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Table of Contents
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Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 01
Survey & Analysis........................................................................................................................... 03
Case Studies.................................................................................................................................... 39
Design Proposal.............................................................................................................................. 53
Ecological Restoration..................................................................................................................... 99
Introduction
St. Gabriel’s Campus is located 24 miles northwest of Philadelphia, in the town of Audubon, Pennsylvania. The campus is surrounded by as much as 3600 acres of naturally managed lands. Owned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the site is home to two state funded programs for court adjudicated teenage boys.
Both programs incorporate schooling and a connection with the outdoors in their efforts to enrich the lives of these troubled youths. The Mitchell Program operates on the smaller, northern section of the campus and features a therapeutic farm. To the south of Pawlings Road is the St. Gabe’s Hall Program, housed in a massive, historic building of the same name. The landscape around St. Gabe’s Hall includes a large area of mowed lawn, sports fields, and a small raised bed garden.
The goal of this project is to improve the experiential aspects of this landscape by restoring and improving the ecological functions it provides. A combination of landscape architecture and ecological restoration will offer students increased opportunities to engage with the natural world; opportunities that are absent in the lives of many who grew up in urban environments. This connection between students and the landscape around them is an imperative of the teachers and programs at this campus. The South-Facing Lawn
