San Carlos 700 Block Plaza

The 700 Block of San Carlos’s downtown main street (Laurel St) including the existing Harrington Park is being reimagined as a vibrant, community-focused plaza & park ahead of the City’s centennial celebration. The project is conceived as a pedestrian-first, car-free "living room" for daily use and major public events. It will feature a performing arts stage and extensive landscaped features, including an iconic water fountain.

Two complex timber pavilion structures form the park's focal point, comprised of wooden “fins” and tree-like columns supporting a CLT roof slab. The structures are detailed for special consideration of durability and resilience against the hot Californian sun, given the timber’s exposure to the environment.

StructureCraft is responsible for the structural engineering of both pavilions: a larger 22-ft-tall main stage structure designed to accommodate local concerts and performances, and another acting as an entrance and canopy to a multi-purpose building in the park. Both carry the same structural language, which was derived in a series of collaborative design charettes held by WRT Design, Ware Associates, and StructureCraft. Our engineers used Rhino / Grasshopper to validate a number of structural options matching the overall design intent. The chosen concept's framing members are shaped to mimic the flow of forces in the structure, creating a unique pattern in the CLT roof plate.