Landscape Record-Planting Design

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Land sc ap e R e c o r d

jojo Lands capeLaR e_c o r d l nd r@1 sca 63 pe .co Re m cor d Vol. 3/2015.06

Planting Design

Vol. 3/2015.06

Planting Design

jojo La _lr nd @1 21 82 sca 63 pe .co Re m cor d Planting Design

CONTENTS

contents

L a n d sc a pe R e c o r d

News

FEATURES

Planning & Competition

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World Green Infrastructure Congress, Nagoya, Japan

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Phipps’Center for Sustainable Landscapes

110 Landscape Garden WTC Schiphol

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52nd International Making Cities Livable Conference

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Vanke Center, Shenzhen

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Winner announced for Connect Kendall Square Open Space Competition for Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Garden Hospital: Palomar Medical Center

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ACGS Magnus Quadrangle

International Conference on Living Walls and Ecosystem Services 2015

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Foothill College

Singapore URA launches Request for Proposal for the Rail Corridor

Washington Park Redevelopment

119 Planting Diversity: Context, Color, and Mixture

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Field Operations selected to design Miami Underline

BSU (Office for Urban Development and Environment)

Interview

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Penda creates an audio-visual installation in China

A Colorful World: Dorpsweide Park, Katwijk

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Longworth Residence

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Energy Landscapes: Perception, Planning, Participation and Power

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Insights

WORKS

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100 Tsingtao Pearl

Man-made Sustainable Forest: Botanica Khao Yai

Siree Ruckhachat Nature Learning Park

Design Exchange 114 A Tree Is Not a Green Stuff 117 Green Magic on the Roof: Planting Design in Green Roofs and Roof Gardens

122 Establishing Plant Communities for Ecosystem Services - An Interview with José M. Almiñana, FASLA

124 Functionality and Aesthetics in School Planting Design - An Interview with Jeremy Ferrier, GDLA, AAILA

126 Urban Habitats: For Coexistence of Men, Plants and Wildlife - An Interview with Robert Doyle, SmithGroup JJR

14 Bristol Harborside 20 Conservatory Green ECE-8

ON THE cover: Dorpsweide Park, Katwijk, by LOOSvanVLIET, photo by LOOSvanVLIET THIS PAGE: Tsingtao Pearl, by Landscape Design Inc., photo by Sun Jianwei LEFT: Siree Ruckhachat Nature Learning Park by Axis Landscape Limited, photo by Axis Landscape Limited RIGHT: Phipps’ Center for Sustainable Landscapes by Andropogon Associates Ltd., photo by Andropogon Associates Ltd. 2

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World Green Infrastructure Congress, Nagoya, Japan The 2015 World Green Infrastructure Congress (WGIC 2015) will be held in Nagoya, Japan from 14-16 October, 2015. The congress will be hosted by the Organizing Committee of WGIN NAGOYA in cooperation with the NPO Roof Development Research Association and the World Green Infrastructure Network which represents 22 countries, of which, Japan is a member.

The WGIC is an annual international urban green infrastructure event which provides social, environmental and economical benefits through sustainable greening systems such as green roofs, living walls, urban forests, landscape regeneration, wetland renewal and water sensitive urban design practices.

The WGIN Congress has previously been held in Canada 2008, Mexico 2010, India 2011, China 2012, France 2013 and Australia 2014. These Congresses have all been promoted globally and attracted delegates to celebrate the profound benefits of incorporation of green roofs, living walls and urban landscapes as a sustainable urban planning solution.

The three days Congress in Nagoya will provide international and national keynote experts

52nd International Making Cities Livable Conference

Winner announced for Connect Kendall Square Open Space Competition for Cambridge, Massachusetts

presenting on new research, case studies, best practice management and the latest technology in this expanding industry. The annual national green fair of Japan will be held in the same period in Nagoya city, so, international participants will be able to inspect the most advanced greening in Japan in congress research tours.

The City of Cambridge is pleased to announce the selection of Somerville-based Richard Burck Associates as the winner of the Connect Kendall Square Open Space Planning Competition.

The Site is uniquely situated between established, historically working-class, residential neighborhoods, the Charles River, the campus of MIT, and physical remnants of an industrial past.

The Conference will discuss the following topics: • The water cycle and rain water management of a city and a block level • Economic merit and a valuation method of urban green • Natural power sources • Health and a mental use • Technology (a construction method, waterproofing, sprinkling of water, materials, etc.)

• The growth characteristic of plants • Planting design and scene of green roof and green wall • Thermal environment and heat island effect relief • Ecosystem, biodiversity • Management of green or event use of green facilities

The 52nd International Making Cities Livable Conference, organized by the International Making Cities Livable council, will take place in Bristol, UK, on June 29-July 3, 2015. At this conference will be examined creative strategies, tools and design solutions for “Achieving Green Healthy Cities.”

Launched July 2014, Connect Kendall Square was a departure from more traditional planning processes, and even unique among competition formats. The competition generated creative ideas and thinking on strategies to use open space and the public realm to better connect Kendall Square to surrounding neighborhoods, and also create a sense of place and identity. The winning framework plan will serve as a means of informing park designs, the character and role of both public and private open spaces in the area, and even decisions regarding infrastructure, city policy and future development.

The framework plan presented by Richard Burck Associates is rooted in a rich and graphic

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understanding of the site’s natural history and cultural evolution. The idea of first to “create” Kendall Square, and then “connect” it, is an excellent premise and produces a powerful network of proposed landscape and program spaces. The “dendritic” diagram effectively conveys the central design concept and lends it the needed flexibility for changing uses,

circulation patterns, and evolution over time. The result is a beautiful and believable master plan that creates a strong connection to the river. The central connection from the created wetland at the Volpe site to the extended Broad Canal and the Charles River transforms the entire study area and makes this proposal outstanding.

By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The largest migration of people in human history is taking place, from rural areas to cities – cities must provide the solutions that will make us more resilient, healthy and sustainable.

International Conference on Living Walls and Ecosystem Services 2015

The conference will review how the built and natural environment can be designed and managed to increase social and physical health and wellbeing, and to foster ecological, social and economic sustainability. These goals cannot be achieved by professionals in one field alone. They require collaborative efforts and insights from many disciplines such as planning, public health, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation planning, and social sciences, and review outstanding projects from the UK, Europe, North America and around the world.

The University of Greenwich Green Roofs and Living Walls Center is hosting the International Living Walls Conference on the theme of “Ecosystem Services” in Greenwich, UK, on 6-8 July 2015.

