recent work
winter 2017
an–dro–POH–gone \ N: a common field grass, is one of nature’s remarkable adaptations to stress and change in the landscape. Wherever the landscape has been disturbed, andropogon is one of the first field grasses to colonize the ground and provide a self-sustaining cover for the gradual return of our native forests. The economy and elegance with which these grassy meadows heal the wounded landscape aptly describes Andropogon’s goal in ecological planning and design,
“to weave together the landscapes of people and nature for the benefit of both.”
firm profile Founded nearly forty years ago, Andropogon is committed to the principle of “designing with nature,” creating beautiful and evocative landscapes inspired by the careful observation of natural processes and informed by the best environmental science. The elegance and economy of natural form and process continues to be the benchmark by which we measure the success of our work—from the smallest construction detail to the multi-layered patterns of regional sites. As a certified minority business enterprise (MBE), Andropogon is committed to diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. Our multi-cultural staff is dedicated to the successful maturing of each project, from initial concept designs to construction review and longterm landscape management. Our body of national and international work includes early examples of innovative green strategies that have withstood the test of time as well as a broad range of landscape, site planning, environmental projects, ecological restoration and innovative stormwater management techniques. Our clients often tell us that we combine integrated design with a depth of ecological understanding in synergistic ways. With every project we embody our mission... “to weave together the landscapes of people and nature for the benefit of both.”
services LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Site Analysis Site & Landscape Design Landscape Management Permit and Regulatory Preparation Construction Documentation and Observation Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
MASTER PLANNING Program Analysis and Development Mixed-use & Residential Development Institutional Visioning and Development Stormwater Management Ecological Restoration Brownfield Redevelopment Funding Strategies
REGIONAL PLANNING Environmental and Land Use Planning Environmental Assessment Feasibility Studies Natural Resource Management Open Space and Trail Systems Community Planning and Facilitation
RESEARCH Post-Occupancy Evaluations Case Studies Environmental Monitoring Soil Biology Analysis Social Monitoring Experimental Design Monitoring Protocols Adaptive Landscape Management Programs Public Outreach and Presentations Grant Writing and Technical Writing SITES Documentation
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES Site Selection Environmental Assessment Site Planning and Design Stormwater Management Brownfield Redevelopment
design principles PLACE FIRST Our goal is to understand and express the essential character of a place. We tell the story of a site by learning what it was, understanding what it is, and realizing what it can become.
CREATING HIGH-PERFORMANCE / MULTI-FUNCTIONING LANDSCAPES Creative problem-solving shapes our landscapes making them interactive. We are committed to synergistic designs where roles are inter-dependent and mutually supporting.
HARMONIZE PEOPLE AND PLACE Our designs find opportunities for a dynamic and relevant future in the fundamentals of the place and the aspirations of the community.
HEAL ECOSYSTEMS Our core approach is to build dynamic, holistic systems and establish a healthy web of relationships .
ECONOMY OF INTERVENTION We protect the integrity of ecological and social systems through noninvasive and carefully targeted solutions; maximum impact with minimal invasion.
BEAUTY IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP Our landscapes are not only artistic and aesthetically beautiful; they create evocative experiences with lasting impressions while serving as essential organizing elements of a site.
