Julius Kleiner Memorial Park
Get Lost Amongst the Leaves
Julius Kleiner Memorial Park is an expansive open space nestled amongst the bustling veins of the city of Meridian, Idaho and is composed of four major sections, each representative of a season. Whether you’re nestled by the fall maple or bundled up under the winter pine, each powder-coated steel sculpture reflects a time of year while denoting an area of the park, translating the standard functionality of a map into a full-on visitor experience.
As if alive, the sculptural statues change depending on the time of day, with the light casting different patterns on the ground as it filters through each cutout. The emblem of Julius Kleiner Memorial Park is prevalent throughout the park on custom exterior elements such as benches, interpretive signage with stanchions, and kiosks. Each section creates branding that helps visitors remember where they spent their time.
A Breath Of
Fresh Air
Everything from the information monuments, to the park benches, to the navigation signs, were woven together by a cohesive visual language. An extensive wayfinding system of monolithic signs, whose overall shape is representative of a leaf, also have dimensional leaves cut into the steel structures. The colorful backers indicate which quadrant of the park visitors are in, utilizing the unique color of that section of the park. The park benches are functional art, both furthering the imagery associated with the park and providing a chance for visitors to rest and take it all in.
Rest Awhile
This project began with the customer’s desire to evoke a certain experience of place in park visitors. The custom design took us on a journey, from research and development, which can be found in our early models of the wayfinding signs, all the way to engineering and ultimately specialty fabrication. The directional maps and shelters with informational panels include educational interpretive signage and the main entrance is a work of architectural signage that everyone can enjoy.
