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Working in collaboration with EDAW, Artscapes designed the public plaza known as the Civic Center Park. We built a series of interactive fountains arranged among a setting of natural rock groupings, as well as the plaza's focal point, the "origin stone." This 25-ton river boulder from the Arkansas River valley is the first place the water emerges into the plaza. We also built the sculptural gateways at the north and south ends of the park.
The building utilizes columns, arches and pediments -- classic courthouse elements. The gateways are a combination of these formal elements with a much rougher approach. On the southern gateway, the arch and pediment carry a frieze of 12 abstracted figures that represent the jury. At noon, these figures are projected down onto the sidewalk in light and shadow. The overall design of the project balances the order of the courthouse with a transition toward the more wild spaces of the plaza and the park. The transitions are deliberate and place the courthouse in context of a larger western landscape.

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