Joeris

Owner:

City of San Antonio

Architect:

MIG, Inc.

Scope Of Work

This project included the construction of a high density play area for people of all ages, located on four acres at Hemisfair Park in downtown San Antonio. It is the first redevelopment project at Hemisfair Park, and will establish a world-class urban park surrounded by a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood that adds real value to downtown San Antonio. In addition to infrastructure requirements, the Project included sustainable landscaping, high-end water features, specialty lighting and architectural play elements & equipment. It set the standard for all future Hemisfair development.

The four acre play area is filled with intricate art details that bring you back to long before Texas was even established. The water bird and blue panther story was the inspiration of the title Yanaguana Garden; “Yanaguana” stemming from the name of a Payaya Indian Village on the San Antonio River. Well-known local artist, Oscar Alvarado, and his team spent nearly five months setting thousands of pieces of glass and porcelain tiles into some of the garden’s most notable mosaic art pieces such as, the climbable blue panther and the extravagant benches and splash pads.

With games comes adventure and exploration. Some of the most popular elements in the park include oversized checker and chessboards, ping-pong and foosball tables, a bocce ball court, splash pads to cool off during the hot Texas summers, walking trails, a sand pit, and challenging climbing structures. A campground-style tent set up allows for children to gather and make believe, while discovering the various elements located throughout the park.