Landscape architects share sustainable design concepts

Updated Jan 8, 2016
Sunnylands Center Gardens is a 15-acre extension of the 200-acre desert estate of U.S. Ambassador Walter Annenberg. Photo: Coachella Valley Water DistrictSunnylands Center Gardens is a 15-acre extension of the 200-acre desert estate of U.S. Ambassador Walter Annenberg.
Photo: Coachella Valley Water District

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has made sustainable landscape design even more accessible with its new mobile-friendly version of Designing Our Future: Sustainable Landscapes.

The site focuses on displaying case studies about sustainable landscape design and highlighting the environmental, social and economic benefits they provide. There are currently 40 case studies, which are broken down by location.

Burbank Water and Power Eco-Campus has three LED Platinum buildings. Photo: Heliophoto 135Burbank Water and Power Eco-Campus has three LED Platinum buildings.
Photo: Heliophoto 135

Visitors can also watch animations on sustainable design concepts, such as how to transform industrial wastelands into public community spaces through bioremediation. Under the education tab, these sustainability concepts can be perused for more in-depth information. New case studies also have been added recently.

Several of the sustainable landscapes are found in California. The Burbank Water and Power Eco-Campus, for example, features three green roofs and is the only power plant that operates on 100 percent recycled water.

The Drs. Julian and Raye Richardson Apartments in San Francisco comprises 120 studio apartments for the chronically homeless, providing both shelter and a peaceful escape with its rooftop garden. The landscape is designed to promote rainwater infiltration with rain gardens and permeable pavers.

The Quarry Garden opened in 2011 and 3 million people visited the first year. Photo: Yao ChenThe Quarry Garden opened in 2011 and 3 million people visited the first year.
Photo: Yao Chen

Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage uses more than 53,000 drought-tolerant plants and has 100 percent on-site stormwater retention. The water that is not used for irrigation is used to refill the Coachella Valley’s aquifer.

An urban farm in Detroit, Michigan, known as Lafayette Greens, produces more than 800 pounds of produce, which is donated to a food bank. Broken sidewalk pieces were used as pavers while garden sheds were made from repurposed pallet wood and doors.

The Woodland Discovery Playground in Memphis, Tennessee, is surrounded by local native plants and many of the structures and surfaces are made of recycled materials, such as athletic shoes.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Pete V. Domenici Courthouse was revamped from a wasteful eyesore into a plaza that used practical native plants and stored water in underground cisterns.

After suffering the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, Staten Island, New York, underwent a restoration project known as Living Breakwaters. The design reduces risks for coastal communities while providing habitat for oysters and fish. Landscape architects added breakwaters that are capable of calming water and reducing wave height.

Abandoned quarries are common in China, but the Quarry Garden in Shanghai got a second life by being turned into a public garden that now draws about 10,000 visitors a day.

Sherbourne Common doubles as a park and stormwater treatment plant. Photo: Phillips Faarevag SmallenbergSherbourne Common doubles as a park and stormwater treatment plant.
Photo: Phillips Faarevag Smallenberg

Another abandoned industrial area, this one in Providence, Rhode Island, was transformed into a non-profit called The Steel Yard. It now serves as a community space for artists and prevents contaminated rainwater from entering the sewer system.

Sherbourne Common is the first park in Canada to receive LEED gold certification and the Toronto park also doubles as a stormwater treatment plant. It uses ultraviolet technology to treat water rather than chlorine.

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