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All photos ©D. A. Horchner/Design Workshop, Inc.
All graphics ©Design Workshop, Inc.

德克萨斯州郊野的蓝洞石灰石地质景观区一直是当地特色的旅游休闲景观。其中游泳“holes”景观区则是整个地质区最受欢迎的去处，景观设计师在这个项目中的任务是保护该地，对该区进行可持续的规划和设计。

占地50.9公顷的公园主要有两种生态区：1，河岸与潮湿地的落羽杉生态群落、2，橡树与松林。在落羽杉地区，有天然的游泳洞和美丽的溪流、300年历史的柏树、湿地与裸露的石灰岩；在橡树与松林生态区，有濒危物种栖息地、石灰岩地址景观带和森林瞭望台。

作为德克萨斯州重要的文化资源，蓝洞与当地的居民息息相关。但是围绕蓝洞进行的系列住宅与社区开发正在蚕食蓝洞这一宝贵的景观资源，为此，Wimberley社区组织委托景观设计师利用专业知识对蓝洞进行总体规划，回复原生景观和保护栖息地。整个项目重中之重的任务是保护敏感景观以及实现景观可持续性。

Nestled in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, the “Blue Hole” (a geologic limestone uplift running north to south through the center of the state of Texas) has served residents of the region for hundreds of years. Swimming “holes” are a celebrated part of the Central Texas experience, and the Blue Hole Regional Park works to preserve and protect this feature that was recently listed as one of the top 10 swimming “holes” in the country through sustainable programming, design and implementation.

The 126-acre (50.9-hectare) Wimberley Blue Hole Regional Park includes two primary ecozones. The first, the Bald Cypress riparian edge and the woodplain, is separated vertically from the second, the predominant Oak and Ashe Juniper forest. The Bald Cypress environment includes the natural swimming hole in Cypress Creek, 300+-year old Cypress trees, existing wetlands and exposed limestone karst features. The Oak and Ashe Juniper forest includes areas of endangered species habitat, limestone karst features and significant stands of material tree canopy.

The Blue Hole has been an important cultural resource to countless residents in the Central Texas region. From Native Americans and early explorers to current community members and visitors from across the globe, this swimming hole has had a profound influence on the folklore of the area. Faced with the threat of the entire property being developed into a residential subdivision and lodge, which would have privatized access to the Blue Hole, Wimberley community members organized their resources and purchased the property in 2003.

With this new responsibility and resource, the City of Wimberley sought the expertise of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (LBJWC) in the creation of a master plan that would guide future development and use of the park. The resulting master plan set the tone for programming, native landscape restoration and habitat protection. As a result, sustainability and the protection of sensitive landscapes are at the core of the project.

Design Workshop was asked to lead a team to refine LBJWC’s master plan and to provide full design and engineering, bidding and negotiation responsibilities, and construction administration. Although Design Workshop was the lead designer and consultant, it strategically created a diverse team of experts including ecologists, operations and maintenance specialists, engineers and an architect. High quality architecture reflective of Texas Hill Country was a community goal from the outset of the project, so the integration of architectural, structural and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) consultants was also an essential part of the process.

The Design Workshop team conducted an extensive analysis project that focused on the goals set by the LBJWC master plan and then set goals and metrics.

Core project goals included improvements to water quality entering both watersheds on the site, as well as the preservation and viability of endemic landscapes. A number of limited agricultural and recreational uses had been active on the site over the years and much of the site was either damaged or littered with remnants of this activity. Early in the process, DesignWorkshop identified previously damaged portions of the site as the framework for the location of future park development. Before any lines were drawn, the team had already put a strategy in place to protect the landscape andReduce impact.

An early commitment to low-impact design practices (LID) was identified as a source of water quality improvements.

景观设计师组织了生态学家，运营管理专家，维护专辑，工程师，建筑师（甚至再建筑方面整合了包括和建筑师配套的结构师与机电暖通工程师等等专业人才），旨在实现高品质环境的同时建立高品质的建筑。经过这个多样化团队的专业分析，具体工作内容被制定，包括：改善两个水域的水质，恢复其景观生态；清除农业用地和康乐用地对场地造成的破坏；减少娱乐设施比如6个网球场，沙滩排球场，篮球场和慢跑线路对景观的冲击与影响；此外还包雨水管理，病虫害管理，垃圾管理，运营维护管理，生态管理（控制入侵种），教育管理（在景观中立牌从生态、地质、环保等科学角度讲解现场），利用回收材料建设景
观家具如凳椅篱笆等等一系列的措施。

Design Workshop organized a community charrette to engage the community in clarifying program desires, environmental issues and design creativity. As a result of the charrette, the recreation program was set to include two full-size soccer fields, six tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, playgrounds, basketball court and a jogging trail. The team identified strategies that could be used to mitigate the impact these features might have on the adjacent sensitive landscapes. A large portion of the site that was formerly used for limited agriculture and livestock became an ideal location for such intensive uses.

