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Red Mountain Park is a 1,200 acre former iron ore mining mountain located in Birmingham, Alabama. Decommissioned in the 1960s, the formerly clear cut forest has regenerated with new successional vegetation. This new ecology is punctuated by the ruins of mining structures located at each of the nine openings of diagonal mine shafts. These shafts extend for miles at an angle of 16 degrees through a geologic formation known as the "Big Seam". The mine openings (points), the mine shafts projected to the surface (lines), and the pattern of iron ore mining perpendicular to the shafts (planes), are used as the organizational devices of the parks design.

I worked with senior associate Eric Tamulonis to transform the existing Master Plan report into a conceptual design framework. The culmination of this work was a 130 page Conceptual Design Manual that gives physical expression to the goals, principles, and diagrammatic plans set forth in the Master Plan. The design includes 40 miles of trails, a 40 acre meadow, a 20 acre lake, wilderness adventure nodes, a City Overlook, and numerous interpretive sites, all organized around the unique mining heritage and the dramatic natural and man-made topography of the park. The Manual will be used by the Red Mountain Park Commission to guide the transformation of this post-industrial site into a world-class cultural and recreational destination.

The former Birmingham Mineral Railway bench which was once used to carry ore from the mountain to the processing plants in Birmingham is repurposed and augmented to create a 12 foot wide multi-use "Round the Mountain Loop". This creates a spine for the park, connecting each of the 9 mines openings on the north side with five new destinations on the south side of the mountain: the Red Mountain Center, Redding Commons, Redding Lake, and The Knoll. Unique design features such as a linear stormwater aquaduct and water cascade, a fishing pier, and a tree-top forest overlook occur at moments where the projected mine shaft lines cross the Loop. In addition, each of these moments is marked by custom designed interpretive and wayfinding scultpures.

The Red Mountain Center is situated at Mine No. 10, along the centerpiece of the park, a walkway which follows the trajectory of the mine 10 shaft and haulage operations. Here, a series of terraces left over from the mining process is repurposed and further sculpted to create the gathering focal point of the park. Visitors will be able to learn the history of the mountain, experience the mining process through tours of the mine shaft, and attend gatherings and events at the Mine No. 10 Portal Plaza. A gap cut into the mountain to haul ore out of the shaft and through to the north side for transport, will be repurposed as a dramatic walkway, physically and symbolically connecting the historically divided north and south Birmingham. At the apex of this walkway, a structure called a "mine tipple" which was used to dump ore into rail cars, will be rebuilt as an overlook, allowing a dramatic view of the neighborhoods, city, and region. On the north side of the mountain, below the tipple, the ruins of the former hoist and power houses are repurposed as pavilions. The walkway leads down from the tipple through the pavilions, and connects to the Loop on the north side. An arrival plaza, parking area, and north park gateway create a strong connection to the neighborhoods of north Birmingham, where many of the mine workers once lived.