Studio Outside

The Dallas Water Commons is a 17-acre dynamic landscape that provides valuable public park space while also filtering urban stormwater and mitigating flooding in the face of increased intensity of rainfall, immediately south of downtown Dallas. The project creates a series of designed wetland ecologies—natural and constructed systems—that cleanse stormwater and site runoff before it enters the Trinity River, filtering 650 million gallons of water annually. Human interactions within the site are the driving force of the project: The living laboratory will establish a space for experts in ecology, engineering, design, public health, and education to collaborate on solving critical issues facing cities today. The Commons also offers trails to explore, inspiring moments to share, and places for water scientists to gather alongside elementary school field trips. It is important for the project to include these moments of discovery, for visitors to celebrate the engineered system, understand its resilient design, and, if all goes according to plan, be able to touch the water again.