Client: City of Covington and Oakpointe Developers

Overview

Local context inspired rippling water patterns influence our work for this project. The site abuts a creek and will have a dramatic lake feature, inspiring the project name, Lakepointe. The Artwork reinforces this water-theme identity across many forms, materials and scales, including a tear-shaped-entry roundabout, a secondary roundabout, landscape screens, retaining walls and curvilinear railings atop concrete barriers.

The City of Covington required special aesthetic treatments for the new Lakepointe Boulevard being built to support the new “lifestyle center” being developed by Oakpointe. Vicki Scuri SiteWorks was hired by the project engineer, to identify aesthetic enhancements promoting wayfinding and identity, creating a new local landmark for the development. The Artwork enhancements include custom formliner relief patterning for MSE and cast-in-place concrete walls, colorful laser-cut patterned railings, a tear-shaped, elevated roundabout, a secondary roundabout, and rippling water inspired colorful, laser-cut metal landscape screens to activate these roundabout islands. These screens are illuminated at night and serve as entry beacons to the development. They carry a dynamic pattern of sweeping curves and dots that relates to the patterning developed for the site.

Goals

• to promote identity, wayfinding, and destination.

• to create a unique, local landmark, inspired by nature, that announces the new Lakepointe Development, both day and night.

• to transform the entry to the site, introducing an attractive, memorable, new landmark, that will welcome residents and visitors to the site.

• to promote a sense of wellbeing, arrival, awareness of nature, and experience of the northwest landscape integrated with the Project whole.

• to image the water patterns of nearby Jenkins Creek, suggesting the waters of the new soon-to-be centerpiece lake.

This Development transforms a rock quarry into a residential, mixed-use, “lifestyle center,” built around a constructed, human-made lake, that gives the project its name. The rippling waters of the creek symbolize change and renewal, transformation. We created forms and pattern work that express the play of light, shadow and movement, awakening perception, and awareness of place to heighten the experience of nature and the transformation of the gravel pit. Also, the plantings within the roundabout are northwest natives. Both the landscape and the landscape screens are illuminated at night, appearing as a nighttime beacon.

Process

Our project reflects close communication with the city stakeholders and the expertise of an Interdisciplinary Design Team. Throughout the design process, the city supported celebrating nature and native plants. Embracing nature, viewed through the lens of technology, informs our work. Vicki Scuri SiteWorks, working with Alexandr Polzin, collaborated with the project engineers, and the landscape architect, to integrate Artwork into the roadway design. We collaboratively shaped the forms of the entry roundabout, designing a teardrop shape that rises and falls, to make the journey around the roundabout more engaging, promoting views into and through the native landscape, while provide safe passage.

The large-scale retaining walls, and the shaped roundabout walls, carry custom concrete relief patterning, suggesting arcs of rippling water. The play of light and shadow over form create ephemeral nuances of shadow play and reflection that change throughout the day. At night, warm LED lighting up-lights the screens and landscape. To accomplish this, we worked closely with the Design Team, the city stakeholders, fabricators and the construction team, meeting at regular intervals for milestone reviews to move the work forward though all phases of design, fabrication, and construction.

Additional Information

“Vicki and her team were a pleasure to collaborate with. Their designs captured the essence of the community and created a warm and welcoming place that flows seamlessly with the surrounding natural environment.” Kevin Collins, PE, PTOE, RSP1 Managing Principal Transpo Group