The Holland community will soon be home to a welcoming and unique looped ice-skating rink at the Window on the Waterfront (WOW) Park. The new rink will feature a ribbon design with a circle “pond” rink that creates a fun and unique user experience, bringing people to downtown Holland. 

The rink will be made of real ice during the winter months and will have multi-year use that appeals to all park users. In peak winter season, ice skating, curling, outdoor fireplaces and gathering spaces can be enjoyed at the rink. In the warmer months, a small amphitheater hill will be created for performance space with outdoor seating and amenities. Concessions, bathrooms, storage buildings and canopies will complete the outdoor rink space.

Lakeshore Advantage provides current and prospective companies in Ottawa and Allegan Counties, located in West Michigan, with one-step assistance for location, innovation, and growth. To serve the region’s entrepreneurial community, Lakeshore Advantage invested in a new building called the Next Center. The 20,000 sq ft, three-story building will provide a space to bring innovation, community startups, and learning to the Lakeshore.

The first-floor space will be home for startup businesses that will include collaborative spaces for exchanging ideas and fostering mutual connections. A learning lab that can accommodate 50 people will also provide space for workshops, networking, and presentations on the ground level. The second-floor space will become the new headquarters for Lakeshore Advantage employees while also housing office space for growing second-stage companies. The top floor will belong to an established business which complements the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Haworth Hotel, formerly known as the Haworth Inn & Conference Center, serves as the front door for Hope College and a key part of the institution’s image and identity.

The reimagining of this 36,000-square foot project called on the expertise of stakeholders in architecture, design, and manufacturing. GMB and Perkins&Will’s 2017 campus master plan outlined the essential purpose in reinventing the formerly 47-key hotel – now 48 guestrooms, including a brand-new suite, and 14 conference spaces.

GMB, The ODC Network (ODC), and the City of Holland partnered to create the Sally Smoly Nature Playscape at Window on the Waterfront Park (WOW). This 1-acre park within a park had a $350,000 budget, the last $100,000 of which was raised through a $50,000 crowdfunding and a matching grant from MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program in the summer of 2021. 

Located two blocks from downtown Holland, the project introduces the first playground within a 20-minute walk and also serve residents of nearby senior living facilities. The project supports ODC’s mission to connect people to nature and provides play and learn spaces.

Sally Smoly Nature Playscape is sited in a central greenspace on existing parkland. The park offers climbing structures constructed of logs, nets, rocks and boulders; slides; fully accessible, looping walking paths and features making the space usable for people of all abilities; creative play areas that include a playhouse, sand, a deck lookout and sledding hill; hammock posts; an amphitheater and stage space plus a pavilion and benches; large grassy greenspace for games and activities; landscaping with a focus on a natural environment with an abundance of native plants and vegetation; fencing for the early childhood area; and adjacent parking.

After many years of planning and fundraising efforts, the 55,000 square foot building renovation breathes new life into downtown Holland. We partnered with Edgewater Resources for this project and engaged stakeholders early on in a Design Workshop to understand their vision for the facility.

A major goal for the building was that it be flexible with separate areas that allow for spontaneous group activity that could be held simultaneously and not be disruptive to the other. Some key features include an indoor farmers market, expanded office space, a full-service kitchen, and a gym / stage space for large scale events.