Wilmette Park District’s Gillson Park spans 60 acres of prime parkland along the Lake Michigan shoreline, offering the community both park and beach amenities within a singular site. The project utilized the beach house and its adjacent parking lot as the mediator between two unique landscapes, creating a threshold between the park and the beach. Using dunes that were established decades ago as inspiration, the dunescape was extended north, parallel to the beach, and the beach house meanders along the shoreline.

A new parking lot of permeable pavers and planting zones extends the dunescapes, accommodating 325 cars while simultaneously resolving drainage issues by allowing water to percolate into the sand below, further improving the visitor experience.