2016 GSA DESIGN AWARD from the U.S. General Service Administration for the United States Coast Guard Headquarters, with Perkins + Will 2016 ASLA HONOR AWARD in the Research Category for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania 2016 AIA COTE TOP TEN AWARD from AIA Committee on the Environment for the Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, with The Design Alliance 2016 AIA COTE TOP TEN AWARD from the AIA Committee on the Environment for the J. Craig Venter Institute, with ZGF Architects 2016 MERIT AWARD for Excellence in Planning for an Existing Campus from the Society for College and University Planning for the Temple University Health Sciences Campus Framework Plan, with Payette 2016 LAND ETHICS AWARD OF MERIT from Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve for the green roof at the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc. 2015 GROUNDBREAKER AWARD FINALIST from the Delaware Valley Green Building Council for Lower Venice Island Recreation Center, with Buell Kratzer Powell 2015 MERIT AWARD for Excellence in Architecture for Building Additions from the Society for College and University Planning for Kline Fitness and Squash Center at Dickinson College with Cannon Design 2015 PRESERVATION AWARD from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office for Duke Farms, with VITETTA 2014 HONOR AWARD from the AIA NY Committee on the Environment for the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, with Robert A.M. Stern Architects
awards 2014 HONOR AWARD from AIA Philadelphia for the Karabots Pavilion at the Franklin Institute, with SaylorGregg Architects, now a Studio of JacobsWyper 2014 ASLA HONOR AWARD in the General Design Category for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania 2014 GROUNDBREAKER AWARD FINALIST from the Delaware Valley Green Building Council for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania 2014 AIA NYS AWARDS including a Design Award Citation and an Excelsior Award for Public Architecture for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc. 2014 HONOR AWARD for Excellence in Architecture for a New Building rom the Society for College and University Planning/AIA-CAE for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc. 2014 AIA COTE TOP TEN AWARD from AIA Committee on the Environment for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc. 2014 HONOR AWARD in General Design from the Tri-State ASLA for the Clemson University ICAR Technology Neighborhood 1 Plaza, with Seamon Whiteside
the Kroc Corps Community Center 2013 AWARD OF HONOR from the Connecticut Green Building Council for the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, with Robert A.M. Stern Architects 2013 HONOR AWARD in General Design and People’s Choice Award from the Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, with MGA Partners 2013 MERIT AWARD in Analysis & Planning from the PennsylvaniaDelaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus Landscape Integration Plan 2012 DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the AIA for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, with MGA Partners 2012 COMMUNITY AWARD from the US Green Building Council New Jersey Chapter for Duke Farms LEED Improvements, Reuse and Renovation
2013 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AWARD from the Boston Society of Architects for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra
2012 AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE AWARD from the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for the Horticultural Center at the Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Overland Partners
2013 SPEAS AIRPORT AWARD from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for innovative stormwater management at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, with ARCADIS
2012 DESIGN-BUILD MERIT AWARD from the Design-Build Institute of America for the United States Military Academy Preparatory School Site Design in West Point, New York, with EwingCole
2014 MERIT AWARD in General Design from ASLA NY for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center Green Roof, with Architerra
2013 STORMWATER BMP AWARD from the Temple-Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative for Stroud Water Research Center, Shoemaker Green, and
U.S. COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON, DC
U.S. COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS
WASHINGTON, DC
As a member of the master planning & site development team led by architects Perkins+Will, Andropogon served as the landscape architect and ecological planner for the new United States Coast Guard Headquarters Facility. The Headquarters Facility sits within the historic 182acre St. Elizabeths campus, a National Historic Landmark located 2.5 miles from the U.S. Capital. This 1.2 million square foot building, with the second largest green roof in the United States, was designed to integrate within its 37-acre site. The landscape, informed by detailed site analysis, sustainable design principals, and stormwater Best Management Practices, creates a functional landscape with exceptional performance and beauty. The sustainable directives for the project included achievement of Silver LEED™ certification.
Photographs by Steinkamp Photography
MCCORMACK BUILDING BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
MCCORMACK POST OFFICE & COURT HOUSE BUILDING
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Andropogon collaborated with Goody Clancy and Elevated Landscape Technology to design a green roof system for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The design serves as a model to be replicated at other locations in New England. The green roof gardens, located on the 4th & 5th floor rooftops of the McCormack Post Office and Court House Building, are a living example of an important aspect of the EPA’s mission. The design balances an informal planting aesthetic with the prominent architecture. The roof gardens serve as an amenity for employees to walk through and sit in, and as a pleasing building feature to look at from above. Sustainable functions of the green roof include “urban heat island” mitigation, storm water management, reuse of building materials, and water harvesting from building systems to passively irrigate plantings.
