PLAZA AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM

The Plaza at Crystal Bridges ties together many pieces of the campus. It is the welcome mat for visitors arriving at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the neighboring museum the Scott Family Amazeum, as well as the future entry point for the Convergence Playscape on campus.  It serves as a gathering spot for families and school or tour groups and is a communal space for all visitors to come together.  Facilities for picnicking or an afternoon of water play draw visitors in and engage them in the space, which also serves as a viewing platform for the adjacent Campus Parking proscenium above, and vice versa.  A scrim of water with programmable jets sits at the center of the plaza, recalling the many springs that emanate from the ground throughout the region.  The picnic grove at the north edge overlooks a revitalized farm pond and the grove of trees represents the region’s long history with apple orchards and pecan groves. Those waiting for a shuttle on the south edge can have a comfortable seat in the shade and participate in the theatre of this animated public space. 

Sited at the upper edge of a wooded ravine along the North Forest Trail, the Plaza links level 1 of Campus Parking with the larger woodland. A low footbridge crosses preservation areas where existing soils and trees were kept intact. Adjacent the plaza, a new half-acre stormwater basin collects flow from multiple properties, slowing the water before it enters the ravine leading towards the museum.

Location: Bentonville, AR