Malden River Works

In collaboration with Landing Studio and Horsley Whitten, Offshoots is providing horticultural and phytoremediation design for this climate-resilient waterfront park between the Malden Department of Public Works building and the Malden River. Through a public led design process, this will be the first public open space on the Malden River and is intended to serve as a model for equitable and resilient waterfront development in Malden. After creating a detailed analysis of the existing site vegetation, Offshoots developed a planting strategy using native plants in eleven different planting communities to create new wildlife habitats. From bioswales and living shorelines to urban hedgerows, the various plant communities provide additional functions such as shoreline stabilization and erosion control; phytoremediation of soil, air, and groundwater contamination; and seasonal interest induced by changing foliage, flowers, and fruits. This project aims to seed future waterfront growth, both horticulturally and from a policy standpoint.