During excavation in phase two of the River Terrace Park project located in Tigard, OR, the construction team uncovered an unforeseen roadblock – massive, 20-ton boulders right where multiple utility lines were planned. The affected portion of the site was originally sitting under a large grove of trees, preventing investigation during the due diligence phase of the project and leading to this unwelcome surprise. With construction timelines at stake, PCD’s project Landscape Architect, Michelle Hundley, and Zach Numan, Associate Landscape Architect, thought of a brilliant solution to utilize over 50 boulders in the nearby stormwater pond. Ranging from two- to over four-feet in diameter, the incorporated boulders provide a more interesting horizon line and solved what could have been a project-halting budgetary issue. The placement of the boulders and the gradation in sizing also provides an opportunity to monitor waterline levels in the pond. As the water rises, the smaller boulders on the edges of the arcs disappear and re-appear as storm flows increase.
After uncovering even more boulders, the landscape architecture team implemented design solutions to utilize the largest rocks in landscape and stair tracts. You’ll be able to see the massive 11-ft by 10-ft boulder in phase 3 of the project along Perth Rd and other boulders behind the entry monument at 161st in phase 2. PCD takes pride in tackling issues head on throughout the project process, and this is just one of the “boulder” solution of many that the Landscape Architecture team has successfully implemented during the construction phase of a project to save our clients time and resources.
