Located in the southwest quadrant of the Bridgeland master-planned community, which will house 70,000 residents upon completion, Prairieland Village comprises a variety of land uses adjacent to natural spaces that connect to the Cypress Creek boundary to the north and John Paul’s Landing to the south. At the heart of Prairieland’s design is the relationship between water and nature, best expressed through the project’s commitment to Low Impact Design. Strategies include a network of water capture and cleansing features, including streetside bioswales, detention lakes, and aquatic wetland shelves. Additionally, to promote pollinators within the community, Bridgeland selected native Texan butterflies as the mascot of Prairieland and incorporated them into their educational materials and signage. The related landscape treatment promotes a diversity of native host and nectar plants while minimizing the use of maintained turf.
A key feature of Bridgeland’s low-impact design is the 22-acre Chrysalis Lake, featuring a boardwalk, overlooks, and educational graphics to accompany activities including kayaking and canoeing. An iconic pavilion provides a gathering place for residents to enjoy sunsets and starry nights. Eight bioswale flumes in the neighborhood collect and clean approximately 29 million gallons of rainwater annually, removing up to 90% of pollutants before releasing into the lake, enhancing water quality and mitigating flood risk in Northwest Houston.
Phase one features 6.25 acres of bioswales, 5.3 acres of pollinator plants, a one-mile-long ‘green’ street, 7.5 acres of forestation, 7.3 acres of bottomland meadow, 2.25 miles of aquatic edge, and 1.3 acres of habitat islands.
Tata Eco City
At the crossroads of ecology and community, this master plan synergizes a unique blend of spaces that support active lifestyles and foster innovation and creativity. Tata Eco City Master Plan was been developed layer by layer, using a set of strategic design interventions to help ensure that the delicate balance between nature and the built environment is prot...
Riyadh East Sub-Center
SWA provided comprehensive planning for a new 300-hectare commercial, mixed-use center in northeast Riyadh abutting the KKI Airport. This area is part of an urban management framework being developed to guide the future growth of the city. SWA developed a plan and implementation strategy to establish an urban center comprising residential neighborhoods, corpor...
Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point
Perched on the edge of San Francisco Bay, the Hunters Point Shipyard was an important naval manufacturing center for the WWI and WWII war efforts. The abandoned shipyard and Candlestick Point were combined into a new, mixed-use residential, retail and light industry development—the largest in San Francisco since WWII. Thomas Balsley Associates collaborated wit...
The Cannery
The Cannery is a new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in the City of Davis that exemplifies the most current and best practices of sustainable community design. Drawing from the agricultural roots of the adjacent landscape, the development emphasizes wellness through the establishment of a comprehensive open-space and recreational system and locally produced f...