Design Post-Occupa ncy: Long-term strategies in the work of MVVA

Abstract

Landscapes are dynamic systems. When landscape architects design, detail, and construct projects they set the framework for the long and ever-changing life of a landscape. After thirty years of building landscapes all over North America, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) has learned that aftercare begins during the design process and that the best designs are flexible enough to accommodate changes and conditions that may only reveal themselves once users move in, plantings begin the process of establishment, and others start to care for the project. Teardrop Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park are two defining projects in the history of MVVA, and both have offered unique opportunities to participate in strategic planning for long-term care and management. By considering Teardrop Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park as case studies, this article will look at the ways in which MVVA has taken an active role in planning for long-term maintenance and post-occupancy evaluation to respond to changes, needs, and desires that improve the endurance of design. In both projects the establishment of a park conservancy has been a key instrument for maintaining close attention on the ground, and for continuing the link between designer, client, and site. This study will present lessons learned through both the design process and post-occupancy to understand the role and opportunity for ensuring the enduring legacy of landscapes.

Keywords

Post-Occupancy Evaluation / Park Conservancy / Adaptive Maintenance

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press