Myriad Gardens

Myriad Gardens is a unique civic, cultural and recreational downtown park, and was a pivotal part of Oklahoma City’s rebirth.  The central element, the Hodges Botanical Bridge”, is a 280-FT. long  90-FT. diameter cylindrical enclosed botanical garden “terrarium” in the form of a “Crystal Bridge”.  It is an enclosed tropical landscape containing a lush valley, a waterfall, and a small mountain.  The vast structure is clad in Cyro (a double skinned cellular plastic), and houses three distinct carefully controlled climates.   An evaporative cooling plant located in the lowest part of the cylinder provides the cooling system.  The overall complex also includes a water plaza with surrounding stores and restaurants, an entry pavilion with below and on-grade walkways, and a two-level pedestrian bridge spanning a valley, all of which is directly accessible to Oklahoma City’s famed downtown underground public circulation.  This highly publicized project won the Progressive Architecture Annual Design Award, the U.S. Dept of Transportation Award, and was the subject of an article in Progressive Architecture and ENR News.