Through study tours, participants will also learn about Bristol’s achievements, and about Bristol’s current projects to improve health and sustainability by reshaping the natural and built environment.

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NEWS

The conference will bring together international experts, stakeholders from industry and the built environment profession, as well as students and the general public, in order to discuss ways of maximizing the ecosystem services of living walls. Topics will include the enhanced thermal performance of buildings, reduction of the Urban Heat Island Effect, habitat creation, mitigation of air and noise pollution, stormwater attenuation, novel opportunities for urban food production, and well-being.

The conference will involve keynote speeches, research papers, poster presentations and practiceorientated workshops where living wall designers, manufacturers and installers will share their knowledge and answering questions. Additionally there will be walking tours of living walls in London and an exhibition of living wall systems at the conference venue.

The event will showcase the roof gardens, the largest multi-functional green roof in Europe, with 14 separate roof spaces, living walls, and an aquaponics unit for research and education.

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Bristol Harborside Landscape Architect: Grant Associates Location: Bristol, UK Completion Date: 2015 Client: Crest Nicholson Area: 6.6ha Photographer: Grant Associates, SKY POWER， Simon Kirwan

“We are proud to have been associated with this important project for Bristol throughout its long evolution from Masterplan to implementation. It is fitting to see the final piece completes the Brunel Mile with a memorable landscape experience.”

– Andrew Grant, Director of Grant Associates “The landscape of Bristol Harborside reconnects the city with its historic waterfront. We set out to create a leading example of sustainable design, including sustainable urban drainage and water attenuation in a creative and imaginative way that enhances local species diversity and ecological richness.”

– Andrew Haines, Senior Associate at Grant Associates

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Bristol Harborside is a £120m mixed-use development on the edge of the city’s floating harbor which has regenerated the heart of Bristol’s historic waterfront. Sustainable landscape design has played a key role in the overall scheme.

Working closely with masterplan architects Cullinan Studio, Grant Associates has transformed the derelict 6.6-hectare brownfield site of former docks and gas works into a vibrant collection of new streetscapes, waterfront walks, public open space and a sustainable urban drainage system.

Grant Associates’ public realm landscape design is based on a strong sustainable narrative that draws on the waterfront location. Highlights include: Landscape Record Vol. 3/2015.06

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A Vibrant Series of Spaces, Routes and Public Squares

SKETCH

The creation of a series of spaces and routes enhances the floating harbor’s wider public realm, including new public squares and treelined avenues, and harborside moorings with a new harbor inlet. Views and access to the waterfront have been opened up, in particular those of the cathedral and the previously inaccessible Harbor Walk strengthening the site’s visual connections with the city bringing the waterfront back to life.

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The Brunel Mile Public Walkway The Brunel Mile, a key public walkway from

Temple Meads Station to the SS Great Britain, is now realized in full. The new Millennium Promenade has opened up the final stretch of this route helping to re-energize the harbor setting with access to the water’s edge providing an appropriate approach and setting to Brunel’s historic passenger steam ship.

A Program of Public Art A comprehensive program of public art has been established with internationally

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renowned artists including Tim Knowles, Richard Box, Janice Kerbal and Daphne Wright working to integrate individual pieces with the wider landscape.

The completion of the 15-year regeneration project comes as Bristol celebrates its status as European Green Capital in 2015 – awarded for the City’s outstanding commitment to sustainability, creativity, culture and innovation.

1. Floating reed beds 2. Detail of planting

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DETAIL SECTION Harbor Bank/Reed Bed (Floating Option)

Sustainable Urban Drainage A sustainable urban drainage story celebrates the passage of rainwater from the roofs of the buildings to the harbor, visible through a series of collection dishes, channels and rills, and irrigating the planting along the way.

Floating reed beds along the harbor edge filter rainwater and surface water before it enters the harbor. The floating reed beds have also created valuable habitat opportunities and provide an attractive waterside setting. Other habitat opportunities include an extensive green wall, fronting onto the central public square.

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1. Pontoon System: Refer to Pontoon specialists details and specification for pontoon walkway, finger pontoon system including all ancillary items to provide complete system.

2. Pontoon Piles: Refer to Pontoon specialists details and specification. Contractor to ensure pile heights allow for maximum flood conditions.

3. Reed Beds: Floating reed rafts, each panel 1.4×3.9m, heat sealed and with bolted pipes (150mm diam.) to form buoyancy booms (pallets). Netting fixed to top and bottom of pipe frame and infilled with coir and planted on site. Approximately 106 linear meters allow 27no. blocks, 108no. pallets (594sqm).

Each pallet tied to each other. 6no. scaffold poles and slip fitting per block of 4no. pallets. Reeds planted at approximately 4no. sqm (22no. per pallet).

4. Wildlife Provision: Contractor to allow for 5no. nesting platforms and 5no. duck islands to promote opportunities for nesting wildfowl. Allowance to be made for all fixings onto floating reed beds.

5. Scaffold Poles: 6no. scaffold poles allocated per block of 4no. reed bed pallets (see Note 3 above).

6. Distribution Pipe: 100mm diam. Perforated plastic non-PVC pipe to provide distribution of surface runoff from building 9.

7. Harbor Edge: Existing harbor edge. Contractor to ensure an allowance is made to ensure the bank edge is stable for the purpose of constructing the reed beds, boardwalk, drainage and profiling/surcharging the bank for planting. Contractor to allow for survey work to ascertain condition of existing bank edge.

8. Safety Chain: Catenary chain system attaching reed beds to boardwalk piles at strategic locations (each block see Note 3 above). Chain system to prevent reed beds from floating away during times of high floods.

9. Marginal Planting: Refer to Planting Plan.

10. Boardwalk: Refer to Pontoon specialists detail and specification for boardwalk including all lighting and handrails to provide complete system. Refer to general arrangement drawing for boardwalk gradients. Clear width of boardwalk between handrails to be min. 1.8m.

11. Topsoil1: 450mm graded ameliorated topsoil to Spec Clause D2o placed over a min. 300mm placed or existing subsoil.

12. Erosion Protection: Contractor to allow for bio degradable soil blanket to retain soil. Blanket pegged/pinned at regular intervals to ensure soils are not disturbed during establishment

of planting quilted coconut fibers. Planting to be carried out by cutting notch through mat and folding/fixing back in place. Note: Contractor to make sufficient allowance for soil stabilization in conjunction with erosion control specialists and geotechnical engineers to prevent any potential soil slumping.