UNITED STATES BOTANIC GARDEN WASHINGTON, DC
BARTHOLDI PARK UNITED STATES BOTANIC GARDEN
WASHINGTON, D.C.
As part of the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) , Bartholdi Park is located at the south side of the conservatory and serves as a home-landscape demonstration garden for residents and visitors. The park’s focal point is a historic 1876 fountain designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The gardens contain deciduous trees, evergreens, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vines, ground covers, roses and bulbs. The redesign of Bartholdi Park, while continuing to demonstrate to homeowners various garden designs, types of gardens and plant selections, will be following SITES guidelines to achieve an integrated design, including local climate, vegetation, healthy soils, water management, and sustainable gardening practices. Design strategies will be used to create synergistic solutions, and to build dynamic, holistic systems to be interpreted for the urban home gardener. The goal is to share the site and sustainable strategies knowledge with each visitor. Bartholdi Park is currently in the construction documentation process.
THE EDIBLE GARDEN - the strategy E GARDEN - the strategy
THE EDIBLE GARDEN - the strategy
Vegetables that occupy most ordinary gardens: High-calorie root crops Food for a year garden: • tomatoes EDIBLE STRATEGY• potatoes, parsnips and turnips that occupy most ordinary • Family Garden GARDEN Vegetables gardens: High-calorie root crops : • squash • store well • 100 SF per person to grow•enough • tomatoes potatoes, parsnips and turnips Vegetables that occupy most ordinary gardens: High-calorie root crops Food for a year garden: • cucumbers • produce a large amount of calories in a vegetables for the growing season • squash • store well n to grow enough tomatoes potatoes, parsnips and turnips Family ••peppers relatively•small space. • another• 100 SFGarden per person•toproduce feed a large amount • cucumbers of calories in a wing season • squash • store well • 100 SF per person to grow enough • lettuce the family for the whole year relatively for a totalsmall space. • peppers • cucumbers per person to vegetables feed • produce a large amount of calories in a for the growing season • broccoli garden space of 400 SF • lettuce • peppers relatively small space. e year for a total • another 100 SF per person to feed • lettuce • broccoli the family for the whole year for a total F • broccoli
garden space of 400 SF
175 SF 175 SF
175 SF
225 SF
200 SF
225 SF
sible
225 SF
carbon crops for the compost
55 SF
acce
acces
ssible
path sible acces
55 SF
65 SF
path
acce
65 SF
path
acces
65 SF
ssible
path acces
sible
175 SF
sible
200 SF
path
path
200 SF 175 SF 175 SF
225 SF
55 SF
225 SF
225 SF
Cover crop for winter (green manure)
Pest preventers carbon crops for the compost Cover crop for winter (green manure) Pest preventers • corn • buckwheat • thyme repels cabbage moths • corn ••buckwheat • thyme repels • wheat winter rye carbon cropsmoths for the • sage cabbage is offensivemoths to cabbage & compost Cover crop for winter (green manure) • wheat ••winter • sage is offensive to cabbage moths & • millet alfalfarye • corn • buckwheat bage moths carrot flies • millet • alfalfa carrot flies • nasturtiums discourage squash bugs & • wheat • winter rye to cabbage moths & • nasturtiums bugs & whiteflies discourage squash • millet • alfalfa whiteflies • borage repels tomato hornworms urage squash bugs & • borage repels tomato hornworms
EIGHT STEPS TO GROW BIOINTENS • Double-dug, raised beds. Loose EIGHT STEPS TO GROW BIOINTENSIVE GARDENING of 24 inches allows roots to penetrate • Double-dug, raised beds. Loosening the soil to a depth ates a raised bed effect. EIGHT STEPS TO more GROW BIOINTENSIVE of 24 inches allows roots to penetrate deeply and cre- GAR • Double-dug, raised beds. Loosening the ates a raised bed effect. of 24 inches allows roots to more de • Composting. A penetrate healthy compost ates aing raised bed effect. the soil. • Composting. A healthy compost pile is key to replenishing the soil. • Composting. A healthy compost k • Intensive planting. Ignorepile the isspa ing the soil. with your seeds. Plant seedlings come • Intensive planting. Ignore the spacing instructions that are mature, the leaves touch. This kee come with your seeds. Plant seedlings so close that the when they ins • Intensive planting. Ignore spacing vents weeds fromPlant sprouting. with your seeds. seedlings so close are mature, the leavescome touch. This keeps soil moist and preare mature, the leaves touch. This keeps soil m vents weeds from sprouting. • Companion planting. Green bea vents weeds from sprouting. corn provides