On Earth Day, April 22, the Portland Children’s Museum swung their gates wide to the new Outdoor Adventure. The museum invites children of all ages to explore this education-based, accessible, imagination-fueled, nature play space designed by Mayer/Reed.

From the moment the ribbon was cut, I witnessed energetic, gleeful children skipping, jumping and climbing throughout the space. The most adventurous scaled part-way up “Zoom” an enormous, open-branching cedar; while the rest scrambled around boulders and throughout the sloping meadows. Happy feet romped down trails and leaped from stone to stone in the little creek. Small hands sailed wooden boats down to a bridge, fashioned habitats of loose natural materials, and excavated for treasure in the sand pit.

As families filled the stone-lined amphitheater, warm tones of the marimba band rose from the lower pavilion, creating an irresistible urge to dance. As a landscape designer it’s always a joy to experience our completed projects in use, and this opportunity to see kids connect to nature is especially fulfilling.

Next up, throughout May, I get the chance to work with artist Patrick Dougherty on the new Stickworks installation at the lower Outdoor Adventure meadow. Stay tuned or come watch us bring to life a sculptural vision of the ultimate play environment!

On August 7, members of the community, Portland Children’s Museum and consulting/construction team gathered to “think like a kid again,” while raising money for the Architecture Foundation of Oregon (AFO). Mayer/Reed, Hennebery Eddy Architects and Andersen Construction hosted a picnic and hardhat tour of the new Outdoor Adventure underway at the museum. Sponsored as part of the Dinner with an Architect program, the event contributed to AFO’s mission to create awareness of our designed environments.

Mayer/Reed’s design for the Outdoor Adventure was inspired by Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods. It will reconnect children and their families with nature and learning through active, engaging, outdoor experiences. The wooded hillside will feature a rocky streambed, splash puddles, bridges, trails, sand pit, hide-outs, plant thickets and hut-building areas for kids to explore. Hennebery Eddy Architects’ timber shelter provides a flexible location for special events, camp-outs and art projects.

Thank you to the Portland Children’s Museum, donors and skilled craftsman working on behalf of the project. We look forward to its opening on Earth Day, 2014!