13. Bank Planting: Planting included pollarded willow and native coppiced shrub layer with herbaceous groundcover.

14. Wall 2 (PR2/PR3): Retaining wall to the landscape embankment/steps to detail. 200mm thick in-situ concrete wall, single faced in reclaimed natural rubble Pennant stone from the Gasworks site cut to 200mm depth. Coping: New natural stone to match site-won Pennant stone (e.g. Forest of Dean source to match architects (ECA) coping details, or equal approved). Dimensions Random length (300-1000mm)×450mm width×100mm depth. Note: Movement joints within surface finish to be sawn cut with colored mastic sealant, and within walls/copings/footings.

15. Harborside Walk: 15mm depth resin-bound aggregate surface treatment. Color: Buff. Aggregate size 6-10mm diam.

Laid over 60mm depth dense bitumen macadam binder course, 75mm depth dense bitumen macadam base course, 150mm depth Type 1 granular material sub-base and 300mm depth 6F1 or 6F2 capping material.

16. CK1: Exposed aggregate concrete kerb. Color: silver gray to match site-wide strategy, dimensions 250×100×915mm.

Kerb unit laid flush.

17. Grassed/Bulb Planting: Refer to Planting Plan.

18. CK2: Exposed aggregate concrete kerb. Color: silver gray to match site-wide strategy, dimensions 255×205×915mm.

Upstand kerb unit. Kerb unit laid on 10-15mm depth bed of epoxy mortar.

19. Pedestrian Ramps: 20mm depth resin-bound aggregate surface treatment. Color: Buff. Aggregate size 6-10mm diam.

Laid over 50mm dense bitumen macadam binder course and 150mm depth Type 1 granular material sub-base.

20. Water Pipe: 450mm diam. pipe bringing surface water runoff from Building 9 down to floating harbor.

21. Chamber: Chamber with associated inspection cover set within boardwalk, to accommodate lateral pipework (300mm diam.) along existing harbor edge to feed reed bed distribution pipes.

22. Connecting Pipe: 150mm diam. pipe beneath soil level connecting lateral pipes to reed bed distribution pipes.

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23. Catenary Chain: Fixed catenary chains shall be provided, located at each block to tie back to boardwalk.

24. Wall 1a (B9): Low retaining wall 450mm high to the podium landscape embankment. 200mm thick in-situ concrete wall, single faced in reclaimed natural rubble Pennant stone from the Gasworks site cut to 200mm depth. Coping: New natural stone to match site-won Pennant stone. Dimensions: Random length (300-1000mm)×450mm width×100mm depth.

25. Handrail 1: Stainless steel railings (48×4mm hollow sealed section rail connected to 48×4mm hollow sealed section posts on offset stem brackets, posts at maximum 1200mm centers) to top of low walls adjacent to steps and ramps (Walls 1a and 1b above). Top of handrail to run parallel to top of wall, to be 1100mm above ground level unless noted otherwise. Also to the pontoon edge adjacent to the fishing stations (PR2&PR3).

Note: Handrail posts and wall coping stones to be coordinated to minimize stone cuts.

26. +SSL 10.600 27. Drainage: Linear drain to base of wall.

28. Tree Planting 2: Magnolia grandiflora. (specimen multistemmed tree, 5× transplanted, rootballed, 550-600cm high, clear stem to 1.5m)/Tree pit dims: 1750×1750×1100mm depth/ Backfill: Pre-blended mix of 400g Alginure, 30L perlite, 120L ALS Bio Tree + shrub compost and imported topsoil 29. Tree Planting 4: Large-scale structure planting tree (Platanus x hispanica or Quercus palustris: semi-mature 4045cm girth, 5×, rootballed) planted into hard landscape on Harborside Walk. Tree pit dim: 2000×2000×1500mm depth 30. Topsoil 3: 450mm nominal depth graded ameliorated topsoil placed over steps in the structural slab A. Finger pontoon B. Pontoon system C. Floating reed beds D. Marginal planting E. Boardwalk F. Floating harbor bank (tree and shrub planting) G. Harborside walk H. Podium/green roof (planted mounds/ramps) I. Surface water runoff from building 9 J. Contractor to ensure an allowance is made to ensure the bank edge is stable for the purpose of constructing the reed beds, boardwalk, drainage and profiling/surcharging the bank for planting. Contractor to allow for survey work to ascertain condition of existing bank edge K. Intermarine require minimum 0.5m clear water zone between edge of pontoon and reed bed L. Profile of floating harbor bed taken from survey spot heights carried out by MJ Reeds

SECTION

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Conservatory Green ECE-8 Landscape Architect: Design Concepts CLA, Inc. Location: Denver, Colorado, USA Completion Date: 2014 Client: RB+B Architects, Inc. / Denver Public Schools Area: 46,682sqm Photographer: Scott Dressel-Martin

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Conservatory Green focuses on animals, insects and patterns of nature on the shared school campus of Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST): Conservatory Green Middle School and High Tech Elementary School.

From active play to passive and reflective areas, the Learning Landscape features abundant opportunities of interactive learning and educational teaching tools integrated throughout the school campus.

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The theme for this Learning Landscape combines colors, patterns and textures of animals, insects and patterns found in nature. Special design features include integrating fun and colorful educational symbolism like a butterfly lifecycle walkway, the US map painted on asphalt, nature-themed play equipment with dragonfly-like patterns, abstract insect forms embedded into play pits, a flight path of a bee integrated into an outdoor adventure area, and QR codes etched into a maze providing an integrated learning component.

SITE PLAN 1. Entry plaza 2. Bus drop-off 3. Shade shelter 4. Art plaza 5. Synthetic play turf 6. ECE play area 7. Parking lot 8. Gateway 9. Bee flight path adventure 10. Life cycle educational area 11. Butterfly-themed primary play pit 12. Fish-themed intermediate play pit 13. Backstop 14. Multi-use field 15. Softball field 16. Outdoor classroom 17. Student drop-off

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1. Early childhood play area 2. Play pad with painted games, both traditional and fanciful 3. Front of school, where a line of seating boulders provide an area for students to wait for the bus, while protecting the landscaped area behind

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The site’s animal and nature theming is interwoven throughout the site.

An outdoor discovery area is themed around plant life and includes an outdoor classroom with a tactile discovery walk. At the main entry plaza, etched water patterns provide a visual progression typically found in a watershed. In the student garden area, natural materials make up the site, with plentiful native materials and plantings: a buff sandstone amphitheater sits in dappled shade formed by leaf cutouts in the shade structures, a large cottonwood stump creates a picnic table and seats, a footbridge crosses a cobble stream bed, etched stepping stones are embedded in the crushed gravel walkways, and a pathway of tree

SHADE STRUCTURE CONCEPT MODEL

1. Nature play area: boulders and cobble form a dry stream bed that captures runoff. Children can cross the stream on a small bridge.

