Beaverdam Reservoir Park
This new park at Beaverdam Reservoir in Loudoun County, Virginia was completed in conjunction with nationally recognized landscape architect Nelson Byrd Woltz. The park is funded and constructed under a partnership between Loudoun Water and NOVA Parks. The innovative park is designed with “source water protection” in mind. Studio Twenty Seven Architecture designed a welcome center, crew boat house, and other pavilion facilities to complement the park’s mission of highlighting the connections between ecological health, human health, and recreation. The innovative park design includes a boat rental facility, trails, waterfront boardwalks, a bridge, plantings, educational exhibits, and other site features all designed to illustrate the source water protection theme.
All photos copyrighted by Allen Russ Photography, LLC, StudioHDP.
MATERIALS
The same sustainable materials are used for all of the pavilions at Beaverdam helping to foster an integrated design that weaves together infrastructure, nature, and architecture. Radiata Pine wood panels are a sustainable and rapidly renewable resource that is almost maintenance free and provide a 50-year warranty. The wood panel finishes, supported by structural steel frames, are anchored to the ground with bluestone bases. These materials reference the agrarian structures that once doted the region.
Site plan
Crew storage
CREW HOUSE PAVILION
The crew house is used by six local high schools to store “shells” and stage meets. The building provides storage for 32 eight-person shells and 32 four-person shells. In addition to shell storage, the building includes changing rooms, restrooms, and exercise facilities for the students.
Boat kiosk
BOAT RENTAL PAVILION
Enjoy a beautiful day on the placid waters of Beaverdam Reservoir. This pavilion on the water’s edge is used to store and rent paddleboards, canoes, and kayaks. Guests can also use the ramp to launch their personal car top, hand-carry or inflatable paddle craft, and non-motorized boats.
Welcome center
WELCOME CENTER PAVILION
The welcome center is situated between the parking area and access to the reservoir. It provides meeting space, comfort facilities, a reception area, and retail space for guests. Reservoir employees maintain their offices at the welcome center. Similar to the picnic and boat house pavilions, the welcome center roof structure serves as an ecological corridor, returning water to the reservoir or capturing and harvesting for park operations.
Large picnic pavilion
PICNIC PAVILIONS
Through their innovative butterfly roof design, the picnic pavilions serve as rain catchers. Water is captured and naturally filtered through bioretention basins before entering the reservoir, a vital source of drinking water for the community. The pavilions include tables, grills, and electricity.
INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE
The park includes educational features to inspire a sense of stewardship in all visitors. Exhibits illustrating the importance of the reservoir and its ecology are designed to help people understand the value of water to everyday life. Source water protection themes are featured throughout the park to remind visitors that the reservoir is, first and foremost, a source of clean drinking water for Loudoun residents.