shade to cucumbers, an • Companion planting. Green beans love strawberries, grow wellplanting. in between slower-growin • es Companion Green beans love corn provides shade to cucumbers, and fast-maturing radishcorn provides shade to cucumbers, and fast-m es grow well in between slower-growing carrots. es grow well in between slower-growing carrot • Carbon farming. Corn, millet an seed and grain crops, make up an im • Carbon farming. Corn, milletfarming. and oats, along with other • and Carbon Corn, millet and oats, a provide plenty of high-carbon add seed and grain crops,seed make upgrain an important partupofanthe diet and crops, make important p pile. and provide plenty of and high-carbon additions to the compost provide plenty of high-carbon additions to pile. pile. • Calorie farming. Growing a yea focusing on high- calorie, space-effici • Calorie farming. Growing a year’s food supplya means • Calorie farming. Growing year’s food andon parsnips. focusing high- calorie, focusing on high- calorie, space-efficient foodsspace-efficient like potatoesfood and parsnips. and parsnips. • Open-pollinated seeds. Special soil. Using open-pollinated se • healthy Open-pollinated seeds. Special hybrids • Open-pollinated seeds. Special hybrids aren’t needed in a netic healthy soil.diversity. Using open-pollinated seeds healthy soil. Using open-pollinated seeds helps preserve ge- help netic diversity. netic diversity. • Use the whole method. High yie • components Use the wholetogether. method. High yields come • Use the whole method. High yields come from using all components together. components together. Source: John Jeavons, the author of “ Source: John Jeavons, theNuts, author of “How to G Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Grain Source: John Jeavons,Vegetables, the authorFruits, of “How Grow More Nuts,toBerries, Grains, and O Than You Ever Thought Possible On Le Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, andPossible Other On Crops Than You Ever Thought Less Land Imagine” (Ten Speed Press). Imagine” Press). Than You Ever Thought Possible(Ten On Speed Less Land Than You Can Imagine” (Ten Speed Press).
“Island Guilds” “Island Guilds” • large canopy (nitrogen fixer) fixer) • large canopy (nitrogen “Island Guilds” • fruit bearing understory (apple,(apple, pear, pear, • fruit bearing understory • large canopy (nitrogen fixer) crab apple plum, cherry, plum, cherry, crab apple • fruit bearing understory (apple, pear, • shrubs (blackcurrant, gooseberry, • shrubs (blackcurrant, gooseberry, plum, cherry, crab apple worcesterberry etc worcesterberry etc groundcover (edible) • shrubs (blackcurrant,•gooseberry, • groundcover (edible) worcesterberry etc • groundcover (edible)
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI STEM BUILDING
OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI.
Recognized as an R-1 post-doctoral research university by the Carnegie Classification, the University of Mississippi is dedicated to increasing STEM literacy for all students on campus. Key to this effort is the new 200,000GSF STEM building and its landscape, which integrates the existing buildings and circulation system on campus to create a distinct Engineering, Science, and Technology precinct. The building and its site are designed to foster interdisciplinary programs and collaboration by providing environments for student-centered learning through a series of labs, classrooms, and outdoor learning spaces where students and faculty can meet and engage with the built environment to learn about STEM fields in both formal and informal ways. Andropogon is serving as Landscape Architect of Record for the STEM building, working with Ellenzweig, Design Architect and Lab Planner, in collaboration with McCarty Architects as Architect of Record. Andropogon’s site design is critical to connecting the STEM building to the existing campus elements and creating a distinct character for the district. Plaza spaces reinforce primary building entrances and provide informal meeting areas. Interstitial spaces are transformed into teaching gardens. Walkways connect a network of outdoor rooms of varying scale to accommodate both intimate gatherings and large assemblies. Educational opportunities are maximized throughout the site by revealing geology, stormwater management systems, and native plant communities of the Northern Hilly Gulf Coastal Plan ecoregion, while managing water runoff and providing habitat. The new Gertrude C. Ford Way will act as an extension of the major pedestrian artery that serves as both daily circulation, as well as a celebratory promenade during football games, and must support time honored traditions such as the Walk of Champions.