This area was also split between the Cypress Creek and Deer Creek watersheds, making the distribution of associated storm water easy to balance. Design Workshop laid out the recreation loop road and parking layout to follow the access roads that have been active for many years and the areas disturbed during the construction of an adjacent wastewater treatment facility.

Another part of Design Workshop’s contribution included developing a park operations and maintenance plan. This document set preliminary operational budgets for the park in conjunction with the park design and will be a critical tool in the future maintenance of the diverse range of native landscapes planned for the site. It also identifies sustainable operation alpractices that should be followed during the continued operation of the park,such as integrated pest management (IPM) and waste management programs. Since community members wanted to ensure the park’s design character was consistent with the local community and Hill Country, the team utilized a full palette of regional materials for proposed features and buildings. It also used a number of localized construction methods as inspiration for features such as gates, walls, fences and furnishings. A local artist created the main entry gatesto the park. Many materials used in the project are either reclaimed or recycled from existing sources on-site.

The grading plan and overall site plan were defined by an inter connected system of LID water quality features. A critical goal for the project was to minimize or improve water volumes entering the creek system. Hydrologic analysis of the proposed scheme indicated an overall improvement in water volumes, and the LID features should also provide meaningful biodiversity in many parts of the park. An aggressive erosion control plan was employed during the construction process and continues while vegetation grows in,ensuring quality during the establishment period.

Ten interpretive education signs are included in the project plan. This portion of the project has educational benefit while also aiming to help protect the landscape from abuse by users who wouldn’t otherwise know better. The signage program points out unique performance features ofthe park and highlights environmental features including ecology, geology and taxonomy.

2011年开园时，在区域内设置了与城市中心两个步行系统联系的4.8公里自然宁静散步道，其中50%面积是婴儿车使用者和轮椅使用者可以到访的区域。这些步道与景区的核心景观联系，如要走的更深入和更自然，还得按照开发者的指示对场地进行隐藏道路的徒步探险。景观设计师还针对该地区列出植被敏感恢复区、隔离区、草原区、稀树草原区、森林区域。推广吉祥丰富的耐旱本地植被。

开张一年后，该地区的游人增长了140%，增加的收入用来继续建设蓝洞公园。

The park opened in 2011 and features more than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) of trails that connect visitors to key destinations, allowing for a peaceful stroll through nature, and that connect to both a regional trail system and to downtown Wimberley. Approximately 50 percent of the system is fully accessible for wheel chairs or strollers. The main portion of accessible trail connects the Blue Hole area to the heart of the recreation loop and playgrounds. Trail users are encouraged to “Give nature a chance” by complying with signage along the trail and by following stacked rock features known as “cairns” which guide them along the designated path.

Design Workshop paid special attention to the revegetation of disturbed areas and the establishment of new prairies, savanna and woodland areas (a priority set by the LBJWC master plan) by carefully identifying vegetation zones and strategies for isolating turf associated with sports. The introduction of hardwood trees into an area dominated by Juniper was also a major consideration. Plant materials included in the plan are similar to species currently found on-site during a brief walk. Drought tolerance, seasonality, habitat promotion and resistance to deer browsing were all factors in determining the plant list.

Related to water quality, minimization of impervious cover was identified asa critical issue. The LBJWC set a goal of 10 percent impervious cover for the park. The design responded with 7.8 percent impervious coverage. A post occupancy review revealed that 92 percent of the visitors were very satisfied with the new improvements. After the first year, the City saw an increase of paid visitors by 140 percent, thus new revenue could be used for additional construction.The effort put forth by the Design Workshop team helped restore and celebrate one of Wimberley’s most beloved amenities.

Credits
Location: Wimberley, Texas

Design Workshop Team : Steven Spears; Philip Koske; Derek McCall; RebeccaLeonard; Kelan Smith; Conners Ladner

External Team: Baker Aicken; Walter P Moore; MJ Structures; PBS&J; GreenPlayLLC; Heather Venhaus; Moon Design; James Pole Irrigation; Taniguchi
Architects; FUELS

Awards: 2010 Pilot Project Recipient, Sustainable Sites Initiative; 2011 HonorAward, Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects;
2013 Honor Awardin Design; American Society of Landscape Architects, Texas Chapter

All photos ©D. A. Horchner/Design Workshop, Inc.

All graphics ©Design Workshop, Inc.

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