2. Mushroom tables by student garden area and nature play area. Student garden area planters were provided by The Kitchen Community.

3-4. Custom shade shelter at nature play area: the shelter has three giant leaves. One of the leaves has much smaller leaves cut into it to cast interesting shadow patterns on sunny days. Buff sandstone boulders form an outdoor classroom

ARCHED LEAF CONCEPT

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SHADE STRUCTURE CONCEPT MODEL

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OUTDOOR CLASSROOM SKETCH

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stumps form an adventurous balance walk. The Kitchen Community designed and installed whimsical, macaronishaped garden beds intended for hands-on learning experiences.

The landscape design also includes common amenities appropriate to a

school site including outdoor recreation and play fields, open spaces and plazas to embrace the community, along with carefully planned parking and student drop-off and pick-up zones for both parent and bus access. The parking lot contains a Porous Landscape Detention island to help clean surface runoff

INTERMEDIATE PLAY SKETCH

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before entering nearby drainage ways.

The design not only provides maximum functional site organization and amenities, but offers a fun and healthy active learning environment for students, teachers, parents and the surrounding community.

1-2. Early childhood play area: play area has a wavy walk track and synthetic turf hill for unstructured games and encourages physical development 3. Little girl at primary play area sitting on top of poured-in-place surfacing. Multicolored, mounded surfacing is designed to represent a turtle

4. Drums at primary play area 5. Mushroom play table at student gardens allow a space for multi-generational play

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ECE PLAY AREA SKETCH

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FEATURES

jojo La _lr nd Garden @ sca 163 peHospital: .co R m Palomar eco rd Medical Planting Design

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Landscape Architect: Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects Location: Escondido, California, USA

P Planting Features The gardens are more ornamental in nature; plants are drought tolerant and were carefully chosen to provide way-finding, shade, comfort, and seasonal interest. The more naturalized planting found at the edges of the Medical Center and on the undulating green roof reinforce the surrounding natural habitat.

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art of California’s largest public health district, this 16,300-square-meter facility (including a 5,600-square-meter green roof) sits on the new Palomar Medical Center West campus in the City of Escondido, CA. The entire site acts as a therapeutic garden, providing restorative qualities for not only hospital users but also the site itself. The primary goal of creating a “healing environment” embraced two equally important components – a humane place of recuperation for patients and a model of sustainability in the larger environmental context. The assimilation of these two aspects – that of nature and technology – became the principal guiding vision of Palomar West and is embodied in the concept of a “Garden Hospital.”

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The Medical Center’s green spaces act as an organizing framework.

Gardens connect all facilities by way of a central spine, also known as the campus walk, linking parking and all building entries. Within the hospital, garden terraces are located at each elevator tower creating way-finding elements as well as spaces to rest or relax. The cafĂŠ terrace, adjacent to the green roof, is accessible to all patients, families, and staff from the outside and provides flexible spaces for privacy as well as larger gatherings. These gardens, including the healing garden at the terminus of the walk, are more

Escondido tends to have a typical Mediterranean climate with warm summers and cool wet winters. Yearly precipitation averages around 430mm. Escondido is located in a plant hardiness zone 9.

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SITE PLAN 1. Arrival garden 2. Central gardens 3. Nursing tower 4. Green roof 5. Terrace 6. Future garden walk

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Project Name: Palomar Medical Center Completion Date: 2012 Architect: CO Architects Engineer: KPFF Engineering & MEP Engineering Client: Palomar Pomerado Health Area: 1.2ha Budget: $956 million Photographer: Marshall Williams Photography, Inc.

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ARRIVAL COURT SKETCHES

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ornamental in nature. Plants are drought tolerant and were carefully chosen to provide way-finding, shade, comfort, and seasonal interest.

ALL ON-STRUCTURE PLANTING SECTION

The more naturalized planting found at the edges of the Medical Center and on the undulating green roof reinforce the surrounding natural habitat which includes a vital bird habitat corridor once compromised by grading on the site. The planting design not only restores this habitat connection but harmoniously integrates it with spaces designed for people to connect with each other and to their surrounding environment.

Whether it’s the garden that engages the automobiles at the arrival court, or the more park-like setting of the strolling gardens, each garden at the Medical Center addresses different aspects of healing and provides a special character and experience for individual relaxation or socializing.

GREEN ROOF SECTION

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Award: San Diego ASLA 2014 Design Awards, President’s Award Jurors’ Comments: •Gardens are all encompassing •The project is an extremely wonderful example of healing landscapes •The project had multiple spaces of interest •Well-grounded to the site, gardens transition wonderfully upward •A strong vision carried all the way through the project

1. Café terrace & green roof 2-5. Planting detail in the Central Garden 6. Healing Garden in the hospital

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Longworth Residence Landscape Architect: Studio H2O Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Podocarpus hedge in front of the “Resysta” fence structure and a row of “sticks on fire” (Euphorbia tirucalli) with “Purple heart” (Setcreasea pallida) in between 2. Variety of Coleus plants 3. Colored concrete with leaf relieves inset into concrete, curved grass strips with grass pave II plastic understructure for automobile load, exposed aggregate band, framing the driveway at perimeter

Planting Features The new meandering driveway was created with expansion joints to prevent cracking, and a wavy pattern of grass was laid between the colored and leaf-stamped concrete pieces. The living wall insets are planted sporadically on the burnt orange Mondrian-designed wall.

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Longworth Residence is a single family residence in Los Angeles at the foothills of Santa Monica Mountains. This project was a remodel of existing landscape with a traditional setting. The goal was to create an extension to the living room and to create more open spaces for entertainment.

