Orlando, FL
Boxi Park
Where Lake Nona Comes to Play
status
Completed 2019
client
Tavistock Development Company
expertise
Public Realm + Open Space
services
Landscape Architecture
A Temporary Place With Lasting Impact
What began as a short-term activation has become a defining gathering space, shaping how Lake Nona connects, gathers, and grows.
At the heart of Lake Nona Town Center sits an unexpected catalyst for community life. Planned as a temporary activation, Boxi Park was introduced to create immediate value on a parcel of prime real estate while long-term development plans and market conditions evolved. With LandDesign already supporting Phase 2 of the Town Center, Tavistock Development Company turned to our team to champion the design and implementation of the park, applying interim placemaking strategies within the context of a vibrant commercial district.
Occupying just a half-acre and framed by residential and hospitality uses, Boxi Park functions as a high-impact anchor despite its compact footprint. Formerly an underutilized asphalt lot with limited experiential quality, the site called for a landscape-led intervention focused on user comfort and flexibility rather than permanent construction. Constructed in 2019, Boxi Park became Orlando’s first container park, repurposing 12 shipping containers within a climate-responsive landscape. Its success, reflected in repeat permit extensions, has made Boxi Park a defining part of Lake Nona’s community experience and a model for flexible, value-driven open space.
Boxi Park presented an opportunity to transform an underutilized asset into a temporary activation without limiting future development options. Leaving this prominent gateway vacant would have delayed community identity and economic activity at the heart of this growing district. Designed as a reversible intervention, Boxi Park is both relocatable and responsive to market trends and resident needs. The City of Orlando strongly supported this effort, recognizing the project as its first container park and a no-cost investment for the city.
Beyond its role as a gathering space, Boxi Park operates as a testing ground for food-and-beverage concepts. This test-kitchen model has directly informed Tavistock’s retail strategy, providing real-time insight into tenant mix, customer behavior, and operational needs. By reducing risk for vendors and decision-makers, the park is not only a place of activity, but a landscape-enabled tool for market evaluation and commercial planning.
Boxi Park required a design solution that prioritized speed, flexibility, and environmental performance. Twelve shipping containers were used as modular structures to support retail, dining, and events. Because the park was designed to be moved in the future, site grading and drainage was coordinated to perform under temporary conditions while accommodating Central Florida’s frequent and intense weather events. Materials were selected to reinforce a pop-up character, maintaining design intent while delivering a cohesive environment.
The landscape strategy focused on shade and surface cooling to support heat mitigation. Four legacy oak trees were relocated from another Lake Nona property and installed in freestanding containers, providing canopy coverage and reducing heat generated by the asphalt. Synthetic turf, shade structures, and strategic plantings were layered to moderate surface temperatures and humidity. Together, these solutions shifted the site from a heat-intensive lot into a shaded, comfortable environment capable of supporting year-round use.
Mitigating Heat, Prioritizing Comfort
Relocated mature oak trees provide shade across 14% of Boxi Park’s open area, with integrated shade structures increasing total shaded coverage to approximately 57%, significantly reducing heat exposure and improving comfort on a predominantly paved site.
Physical
Situated among residential, commercial, and hospitality uses, the park functions as a physical anchor that supports daily activity, events, and informal gathering
Functional
Flushed curbs along the street frontage improve ADA accessibility while supporting clear circulation, event queuing, and flexible rideshare drop-off
Social
Vendor kiosks, seating areas, and flexible event spaces support multi-generational engagement while reinforcing Boxi Park’s role as a test kitchen that encourages repeat visits and evolving experiences
Physical
Situated among residential, commercial, and hospitality uses, the park functions as a physical anchor that supports daily activity, events, and informal gathering
Functional
Flushed curbs along the street frontage improve ADA accessibility while supporting clear circulation, event queuing, and flexible rideshare drop-off
Social
Vendor kiosks, seating areas, and flexible event spaces support multi-generational engagement while reinforcing Boxi Park’s role as a test kitchen that encourages repeat visits and evolving experiences
