Kaixo Corner in Downtown Boise Transforms Urban Space

Balancing Community Priorities with Site Constraints

Though compact in size, Kaixo Corner was designed to serve a wide range of needs. Flexible gathering areas, varied seating, and performance spaces accommodate everything from informal neighborhood gatherings to festivals and cultural celebrations. Through public meetings, surveys, online feedback, and design activities, residents shared their preferences for amenities, artwork, and programming. The team used that input to develop a preferred concept that balanced community priorities with site constraints and project feasibility.

Designing within the existing downtown site required the team to balance the park’s new uses with established site conditions. Grading and drainage solutions had to retain stormwater on-site while creating functional, ADA-accessible connections between the adjacent alley and sidewalks. The team addressed these constraints by utilizing a topographic survey to establish critical tie-in elevations.

Converting the former parking lot into landscaped areas, pathways, and gathering spaces required detailed grading design and strategic drainage collection points to maintain accessible routes, manage runoff, and prevent ponding. The team used trench drains and pipes to direct stormwater into Silva Cells (an innovative underground structural soil system designed to support hard surfaces like sidewalks and roads while providing a protected space for tree roots). The Silva Cells serve two functions: tree health and subsurface stormwater infiltration.

Making Art Part of the Experience

Rather than treating public art as a collection of standalone installations, the project team worked with a public artist to weave cultural storytelling throughout the site. The result is an immersive experience in which pathways, seating, lighting, landscape, and gathering spaces contribute to a larger narrative about Boise’s past, present, and future.

Integrating these artistic concepts into a functional public space required close coordination among the design team, the landscape architect, the engineers, and the artist. Ambitious creative ideas had to be translated into buildable solutions that worked with the site’s engineering requirements and intended uses.

The park’s mix of pathways, gathering areas, seating, public art, and performance features added complexity to the design and construction process. These elements required precise coordination of structural foundations, underlying utilities, drainage infrastructure, and accessible circulation routes to ensure the visual intent could be achieved without compromising functionality.

The team evaluated feature locations, elevations, and construction details throughout design to accommodate structural and site engineering requirements while preserving the artistic vision. Extensive coordination between disciplines helped resolve potential conflicts, maintain ADA-compliant access throughout the park, and integrate art installations seamlessly into the overall site design. The result is a public space where engineering, landscape architecture, and cultural storytelling work together to create a cohesive visitor experience.

Coordinating Construction Around a Major Community Event

With the opening deadline tied to Jaialdi, the largest Basque festival in the United States, the team employed strategic procurement, close cross-disciplinary collaboration, and careful coordination to keep the project moving. Additionally, volunteers helped install metal flaps on the Sky River sculpture—one of the park‘s prominent art installations. These combined approaches supported the park’s opening on July 28, 2025, approximately six weeks ahead of schedule.

A Lasting Place for Community and Connection

By combining public art, landscape, cultural history, and flexible public space, the project transformed an underused parking lot into a destination for gathering, celebration, and connection. Kaixo Corner demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform even the smallest urban sites to create lasting public value.

*This project was awarded and completed by QRS Consulting before its 2026 acquisition by Morrison-Maierle.