Estrada Park & Tempe Fire Station

The City of Tempe’s Estrada Park renovation represents the vanguard of playground design and equitable access, and is a model for future playground renovations in the City of Tempe. The project is a park renovation coupled with the design and construction of a new fire station, sited on a corner of the park. During the design process, Norris Design engaged neighbors and stakeholders in a public design process. This public outreach effort helped to determine playground color palette and general component selection. Norris Design collaborated with a public artist, who developed the design of the innovative and vibrant ground plane safety surfacing. Due to an emphasis on preservation of existing trees, the playground was designed around an existing and shade-providing mature tree as well as an existing Memorial Tree.

The City of Tempe took a very active role in the selection and acquisition of play and shade components. The playground itself was designed according to the City of Tempe’s strict universal accessibility requirements, wherein each playground component is scored based on its features and ease of access, and the playground must achieve a specific accessibility score. Other family-oriented elements such as a park-wide perimeter pathway, seating, drinking water, shade canopies, picnic tables, cooking grills, lighting and a workout gym create an overall playground and community space that is attractive to a multi-generational audience.