plans that were bid to the city’s on-call abatement contractors and to be completed before construction of the final improvements.
Finally, the nature of the site was complex due to how it was originally constructed. The recreation center was built several feet below the road which meant finding a solution to raise the grade that carefully balanced preventing water intrusion, while also meeting accessibility requirements. The project began with an intensive concept design period to work through these goals and challenges and present probable solutions. Em Dub then worked with the city to prepare
information for the public about the project design and status. Before starting construction documents, the city identified an additional need for accessible routes from the street, and the design was adjusted to create adequate space for accessible on street parking. Upon design approval, Em Dub Design guided the project through construction documents and assisted with bidding.