GATHER ALTADENA
Rebuilding the beloved Farnsworth Park after the Eaton Fires
A team project designed and created by Mary Nersesyan and Sophie Metzger
Gather Altadena is a community greenspace designed as a vessel for healing, resilience, and renewal in the wake of the recent Eaton fires, supporting collective recovery and long-term community growth.
Familiar
Grounded
Shared
Located at the Charles S. Farnsworth County Park. This park is located in an area of Altadena that was heavily affected by the Eaton Fires. It was a gathering place in the community, and with that in mind, the comunity’s needs were at the core of the design.
568 Mount Curve Ave E, Altadena, CA 91001
Map of affected homes in the area surrounding Farnsworth Park
Altadena
The city of Altadena sits just north of Pasadena, situated between the urban fabric and the San Gabriel Mountains, giving it a distinct relationship to landscape and nature. It is home to a diverse, multigenerational population with deep neighborhood roots and a strong culture of community care.
Design Story
The Oak Tree is a symbol of pride in Altadena. It is tapered throughout design elements, bringing a sense of process in rebuilding and growing with the land.
The highlighted green is the space that Gather Altadena will utilize. The courts, ampitheater, and much of the green space will remain intact.
Honoring the past, the soul of place.
In the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Fires, how does a community hold onto its identity, spirit, heart and soul, throughout the rebuilding process?
Gather Altadena was born from this question, an effort to rebuid for a community trying to heal and hold onto its roots. The design places the community at the forefront and stays aligned with the spirit of Altadena. Through materials, experiences, and an effort to give back to the community, Gather Altadena is a vessel for honoring memory and inviting healing, reconnection, and a gentle transformation.
Site Plan
“We did not design a destination, but a process”
Materials Palette
1 Linen
2 Recycled Cotton
3 Stone
4 Concrete
5 Rosemary
6 Foresso
7 Jute
8 Powder Coated Aluminum
9 Brass
10 Cork
11 Wood Composite
12 Wood
13 Stone
14 Etched Concrete
15 Ceramic Tiles
16 Concrete
17 Rocks
Material choices were made with a strong commitment to sustainability. The project utilizes many repurposed materials, natural textures, and native plants across the landscape.
Sustainability
Repurposed Concrete Gabion
Memory is woven into the material language of the site, using repurposed concrete pieces into gabion pony walls that guide visitors through the space.
Native Plantings
The landscaping throughout the site as well as what is sold at the nursury are all local and native plants. They include but are not limited to the plants listed here.
Native, place-rooted planting for long-term resilience
Native plantings support local ecology and long-term resilience through a landscape that can recover, adapt, and be resilient to future climate events.
Economic Sustainability
Community-powered reinvestment loop (social enterprise model)
Affordable garden plots and a donation-based nursery create a self-sustaining system where revenue is reinvested into upkeep, programming, and local rebuilding support, building long-term neighborhood resilience.
Art Space Model
1/4" =1'-0" Scale Site Model
1/36" =1'-0" Scale Site Model
Site Model
Watercolor Sketches
Art Space
Community Kitchen
Map + Children’s Space