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The clients are a family of four with a very colorful and trendy living style, and they intended to incorporate the modern style into their landscape. They had issues with the “L” shape swimming pool which was overtaking the back

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FRONT YARD PLANTING PLAN 1. Existing trees 2. Existing shrubs 3. Existing palms

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Project Name: Longworth Residence Completion Date: 2014 Design Team: Pejman Berjis, Parisa Teymouri, Ebony Sargent Area: 557sqm Photographer: Parisa Teymouri

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PLANTING SCHEDULE CODE

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Flats

Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Heart’

Purple Heart

6 (18ct planted 4’’(10cm) apart)

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Cupressus sempervirens

Italian Cypress

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Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’

Firestick

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Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Oliver Twist’

Oliver Twist Kohuhu

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Buxus sempervirens

Topiary Sphere, Boxwood

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Coprosma repens ‘Plum Hussey’

Mirror Bush

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15g

Solenostemon ‘Black Prince’

Black Prince Coleus

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Buxus sempervirens

Boxwood

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Citrus latifolia

Bearss Lime

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Olea europaea

Swan Hill Olive Tree

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Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’

Dwarf-Winged Burning Bush

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Podocarpus henkelii

Henkel’s Yellowwood

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Zoysia matrella

Korean Grass

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Cutting Edge Grass

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Sedum ‘De Oro’

Gold Moss Stonecrop

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Citrus x meyeri

Eureka Lemon

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Phormium

Yellow Wave Flax

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Solenostemon scutellarioides ‘Lifelime’

Coleus ‘Lifelime’

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Coleus x ‘UFO646’ P.P. #21,585

Coleus ‘Redhead’

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Westringia fruticosa

Coastal Rosemary

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BACK YARD PLANTING PLAN

Purple Heart

Italian Cypress

Oliver Twist

Mirror Bush

Topiary Boxwood

Black Prince Coleus

Gold Moss Stonecrop Coleus ‘Redhead’

Firestick

Meyer Lemon Tree

Boxwood

Korean Grass

Swan Hill Olive Tree

Henkel’s Yellowwood

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Burning Bush

Yellow Wave Flax

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Bearss Lime Tree

Coleus ‘Lifelime’

Coastal Rosemary

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MONDRIAN WALL DESIGN DIAGRAM

REPLACING MONDRIAN PRIMARY COLORS

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FEATURES

T R A N S F O R M I N G T H E P L A N T I N G I N TO A MONDRIAN WALL

Senecio rowleyanus

Echeveria ‘Perle von Numberg’

Echeveria elegans

Sedum spurium ‘Red Carpet’

REPLACING COLORFUL CELLS WITH VARIETY OF SUCCULENTS

1. BBQ structure façade covered with variety of succulents in wavy patterns and green granite countertop 2. Burnt orange concrete wall with “Mondrian” pattern created by aluminum reveals and “Bright Green” living wall planters with succulent plants inserted into concrete wall with separate irrigation and drainage lines 3. Overview of swimming pool, wood structure deck with “Resysta” composite decking, fire pit, bench, and burnt orange concrete wall with “Mondrian” pattern 4. Fire pit structure with green granite coping stone and green crushed fire glass

MONDRIAN INSPIRED LIVING WALL

yard. Studio H2O changed it to a 5-foot-deep (1.5m) rectangular lap pool and added a new spa.

with inset plants was created from concrete. The living wall area was also incorporated into the wall of the bar structure.

The landscape architects designed the back yard with areas for entertaining and a large deck extending the living room and dining areas of the house out to the back yard. They created seating areas, a bar structure, fire pit, and decorative walls. The back yard had pilasters and swooping walls in between with wood gates. This was a challenge to change it into the modern look. The concept kept the pilasters and added the composite wood “Resysta” planks all around and added a step light above. The pilaster was also crowned with a growing wall on three sides. The curved wall in between the pilasters was reduced at the top and then added on with concrete to have a straight horizontal face. The designers added a lattice and patterned gate at top, and created a better rhythm and a more attractive wall adorned with plants below. This was a dramatic change from the before. At one side of the backyard a beautiful burnt orange “Mondrian” pattern wall

The front yard was completely redone. The concept changed the existing concrete driveway, which was cracked in many locations and had been repaired, leaving a series of concrete patches that were not uniform. There was also a problem with the turn in the driveway; the clients had a hard time getting their cars out without crashing into the pilasters or dropping off the curb at the sidewalk. They also had the problem of being too close to a middle school one block away; the kids had a tendency of vandalizing their landscaping on their way back home from school. The designers took the opportunity to fix these problems by creating a beautiful meandering pattern colored concrete driveway with expansion joints to prevent cracking and a wavy pattern of grass area and leaf relieves set into the concrete.

MONDRIAN WALL ELEVATION

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INSIGHTS

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Siree Ruckhachat Nature Learning Park Landscape Architect: Axis Landscape Limited Location: Nakhonprathom, Thailand

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1. Green path 2. Variety of planting 3. Native Plants Exhibition Plaza

Project Statement

Project Purpose

Mahidol University has strong commitment to environmental stewardship and planned to expand the size of the park and upgrade overall facilities into regional scale in order to better serve the public and to promote the local knowledge of using Thai medicinal plants.

The site originally served as the preservation and cultivation area for the collection of over 800 species of native medicinal plants. The purpose of Siree Rukhacharti Nature Learning Park is to be a live laboratory for pharmacy students to make themselves familiar with Thai medicinal plants. The other purpose is to serve as a research and information center for pharmacy students and traditional Thai medicine students from other universities, as well as for researchers, health professional, school students, and others.

The landscape design of the park establishes the new dimension for learning process that expands from classroom and lab into nature and in collaboration with local community. The integration of soil bioengineering technology, landscape and horticultural design provides appropriateness for each specific plant in their new habitat whilst providing direct experiences for students to live and learn with nature and redefining the expectations of the education and medication plants study.

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Site Context 19

MASTER PLAN 1. Welcome plaza 2. Education center 3. Herbarium 4. Seminar building & office 5. Exhibition plaza 6. Dr. Javaka Komarabhacca plaza 7. Outdoor learning amphitheater 8. Native herb 9. Medical spa 10. Wetland & bird sanctuary 11. Herb park 12. Bird observation tower 13. Boardwalk 14. Herb garden for the handicapped 15. Vine herb 16. Maintenance yard & nursery 17. Water control gate 18. Car parking 19. Bicycle parking

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Located on the frontage arterial road, the site buffered campus’ dormitory from noise and dust.

One third of the 22.4-hectare undeveloped site is wetland covered with cattails plant. The wetland is a sanctuary for hundreds of migration birds and wildlife species.

The existing site was contaminated from construction waste and dumping garbage, the underground water is high, and soil is soft and salty. The Faculty of Pharmacy partially utilized the area to preserve and cultivate medicinal plants. However, the site needs immediate remedial.

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1. Entry plaza 2. Grass porous pavement 3. Colored flower border 4. Featured planting bed

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Project Name: Siree Ruckhachat Nature Learning Park Completion Date: December 2014 Architect: SJA+3D Co, Ltd. & Sthapavich Co., Ltd. Engineer: Pinnacle Engineering Co., Ltd. Client: Physical and Environment Division, Mahidol University Area: 22.4ha Photographer: Anawat Pedsuwan, Ekachai Yaipimol, Niphon Fahkrachang, Theemaporn Wacharatin Awards: TALA Awards 2015 Honor Award(General Design: Public Space)

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INSIGHTS WETLAND PLANTING SHEME

Rhizophora apiculata Blume Adenanthera pavonina

Maranta arundinacea Linn.

