GreenWorks was hired by Portland Parks & Recreation to design a new playground, address accessibility issues in the public plaza, and install a new Portland Loo at Couch Park in Northwest Portland. GreenWorks prepared and presented three options for the new playground and plaza to the public, proceeded through Design Development for the preferred concept design, and helped Portland Parks & Recreation and other partners complete construction for a successful opening in May of 2019.

Couch Park is in the Historic Alphabet District of NW Portland. Sharing ownership with Portland Public Schools, the park is home to Metropolitan Learning Center’s playground, as well as a 10,000 square foot plaza used as a major pedestrian thoroughfare.

One of the priorities for the playground was to make it inclusive, which means that it should be designed for children of all ages and abilities. GreenWorks partnered with a national expert and advocate for inclusive playground design to help design a playground that provides exceptional play opportunities for all children.

As part of the outreach strategy for the project, GreenWorks conducted three meetings with students at Metropolitan Learning Center, known as the Couch Playground Elective group.