Creative Seating Arrangements Add Character to Cloverleaf Softball Fields

Defined by its shape, the municipal softball cloverleaf rarely deviates significantly from its default layout. However, improvements can be made. In Dallas, designer JACOBS found a way to make Kiest Park a bit different — the center of the cloverleaf is a raised plaza that allows for the addition of concrete terraces facing each field, attached to which are three rows of chair-back bleachers. The design gives the recreational fields more of a professional feel; the raised, integrated seating area, which is outfitted with shade structures and picnic tables, offers spectators greater comfort and better sightlines. It also eliminates two common problems associated with the underside of metal bleachers — trash that collects there and kids that climb the structure, oblivious to the danger. The city kept the center of the plaza green to give kids a better place to play, while the architects graded the site so that the incline of the path to the plaza is gradual, ensuring that the viewing area is fully accessible to people with disabilities.

parks and recreation        fields        baseball/softball        bleachers/seating