#Industry News
Tenderloin’s rehabilitated “Prison Park” taps into San Francisco’s geothermal energy
San Francisco is renowned to create awesome green spaces, but the city's latest initiative is particularly inspiring.
Architecture firm WRNS partnered with The Trust for Public Lands (TPL) and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (SFRPD) to renovate and revitalize the Boeddeker Park in the densely populated Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. The new design has several amenities that cater to all kinds of demographics, and a clubhouse that dominates the area. Boeddeker Park is one of the first urban project to tap into San Francisco's geothermal energy potential.
Besides being one of the city’s densest neighborhoods, Tenderloin is also notorious for its poverty. The adjacent Boeddeker Park has been a problematic area for years, earning it the nickname “Prison Park.” A few years ago The Trust for Public Land and the City of San Francisco‘s Recreation and Parks Department teamed up with WRNS Studio to bring life into this green area and completely rebuild the clubhouse.
The new clubhouse is organized around two flexible gathering spaces. A large skylight draws daylight into the interior and creates an atmosphere that makes the clubhouse feel integrated with its natural surroundings. Park amenities include a basketball court and different areas for recreation and relaxing, and the project was designed with a focus on sustainable water and resource conservation. Examples of this include solar panels, denim insulation, bioswales, native plants and water conservation via efficient irrigation. Thanks to these energy-efficient solutions, Boeddeker Park has become named one of the first participants in the Sustainable Cites Initiative led by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
