Preserving, transforming, and enhancing a beloved civic space.
Improvements to the site will result in an overall reduction of site water use; including renovation and removal of existing water features, reduction of turf, and implementation of low water use plant palettes.
The design integrates desired event improvements, including stages and canopies and flexible event opportunities throughout the park.
A new children’s garden and community park space adjacent to the Scottsdale Library will have sculptural play features, including a re-sited statue.
Dig Studio has been working in close collaboration with Ritoch Powell and Lake|Flato Architects on much-needed improvements to this civic and cultural headquarters in downtown Scottsdale. To begin the process of conceptual design for this important civic green space, the design team developed guiding principles with the City that were based on previous plan outreach. These principles included the creation of an entertainment destination, providing a connected center, honoring Scottsdale Civic Center’s history, celebrating cultural influences and significant cultural impact of the surrounding institutions, providing daily layers and flexibility in programming and setting a new standard for high-performance design. The team used these principles at the onset of site analysis to identify areas of the civic center that will be preserved, enhanced, or transformed. With such an important existing piece of social infrastructure, the goal was to understand what is currently beloved at Civic Center and discover opportunities to integrate new programs while being sensitive to context.

