Creating a Better Together.
At Lose Design, we create Spaces for Life. Everything we do is centered around enhancing the quality of the human experience. We are passionate and dedicated professionals who believe there is no greater success than to witness groups of individuals utilizing the spaces we have designed. We are leaders in the design of public plazas, sports and recreation facilities, playgrounds, open spaces, trails, and anything parks-related. As designers, we are exhaustively analyzing spaces. Our staff are the type that stop to measure the spacing of two benches that feel comfortable in a shady urban setting. It’s almost second nature. We don’t realize we’re even stopping until the people we’re with bring us back to earth with a “Hey, what are you doing!?” You never know when that information might prove critical in designing the next award-winning project!
Much like everyone in the country right now, we have been experiencing change. The spaces we’ve poured our hearts and souls into designing are unfortunately, but also wisely, barred from use. The playgrounds on which we’ve spent hours alongside stakeholders selecting the perfect pieces of equipment lie idle, anxiously anticipating the flood of children and dash to the swings. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the reopening of the new Bellevue Ford Ice Center and Community Center we had the privilege of worked on with Metro Parks and the Predators. We cannot wait to see people safely enjoying these spaces again.
This change has allowed us as individual designers and as a firm to reflect on how space is currently utilized and how we anticipate future needs. There is an unprecedented need for trails and open space right now, neither of which function independently without a way to access them. Connectivity through neighborhoods, parking lots that allow for appropriate numbers, encouraging remote parking and shared parking opportunities, are at the forefront of potential programming considerations needed for current projects. Public open space is the hero in the park system. Just as the white space of a page supports the content, these open spaces must drive future programming and design decisions.
As we work remotely and find new and effective ways to communicate, we, as a company, are having conversations about open space planning and connectivity considerations. We are looking for ways to bring opportunities for recreation and exercise to every neighborhood regardless of economic status. Everyone needs open space to reflect and refresh from the stresses of daily life. As we work remotely, we are still going strong in our efforts to serve our clients and enhance the human experience with the natural environment. We are eager to get out in public spaces again and gain a greater understanding of how uses of public spaces are changing. We will use these observations to influence how we design spaces for life. Despite the challenges we are all currently facing, my hope is that, though we must keep our physical distance, we all stay strong, act wisely, support each other and cherish our public open spaces that we all share.
Joshua A. Gulick, PLA, ASLA
Senior Landscape Architect
Lose Design