Celosia argentea L.

Artabotrys spinosus Craib

Helicteres lanata

Diospyros mollis Griff.

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Triplaris cumingiana Fisch

Acanthus ebracteatur Vahl Crinum amabile Donn

Dianella ensifolia (L.) DC.

Tacca chantrieri Andre Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.

Xiphidium caeruleum Aubl.

Clerodendrum inerme Gaertn.

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Soil Remediation & Stormwater Management

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1-4. Variety of wetland plants 5. Meandering boardwalk leading visitors through the water edge

Plants found on site have shallow root, yellow leafs, and are unhealthy, which is caused by salty soil and high level of underground water. Landscape Architect and Civil Engineer worked closely to come up with the integrate solution to the problems. Construction waste was removed to allow for soil replacement.

Geo-fabric tension sheet is used to stabilize the soil, increase soil bearing capacity, and facilitate soil filling and soil amendment helping add nutrient and provide deeper root zone for plants. Landscape Architect decided to locate a ditch around outside parameter of the site and control water level of an inner pond with water gate. Internal water level is managed to be lower than the outside in order to help control the ground water level. Subdrain system was added in tree pits to help flush the water to dilute the salty soil. The soil scientist and horticulturist are engaged to work in collaborate with Landscape Architect to create specific formulas of soil that suit for different plant species.

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Datura fastuosa L. Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC.

Crinum amabile Donn Houttuynia cordata Thunb

Fever-reducing herb

Lobelia chinensis Lour.

Pathology herb Bacopa Monnieri L. Wettst.

Acanthus ebracteatus 7

Cassia alata (L.) Roxb

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Phyllanthus pulcher Wall. Ex Mull. Arg

Vitex rotundifolia L.f.

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BIO-GENETIC RESEARCH CENTER HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PLANTS 1. Herb garden for the handicapped 2. Herb nursey 3. Thai native herb experiment and demonstration area 4. Camping ground 5. Zingiberaceae plant 6. Vine herb 7. Orchid tissue research center 8. Maintenance yard & nursery

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Gardenia augusta (L.) Merr.

Plumbago indica L. Flatulence herb

Fragrant herb Indigofera tinctoria Linn.

Plectranthus amboinicus

Citrus Japonica Thunb.

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2 Piper sarmentosum Roxb.

Jasminum Sambac (L.) Aiton Rosa damascena Mill.

Ocimum gratissimum

Park Program The new park is programmed to include three major areas: - Medicinal Plants Active Learning Center The zone includes Exhibition Hall, Welcome Center, Auditorium, Herbarium, Library, Retreat Center, Outdoor Classroom, and Native Plants Exhibition Plaza. Two existing buildings were renovated and transformed in to herbarium and plant library.

- Wetland and Natural Habitat zone Meandering boardwalk lead visitors through water edge and provide opportunities to study water plants, i.e. Papyrus, Canna, Lotus, Nipa Palm,

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1-2. Medicinal plants exhibition zone 3. Herb garden

Michelia figo (Lour.) Spreng.

Sweet Flag, and Sea Holly. Preserved wetland is also a sanctuary for migrate birds from China in winter and varieties of animals.

- Medicinal Plants Genetic Research and Services Center This zone includes Medicinal Plants Exhibition Park & Plaza, Experimental Lab, and Camping ground for school kids. Kids can learn to make the basic medicine in the lab and take it home.

Native Herb and Medicinal Plants Exhibition

Public Benefit

The park design idea is trying to integrate activities with an existing natural ecology of the site. Most of the area of the existing site was covered with dense trees and shrubs. Plants were selected and classified by specialist; small and unnecessary plants were relocated to allow for natural light to reach the ground and open up spaces for plants exhibit.

The complexities of designing and implementing the project were navigated through the collaboration and consultation with the client, plant specialist, pharmacists, doctors of natural medicine, and horticulturists. The design achieved the best solution in delivering the messages on Natural Medication through natural learning process. The design also adopts universal design approach to make the site accessible to all users.

The new planting palettes establish landscape typologies that provide pedagogical exhibition of local knowledge in medicine ingredient preparation from native herbs found in daily life. Plants exhibit varies from highland, lowland, wetland, and water plants.

The opening of the park will strengthen knowledge sharing between the campus and their surrounding community. The park will also serve as a large green open space for learning and relaxing for people living locally and in the region.

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INTERVIEW

Establishing Plant Communities for Ecosystem Services

LR: What excites you most when you think about the future of landscape architecture?

JA: Landscape architects are now leading very large, multi-disciplinary teams and the status of landscape architecture within the design field is growing and getting recognized for its unique role in the shaping of built environments.

- An Interview with José M. Almiñana, FASLA

LR: What’s next for you? What are you currently working on?

José M. Almiñana

FASLA, LEED AP

José joined Andropogon in 1983 and has been a principal since 1995.

Trained as both a landscape architect and architect, his collaborative work endeavors to achieve the highest possible performance with the least amount of resources. José has been instrumental in many of the firm’s complex site development projects, striving to create sensitive, ecological designs that respond directly to site conditions and incorporate innovative sustainable and regenerative design technologies. He has directed a diversity of design and planning projects, from restoring urban parks and designing corporate campuses to planning new mixed-use communities.

Regardless of project scale, José distills the site’s essential resources into designs that are functional, beautiful, and environmentally responsible.

LR: Why do you pursue a career as a landscape architect? How you like, or dislike about it?

such as pollination, pollution mitigation, cleaning water, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration, just to name a few.

José M. Almiñana (JA): I thought studying landscape architecture would make me a better architect. I wanted to better understand the land, both its biotic and abiotic systems, before siting a building. I wanted to explore how the built and unbuilt are linked. I found myself liking this aspect of the design profession so much that I have been practicing landscape architecture ever since.

LR: Phipps Center was sited on a former brownfield. Does it make the plant species different from “normal” sites? What special efforts your team has made?

LR: Could you please describe the thinking process on planting design when you have a new commission?

JA: The most important thing for planting design is to understand the genius loci, the uniqueness of the place. Nature has evolved a fitting response to those specific circumstances, creating a unique community of living forms.

Each site offers an opportunity to study nature’s unique palette of adaptations for this specific place in order to design plant communities that are appropriate, that will thrive, and that will in turn offer ecosystem services.

