Review # 46
Location: 6120 N Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73118; the site of Chesapeake Energy's Campus Headquarters, in the Nichols Hills suburb. It is south of Nichols Hills Plaza and NW 63rd Street; across from Whole Foods Market.
Specifics: This Park is actually a green roofing over a two level parking garage for the employees of Chesapeake Energy (CE). It has 235,392 square feet of underground parking, with 395 parking spaces, and connects to the two campus buildings.
The athletic field has a walking and running path, with the center area free for sports or company events. There is exercise equipment when you first walk up the stairs to the park before you reach the center. During the Christmas holidays they have a giant Christmas tree in the center, with large boxes wrapped as decorations. The trees surrounding the area and the fence are covered with Christmas lights as well.
Concept: CE wanted to build a natural turf athletic field over the parking garage with an open perimeter for air circulation; providing a nice view for the city, while also providing a way to reduce heat and collect rain water. The green rooftop replaces the green space taken by a building, lowers the temperature of the building, keeps extra storm water drainage from overflowing, and extends and protects the roof; while also reducing energy costs and requirements.
History: This site was a 1970's office park called 3 Chopt Square, until CE bought it in 1988 to start the energy company. In November 2009, CE demolished the buildings to rebuild to their specifications. CE wanted to build a new, energy efficient and modern campus, following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. LEED are standards for construction and operations of green buildings administered by the US Green Building Council.
Posted on 6 Jan 2019 read more