Parks and open spaces are critical components of our communities. As such, we engage the community and the client about their aspirations for the park through outreach events and surveys. We understand that the inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives will result in a park that reflects the community and creates a sense of pride and ownership. 

With a potential range of priorities, we help distill and synthesize community feedback to enable informed client decisions. Mackenzie strives to interpret and refine project priorities into functional and artfully crafted concepts to be shared back with the community for feedback. Through our integrated design process, we refine our concepts and work with jurisdictional staff to gain approval. In construction, we take a hands-on approach to ensure the proper execution of unique and critical details like repurposing an old walnut tree into a play feature or building a human-sized bird’s nest.

We approach our parks & recreation work with enthusiasm and the anticipation that we will work together to produce something special and beloved by your community. For large and small cities throughout the northwest, we create fun and accessible parks that reflect community and client values.

From athletic fields to aquatic facilities, Mackenzie approaches outdoor recreation with the prospect that users of all abilities and ages should be free to enjoy exercise and play. We partner with public and private clients to design recreational environments that are sustainable, functional, and accessible. Working from a cross-discipline perspective, we harness the experience and expertise of multiple disciplines to produce creative and constructible design solutions informed by a wide range of considerations.

Trail design is often informed by the unique assets of a given site - perhaps a stream, perhaps a slope. We work with neighborhoods and public entities to arrive at trail alignments that respect natural resources and enable access for all. We employ a variety of visualization methodologies to illustrate the layout and experience of a trail to our clients and communities. Our interdisciplinary approach enables us to efficiently solve design challenges such as parking and traffic, land use issues, or constructability concerns.