LR: How does the local climate affect your choices of plant species for a project? What about site conditions?

JA: The local climate and existing conditions are key to plant community selection and are considered for every project as part of the site analysis process in order to understand the site.

LR: Do you have any preference on plants selection? Why? JA: We prefer to use native plants. Native plants have evolved to adapt to the unique local conditions. A codependency has developed between plants and animals in each place. Native plants support biodiversity and biodiversity is key for landscapes to provide ecosystem services, 122

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JA: The former brownfield site had no existing plant life or viable soils, so everything was going to be brought in to the site. We designed the site to create certain types of habitats, so we chose plant communities and designed soils that worked best in these newly created environmental conditions, and that provided key ecosystem functions, with soil that stores water and supports plants that filter water. Plant communities were chosen to help meet the netzero water goals of the project.

LR: How did you manage to achieve the extraordinary visual result of the planting in Phipps Center?

JA: The blooming time and duration during the season were all factors considered when choosing individual plants. Different plants take central stage at different times of the year. Equally as important was how these plants served the animal communities by providing nesting sites, food, or nectar.

LR: Phipps Center is a SITES certified project. How did the certification affect your design?

JA: There was only one aspect of the design that was affected by SITES certification. We had to adjust some plant selections because some plants were outside the regional habitat range. Otherwise we designed the site to meet the client’s and the design team’s mutual goal of designing the greenest project possible.

JA: At Andropogon we are working towards embedding Integrative Research into all of our projects. Andropogon launched the Integrative Research Division in 2012. This division enables us to rigorously review our past and present landscape interventions to inform future projects and to share our findings with the overall design community.

All images provided by Andropogon Associates Ltd.

Phipps’ Center for Sustainable Landscapes

LR: Have you ever imagined how the completed project will finally look like during the design process? When it is realized, is there any difference?

JA: I think final, individual plant locations ended up shifting during installation. The scale and perception of the space changes as the plants are put in their final places. You also need to accept that the landscape is going to change and grow all the time and you must take into account this evolution when designing the project.

LR: In your experience, do clients usually have special requirements on the planting selection for their projects?

JA: Clients usually have an idea of what they want, and it is the landscape architect’s role to facilitate, but also to guide, that vision. There has to be a dialogue with the client and the people that are going to use and manage the site in order to shape that vision throughout the design process.

LR: What do you think are the most important qualities for college students majoring in landscape architecture? Any advice for new graduates?

JA: Students and recent graduates must understand the importance of a systems-based approach to site design and should welcome engaging in a multi-disciplinary collaborative design process. New graduates should be humble and willing to learn.

LR: Have you encountered any challenges during your professional career? How did you deal with them?

JA: One challenge has been the lack of understanding of what a landscape architect’s value is and what his or her responsibilities are.

It is important that landscape architects realize that what they do has tremendous meaning. For a long time, we did not have a forum to explain our systems-based design approach. We were promoting designing with nature before the current trends of sustainable design. We have continued our work while we’ve seen the design community come into closer alignment with our approach.

LR: If you could recommend just one book on landscape architecture, what is it and why?

JA: Design with Nature by Ian McHarg. It is fundamental to understanding a system-based approach to ecological planning and design.

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INTERVIEW

Functionality and Aesthetics in School Planting Design - An Interview with Jeremy Ferrier, GDLA, AAILA

Jeremy Ferrier BA., GDLA, R LA Principal Jeremy Ferrier is a qualified Landscape Architect with over 26 years experience.

The last 25 years has been spent as the

Landscape Record (LR): Do you think the climate and landform have great influence on the choice and layout of plants? How did such factors affect your planting design in Anglican Church Grammar School?

Jeremy Ferrier (JF): Climate is obviously an

LR: What was the philosophy behind the landscaping and your choices for planting?

principal of Jeremy Ferrier Landscape Architects Pty Ltd. During this time he has personally overseen the design, documentation and contract administration of a diverse range of projects covering

JF: My philosophy for this project was to design a landscape that was respectful of the school’s history and traditions.

Given that a school is a tough environment for plants to survive and thrive, primary consideration in plant selection was to choose plants that were robust and hardy enough to handle neglect.

almost all areas of Landscape Architecture.

Jeremy’s design flair underpinned by an enthusiastic and committed design team, has resulted in the practice receiving numerous landscape design awards.

Projects that he has designed are featured in national as well as international books on landscape design. His work is also regularly published in Landscape Australia, the official journal of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.

LR: When you get a planting design project, how do you start to work on it?

Will you do some surveys before design? How about your design process?

Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (Qld. University); Graduate Diploma of Landscape Architecture (QUT); Registered Landscape Architect (AILA).

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important consideration in the choice of plants.

The school is located in a sub-tropical region that has hot humid summers. It is important to firstly choose plants that can cope with heat and humidity but there are also key periods through the year, especially through winter and spring where little rain falls, so it is important that the plants selected can also cope with little water as well.

JF: Planting design normally begins with broad conceptual ideas of what sort of planting

ACGS Magnus Quadrangle

is required and where. Before any actual plant species are chosen I would normally identify what type of planting I’m looking for that would best suit the design. For instance, do I need spreading canopy trees, upright columnar shaped trees, feature flowering trees, mass groundcovers, low shrubs, etc.

LR: How are plants grouped, layered, and mixed based upon their unique structures and ecologies?

JF: Plants have been grouped depending on the effects desired. For instance, the entry garden is a formal “parterre” garden and the plants have been arranged in a balanced geometrical pattern; similarly “Bottle Trees” form a balanced “quartet” of trees on either side of the entry gates.

LR: What are the most important things to choose and match in working with such different plant species as you do?

JF: For me leaf texture is the most important aspect in designing with plants. Used well, contrasting leaf textures can create year-long interest within planting schemes, defining one plant species from another in a subtle way which does not detract from the overall harmony of the landscape. Splashes of color can then be introduced to create focal points and highlights.

LR: What are the challenges you faced during the design and realization of your design concept?

LR: Are there any special requirements from school for plants’ arrangement? How do you choose plants according to the special functions of school?

JF: The challenge for this project was to design with a sensitivity that ensured that the values that made the quadrangle a much loved space within the school community were not lost in the process of re-developing the area to suit the needs of a modern school.

JF: Plants that have the ability to recover quickly from being trampled upon are important for use within schools. Plants with easily bruised or breakable leaves should be avoided. For junior schools poisonous plants should also be avoided.

LR: What are the functions of plants within landscape architecture?

JF: Plants often have a functional value within a landscape. They can provide shade, screen off unwanted views, stabilize and cover disturbed areas of ground, provide a refuge for wildlife, and a filter to clean up stormwater runoff.

