Parkmobiles/Parklet Design Help

[Stephanie Pruett, RLA]

My firm is designing for a Navy base a parkmobile/parklet design similar to CMG’s parkmobile design in San Francisco (http://www.cmgsite.com/projects/parkmobiles/). We are researching the concept of using a trailer instead of a dumpster for mobility and aesthetic purposes, similar to the trailer used by the Mobile Food Collective with a design similar to a parklet in SF.   Has anyone heard or seen such a concept?  We have to design within a single parking space and they need to be mobile.

Thank you!

[Wyatt Thompson, PLA]

This sounds like a pretty great project. You’re probably familiar with PARKing Day: http://parkingday.org/  I don’t know if anyone has ever done a moving parklet for that event or not, but it’s a great idea. If you follow some of the links from the main site to the individual city sites you should be able to find a bunch of photos and inspiration.

I think one of the biggest challenge moving from the dumpster to a trailer will be limited soil depth. You’ll have to build or securely install containers for your plant material. As with any containerized plants, consider the need for irrigation and drainage. Also think about the expected longevity of the installation. PARKing day is a one-day event, whereas it sounds like the dumpster/trailers may have a longer display time. That may influence both plant choices, materials, and cost. It would be cool to calculate the carbon footprint of transporting your parklet to your various locations, and see how much vegetation it would take to offset it.

Do you mind sharing how your firm got this work? Did the Navy request this, or is it part of a larger project?

[Stephanie Pruett, RLA]

Building on a trailer is similar to a container planter on a building, so we are incorporating similar drainage and depth requirements. 

This is part of a much larger project that is focused more on wildlife and ecological monitoring and documentation.  We paired up with a few other firms to bid for the job last year.  As a small business, we were prioritized in their government ranking.  Interesting enough, the parkmobile portion was inspired by a Navy employee who had heard about the converted dumpsters in SF and wanted to see it on the east coast for educational purposes.  They simply asked for money to be added to the contract and it was approved up the ranks.

Thank you for the link, I’ll use it to look for more ideas.

[Author]

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