Landscape Architecture and Sustainability Lee R. Skabelund Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning Kansas State University July 19, 2007 Dialogue on Sustainability
Green Building: What is it? The practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their landscapes (or sites) use and harvest energy, water, and materials, while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment via good siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and future removal or renovation. Adapted from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/green_building
Green Building Sustainable Design & Construction avoids resource depletion (energy, water, and raw materials); prevents environmental degradation (caused by facilities and infrastructure throughout their life cycle); and creates built environments that are livable, comfortable, safe, and productive Whole Building Design Guide, National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) http://www.wbdg.org/design/sustainable.php
Six Fundamental Principles Optimize Site Potential Optimize Energy Use Protect and Conserve Water Use Environmentally Preferable Products Enhance Environmental Quality Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices Whole Building Design Guide, NIBS
Top Strategies for Building Green Choose a Sustainable Site Maximize Water Efficiency Save Energy Make Smart Use of Materials and Resources Safeguard Environmental Quality Natural Resources Defense Council Building Green: From Principle to Practice www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/strategies/default.asp
Sustainable Sites and Landscaping Build on land previously used (brownfields, grayfields, and other areas with older buildings, parking lots, etc.). Protect existing ecosystems (structure & functions). Use native and adapted drought-tolerant plants. Integrate natural features for amenity and function. Minimize building/paving footprints. Minimize earthmoving, soil compaction, and soil erosion. Fully use sun, prevailing winds, and existing vegetation. Maintain the natural hydroperiod of the site. Minimize impervious areas and use permeable paving. Use stormwater management techniques to assist with on-site and regional groundwater and aquifer recharge. Minimize heat-island effects. Eliminate light pollution. Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery by Charles Kibert (2005, pp. 141-142)
10 Principles of Sustainable Landscape Construction Keep sites healthy (ecologically intact). Heal injured sites. Favor living, flexible materials. Respect the waters of life. Pave less. Consider the origin and fate of materials. Know the costs of energy over time. Celebrate light, respect darkness. Defend silence (attenuate noise). Maintain to sustain (minimize maintenance and fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide demands). Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Buildings Outdoors by J. William Thompson & Kim Sorvig (2000).
Goals: Sustainable Sites Initiative Establish a standard for sustainable site design that includes baseline thresholds for performance in specific areas and clearly defined metrics. Link research and practice. Advance best management practices Continue discussions with USGBC to integrate Sustainable Sites standards into existing LEED tools. Consider a future option for a site-only LEED tool. Promote awareness of sustainability standards and their relevance in the marketplace. Encourage adoption of sustainability standards through market incentives. American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.sustainablesites.org/
Sustainable Sites will address: efficiency for the private landowner and improved quality of the surrounding environment, maximizing conservation potential & sustainability for: Water Conservation Design plantings & irrigation for efficient water use. Water Quality Design structures, slopes and surfaces to minimize stormwater runoff and replenish soils & groundwater. Use plants to filter out or capture water-borne pollutants. Biodiversity and Native Species Establish and protect areas of biological richness through the use of native plants. Resource & Energy Conservation Select healthy, longlived plant specimens. Minimize travel distances for materials. Design sites that do not require energy-intensive maintenance to remain healthy and attractive. Soil Conservation Minimize soil compaction and soil loss during and after the construction process. Air Quality Use plants to capture airborne pollutants, provide shade, and temper summer heat and winter wind/cold. (Adapted from Defining A Sustainable Site www.landdevelopmenttoday.com/article750.htm)
ASLA Policy Statements on Sustainability & Related Topics Landscape architects (as planners, designers, and managers) should share knowledge and encourage communication between colleagues, professionals from other disciplines, public officials and community leaders, clients, developers, contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers to: Enhance the understanding of and strengthen the integral relationship between natural processes and human activity and how the concept of sustainable design fits into everyday life. Improve practices, processes, procedures, products, and services that link long-term sustainable considerations and development. Examine policies, regulations, and standards in industry and government to identify barriers to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. Encourage community and business leaders to bring the existing built and natural environments up to sustainable development standards and reflect the ideals of sustainability in the design, planning, and management of their communities. source: www.asla.org/members/publicaffairs/policy/environmental_sustainability.pdf see also: www.asla.org/members/publicaffairs/publicpolicy.html
Sustainable Design & Building Practices KSU (Solar Decathlon House & International Student Center Rain-Garden) Oberlin College - Oberlin, Ohio (Adam J. Lewis Center) University of Oregon (Lillis Business Complex) Pomona, CA (Center for Regenerative Studies) Annapolis, MD (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) Windhoek, Namibia, South Africa (Habitat Research & Development Center) Portland, OR (Water Pollution Control Laboratory & Green-Streets) Snowmass, CO (Rocky Mountain Institute) Surrey, UK (BedZED Mixed-Use) Ocean Springs, MS (Constructed Wetlands) Long Island, NY (Avalon Park & Preserve) Baltimore County, MD (Spring Branch Creek Restoration) Austin, TX (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center) Salt Lake City, UT (Utah House) Portland, OR (Natural Capital Center) Kansas City, MO (Discovery Center) Elmhurst, IL (IEPA/CDF Greenroof) See also: www.architecture2030.org/regional_solutions/case_studies.html