FASER HALL
SHOEMAKER HALL
HUME HALL
STEM GARDEN
WEST PLAZA
STEM BUILDING
EAST PLAZA
GERTRUDE FORD WALK
CARRIER HALL
GERTRUDE FORD WALK
PLANTING
GERTRUDE FORD WALK
MIXED STORY PLANTING
LOADING DOCK
FLOODPLAIN GARDEN
TERRACE SEATING
UPLAND GARDEN
STEM GARDEN
EACH PERSON HAS A DOMAIN
PROXEMICS: OBSERVATIONS OF THE USE OF SPACE RELATED TO THE SPACING BETWEEN PEOPLE. RATHER THAN STRICT GUIDELINES, PROXEMICS SERVE AS A SYSTEM FOR GAUGING SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
INTIMATE DISTANCE (0 - 1.5’)
40 SF
PERSONAL DISTANCE (1.5’ - 4’)
80 SF
SOCIAL DISTANCE (4’ - 12’)
PUBLIC DISTANCE (12’ - 25’)
450 SF 2400 SF
SOCIAL PROXIMITY
DAILY USE
SMALL EVENT
GAME DAY
AL JAMEA TUS SAIFIYAH NAIROBI, KENYA
AL JAMEA TUS SAIFIYAH
NAIROBI, KENYA
Andropogon, in collaboration with the design team of FXFOWLE Architects, Frederic Schwartz Architects, Burhani Design Build, Arup, and Triad Architects, is developing a new 14-acre Al Jamea tus Saifiyah campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The school will be one of three worldwide campuses of the Daudi Bohra sect that will provide advanced, contemporary Islamic education. The campus is organized around a central core of formal gardens inspired by the Quran, buffered by edges of native landscaping that give way to informal gardens within residential and recreational areas. The buildings and landscape are designed to be fully integrated throughout the campus, with buildings connected by covered walkways running alongside gardens, and courtyards that allow every room to be connected to the landscape. Andropogon’s design for the courtyards and gardens is inspired by the major character zones of the Nile Basin, utilizing formal and informal water features, significant Quranic plants and fruits, as well as trees and flowers native to Nairobi. The landscape will be integrated into all aspects of learning, designed to heighten awareness of environmental stewardship and the connectedness of all things. Fatemi design principals are incorporated into the site design to create a restorative and productive landscape that is integral to the educational mission, while promoting biodiversity, improved microclimate, and water conservation.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL RIYADH RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL RIYADH
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
The new International School Riyadh, designed as a model educational environment within the region, offers students extraordinary opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary/independent learning. Located on a 38-acre site, the K-12 campus is divided into distinct zones representing the different grade configurations: primary, elementary, middle and high schools. The plan for the school’s landscape is based on symbolic interpretations of characteristics associated with regional landscapes. The design concept includes a series of linked courtyards that showcase the “natural elements” of sun, metal, wood, earth and shade through various interactive components that are educational and engaging for the students. The campus also includes outdoor athletic fields, tennis courts, and basket-ball courts. The site design incorporates landscapes that showcase ecological principles within the harsh climatic conditions of Saudi Arabia through the use of native and adapted vegetation, and reuse of grey water for irrigation.
weaving together the landscapes of people and nature for the benefit of both
www.andropogon.com