Parcmerced Recreation Area

Originally designed in part by renowned landscape architect Thomas Church in the 1940s, Parkmerced is a 150-acre apartment community located near Lake Merced in San Francisco.  Kikuchi + Kankel Design Group recently completed upgrades to the community’s central recreation area based on a design that preserves Church’s original geometric layout.  Intimate barbecue and picnic areas have been incorporated next to new recreational amenities under the existing mature pine and cypress trees.

An existing, upgraded community garden is flanked by two volleyball and bocce courts, along with separate playgrounds for kids and toddlers.  A new outdoor exercise structure and fenced dog park have been centered between the high-rise apartment buildings, and are surrounded by sweeping masses of new shrubs, ornamental grasses, and ground covers.  These new plantings provide a seamless visual transition between all the new recreational amenities.