The Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District #19 was looking to explore opportunities for their public open space within their district. 4&1 began working with the district to create an overall master plan to go along with their park bonds. Within the Master Plan we designed a community park, produced cost estimates for annual maintenance and construction, and presented the plan at multiple public meetings. The master planning process involved holding a community forum and collaborating with residents to create a cohesive vision for the community. The deliverables for this project included a booklet featuring key design moves and a youtube video containing drone footage and the overall design package. Our videos have been used as a promotional tool to help gain community support for the project.

Puddle Park is essentially a small neighborhood plaza space in Katy, Texas that is way more than what meets the eye. The Splash park is tied into a cistern which is collecting over 55,000 gallons of water for irrigation reuse. The garden is home to a monarch butterfly life cycle and a place for everyone to relax. You can find that even though it’s a small space, the neighborhood takes pride in the park and families have a place to cool off in the summer and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. In the cooler months, the splash pad system is turned off and can be utilized for community events or a hard surface for more tables and chairs. Recently it was host to a wedding of a local resident.

Harris County Precinct 2 had a vision of a playground for all ages and abilities. They brought Four and One in at the beginning to work with the community and stakeholders at public meetings for input and feedback. The schedule was fast tracked to be able to start construction in the summer of 2020. Four and One is honored and excited to be the designer for Harris County’s first inclusive park! Park is open and ready for play!

Morningstar is the perfect example of synergy. The project is located in Aledo, TX just west of Fort Worth where community development is just getting started. 4&1 teamed up with Environmental Design and Sparq1200 to come up with a creative solution for the entry monument and recreation center for its planned community of over two thousand lots.

Four and One developed a conceptual master plan for the Trail of the Lakes Municipal Utility district in Atascocita for the opportunity to get Park Bond approved within the community. 4&1 attended multiple visioning sessions with the community to help develop the park bond master plan. It was one of Trail of the Lakes largest voter turn outs and the park bond passed with flying colors. Four and One is working closely with the Green’s Bayou Coalition to coordinate placement of trails to help increase walkability to the park and access around the community.

Forest Village is a sleepy neighborhood in Montgomery County and if you didn’t read about it here you would never know it was there. This development was without amenities and so the developer brought us to the table once sales were at a high to be able to give something great to the community. Knowing that these spaces meant a lot to this community and the many kids we saw while taking field trips to the site we wanted to max out the usable greenspaces that would ultimately increase the value of the properties nearby. We worked with the engineer to coordinate walking trails throughout the pipelines and was able to build a splash pad that utilizes the greywater for irrigation, an amazing playground, and not to mention beautiful landscape with gorgeous large canopy trees, thanks to our friends at Environmental Design.

Our goal is to “do what we love, and love what we do”. We provide an interactive office experience, a hands-on approach, and a learning environment to our employees and clients. One of our favorite 4&1 projects is the Friends for Life Memorial Garden. 4&1 brought a team of contractors and manufacturers together to create a beautiful garden space for the no-kill animal shelter in the Heights. Yes--this was a fun project for us because we are animal lovers, but also because it showed that we were able to get a team of professionals together and accomplish a vision all on a Saturday morning. Our projects inspire us to always keep learning and do what’s right.

This private residence is situated on large ranch in Columbus, Texas near the Colorado River. Four and One was brought on board by the team at EDI. Working closely with the Architect as it was his vision driving the project, we presented some unique hardscape elements that would exemplify the concept. Materials became a very important part of this project. We concentrated on softening paving edges and introduced a local limestone paver to break up the old Chicago brick that was being utilized everywhere. Also we focused on the arrival experience to the ranch. Just off the kitchen, we designed an addition to a courtyard which featured a runnel water feature and a colorful kitchen garden planted with herbs. With the help from Environmental Design to move some 50+ year old oaks from the neighboring property we are creating a landscape that looks as though Mother Nature provided. The views from the ranch house are entirely focused on the one lone, giant oak and it instantly became one of the most iconic elements in the project.

Harris County Municipal Utility District # 412 came to 4&1 seeking a master plan for their district. It is a 440-acre community situated along the west shore of Lake Houston. Four and One designed a master plan for the district that took into account all of the existing greenspaces. The overall district master plan included various drawings and illustrations create a long term guide that improves recreational opportunities and addresses the overall health and well-being of the community. This generated an idea for a public park. We then developed a conceptual master plan for the park and produced drawings and illustrations to represent the overall vision for the park. One of the main design features in the park is the boardwalks which meander through the woods and out over Lake Houston. Other park features include a kayak launch, educational signage, picnic area, and an open lawn for community events.

Edgewood Village is full of recreational opportunities for the community. Four and One is very proud of this project and our client at Long Lake for giving the people of Edgewood such a fun and inviting park space.