Selected References & Three Project Sketches Energy-Conserving Site Design Gregory McPherson, American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington, DC, 1984, 326 pp. Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development John Tillman Lyle, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1994, 338 pp Ecological Design Sim Van der Ryn, Stuart Cowan, Island Press, Washington, DC, 1996, 201 pp. The Once and Future Forest: A Guide to Forest Restoration Strategies Leslie Jones Sauer & Andropogon Associates, Island Press, Washington, DC, 1996, 381 pp. Rapid Watershed Planning Handbook: Guide for Managing Urbanizing Watersheds Deb Caraco, Center for Watershed Protection, 1999 The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design Sandra Mendler, AIA, William Odell, AIA, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 2002, 412 pp. Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Buildings Outdoors J. William Thompson, Kim Sorvig, Island Press, Washington, DC, 2000, 348 pp. Gaia s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture Toby Hemenway, Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction, VT, 2001, 222 pp. Natural Landscaping: Designing with Native Plant Communities, Second Edition John Diekelmann, Robert Schuster, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI, 2002, 301 pp. Regenerative Design Techniques: Practical Applications in Landscape Design Pete Melby, Tom Cathcart, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 2002, 410 pp. Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery Charles Kibert,, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 2002, 434 pp. Soil Design Protocols for Landscape Architects and Contractors Timothy A. Craul, Phillip J. Craul, John Wiley & Sons, NY, 2002, 339 pp. Handbook of Water Sensitive Planning and Design Robert France, Lewis Publishers, 2002 Porous Pavements Bruce K. Ferguson, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005, 600 pp. Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction Earth Pledge Foundation, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2005, 158 pp. The Green Studio Handbook: Environmental Strategies for Schematic Design Alison G. Kwok, AIA & Walter Grondzik, PE, Architectural Press/Elsevier, NY, 2007, 378 pp.
Water-sensitive site planning/design project ASLA 2004 award winner Roof water is collected in carved stone basins, then drains into a grated channel before cascading over a five-foot stone-faced retaining wall. The learning lab and auditorium buildings expand onto the courtyard, which is paved with stone, subtly-colored sandblasted concrete, and tile artifacts (historically manufactured in the watershed). Surrounding forest and meadows are pulled into the courtyard and onto building roofs. Design by Jones & Jones Planners, Architects & Landscape Architects Cedar River Watershed Education Center - Seattle, WA Source: www.asla.org
Water-sensitive site planning/design project Andropogon Associates, Ltd. Morris Arboretum Source: www.asla.org A new road reveals previously hidden landscapes. A new parking lot integrates multiple functions: parking, water collection, and horticultural display. The lot includes an impervious asphalt roadway, with permeable asphalt parking bays off to the sides. A stormwater recharge bed lies under the entire lot. When it rains, water rapidly disappears through the permeable paving and into the underground basin where it infiltrates into the ground.
Water-sensitive site planning/design project Coffee Creek, Chesterton, Indiana Sources: www.coffeecreekwc.org/pages/showgallery_visitor.asp (photos) www.coffeecreekcenter.com/ (text) Employing Environmental Engineering Restoration of the Coffee Creek corridor is being implemented with guidance from biologists who understand the local & regional landscape. Level spreaders and vegetation infiltrate water into the soil. The project employs civil engineering without traditional expensive and destructive stormwater drainage systems and provides a wide range of shared community open space within a 167-acre preserve. Level Spreader slows runoff Stream Prairie Wetland Cell treats sewage Greenroof Restoring Native Ecosystems and Habitats Unbuilt areas are being restored to a pre-settlement landscape to minimize soil erosion and rebuild soil integrity, re-establish native plant & animal communities and encourage increased bio-diversity.
Water-sensitive site planning/design project Coffee Creek, Chesterton, Indiana Source: www.coffeecreekwc.org/pages/showgallery_visitor.asp Watershed Preserve Trails Map Managing & Monitoring Site Systems Monitoring reports are prepared for water quality, fish, birds and vegetation. Fire is used to maintain the prairie.
Kansas City Discovery Center Spring 2006 photos lrs Go to: http://mdc.mo.gov/areas/kcmetro/discovery/ Teaching stewardship in a holistic manner
Fall 2006 photos lrs Fall 2004 KSU-LAR Stormwater Management Charrette
Potential Stormwater Management Retrofits near KSU s Derby Dining Center ISC/Residence Hall Raingardens, Amphitheater & Pathways (Fall 2009 charrette; Summer 2010 implementation?) International Student Center Raingarden (Spring 2007) Moore Hall/Claflin Rd. Bioretention Area (Spring 09?) Derby Green Roof * Haymaker & Ford Hall Bioretention Gardens (Fall 08?) * Collaborative Project with BNIM and other firms (Fall 2007 Studio Project; Construction date TBD; includes designing a Green Roof for Seaton Hall s West Wing walkout) West & Ford Hall Parking Retrofit (Summer 09 construction?) Boyd Hall/Old Claflin Rd. Raingarden (Fall 07 / Spring 08 implementation?)
Restoring Hydrologic Processes along Campus Creek The KSU International Student Center Design/Build Raingarden Demonstration Project Spring 2007 Construction Photos July 16, 2007 Project inspired by KSU-LAR Stormwater Management Charrette (Oct. 2006)