Aesthetically plants are important to people’s enjoyment of the outdoor environment whether through color, texture, shape or scent; plants on a sensory level evoke a whole range of pleasurable emotions with the human psyche.

LR: When you design, does the hard landscaping grow from the planting, or vice versa? Or do they arrive together in your mind?

JF: The structural design of the landscape almost always precedes any consideration of planting.

LR: How about the maintenance for the plants?

JF: The plants chosen for school should require minimum maintenance as generally there are not enough groundsmen available to look after high care plants. Clumping plants and grasses are particularly useful in reducing maintenance requirements as they generally don’t require any pruning.

LR: How does the completed work compare with the project as designed? Are there any dramatic changes during construction?

JF: This was one project where the completed project was almost identical to the design. A good budget, some tight documentation and good workmanship ensured that very few changes happened during the construction process.

All images provided by Jeremy Ferrier Landscape Architects Pty. Ltd.

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INTERVIEW

Urban Habitats: For Coexistence of Men, Plants and Wildlife - An Interview with Robert Doyle, SmithGroup JJR

LR: What was it that brought you to landscape architecture?

Robert Doyle (RD): The love of being outdoors and the forests of Michigan, and a desire to improve our outdoor environment for all people.

Robert Doyle

Principal | Senior Landscape Architect |SmithGroup JJR Robert Doyle’s career has spanned the breadth of the planning and development professions. With over 27 years of professional experience, he successfully serves public, institutional and private sector clients as a project manager and landscape architect. The project types managed and designed include parks and recreation, campus planning and improvements, community planning and urban design, brownfield redevelopment and waterfronts.

LR: William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor was previously an industrial waterfront brownfield site. What are some of the determining factors for plant and material selection for the special site conditions?

RD: The plants selected are all native to the State of Michigan, and tend to be more adaptable to difficult conditions. Adequate new topsoil was brought onto the site from other locations to provide for good initial growth.

LR: How did you approach the starting point of the planting design?

What was the most important part of the briefing process?

RD: The design of the wetland is based on re-

His broad knowledge and skill base, coupled with his talents as a community facilitator, give him the ability to successfully move

creating a plant habitat that would have existed on the site prior to the development of the land for industrial purposes. Also, since the park is in an urban waterfront environment, the design needed to consider how visitors could experience and learn about the native wetland environment.

Lastly, the design is intended to capture stormwater runoff from nearby development sites to help treat the water before it is released into the Detroit River. One of the most important parts of creating a wetland and native habitat is to identify the maintenance practices that are required in the first several years after planting to insure a healthy plant community that limits the growth of invasive plant species.

LR: What is the most common mistake you see clients make in the briefing process?

RD: A couple of things come to mind. First, when building in an urban environment and excavating fill soils, clients may not fully consider the costs involved in handling contaminated soils and other debris that may be buried on an urban site.

Second, clients often believe that using native plants removes the need to maintain the plants,

William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

which is not true, especially in the first several years after planting.

will use the space, the goals of the client, and the ecological approach taken.

LR: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/ realization of your concept?

LR: How does the completed work compare with the project as designed? Are there any dramatic changes during construction?

RD: The technical challenges of the brownfield site made the design process more complicated than if the project were in a previously undeveloped area. The design team included brownfield experts, interpretive park planners, native plan experts, park managers, civil engineers and landscape architects who collaborated well to insure a successful design.

complex, multi-faceted projects from initial planning through implementation.

LR: When you design, does the hard landscaping grow from the planting, or vice versa? Or do they arrive together in your mind?

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RD: They have to be considered together in design, with an understanding of how people

RD: The project was built very close to the original design. During construction some large underground debris had to be removed in order to allow for the park to be built as designed, and money was budgeted during the design process to deal with these unknown conditions.

LR: What about plans for long-term maintenance? How do you anticipate evolvement of the landscape?

RD: The native landscape is being maintained by the park owners, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). The MDNR is very knowledgeable about native landscapes,

and proactively manages the plant maintenance to help insure that invasive plant species do not overwhelm the native plants and reduce the habitat value. As the design matures we anticipate that the native species most adaptable to the site environment will increase in presence.

A large group of oak trees was planted to recreate an oak cluster or small woodlot, and we hope that these trees steadily grow and form a full canopy.

LR: Is it possible to balance beauty, nature and functionality in planting design to respect the needs of both people and the environment?

RD: Yes. We start by identifying a set of sustainability goals for human use, design beauty, water management, habitat creation, and related factors. Then we determine the relative importance of each goal for the specific project, and design based on achieving these goals and priorities.

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INTERVIEW

RD: Keep your eyes and mind open to learning, always!! Landscape Architecture allows a professional to act as the hub of a wheel on complicated projects based on our experience and understanding of people, communities, plants, native habitats, stormwater, art and design. When you are open to learning you can find ways of applying your knowledge and skills on a broad range of exciting projects!

About William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

For the past 10 years, SmithGroup JJR has worked closely with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to plan, design and construct Michigan’s first urban state park in downtown Detroit. A key part of the East Riverfront redevelopment, Milliken State Park replaces abandoned industrial sites with a public promenade and overlooks, a 52slip transient marina, and a range of recreational uses and amenities.

LR: What are some of the elements that make the design sustainable, and how are they presented to the user?

LR: Lastly, looking over your multidecade career, what advice do you have for young people willing to get involved in landscape architecture?

RD: The largest sustainability goal for the project was to create habitat for reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. Follow-up studies have indicated a high degree of success, and the visible and audible presence of a variety of wildlife indicates to visitors the value of the park.

Visitors are provided with access to the wetlands, so they learn and experience the environment directly. Interpretive displays are also provided to teach visitors about the value of wetlands, their use as a filter for stormwater, and the species that use these habitats.

LR: Is there a particular up-coming project, or something on the board that you would like to share with us?

RD: Related to the same type of work, we are currently finishing up construction administration on a 4,200-foot-long waterfront habitat creation project in Port Huron, Michigan, which is creating fish habitat as well as coastal wetlands in a park setting. We are also developing plans for a public pier and fishing habitat project in northern Michigan, in Traverse City, which will allow people without a boat to have access to a key fishing area in Grand Traverse Bay. William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor 128

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SmithGroup JJR’s phase two design for Lowland Park that recreates the pre-settlement Detroit River wetland edge on a brownfield site, designed to capture and cleanse stormwater before releasing it into the Detroit River, creating the only wetland community within the city’s urban core.

All images provided by SmithGroup JJR