The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) has announced four new projects that have achieved certification under the nation’s most comprehensive rating system for the sustainable design, construction and maintenance of built landscapes. These projects, as part of a group of 150 projects participating in an extensive two-year pilot program, have applied the SITES guidelines and met the requirements for certification.
The newly certified projects include Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens in Seattle; the Taylor Residence in Kennett Square, PA; the BWP EcoCampus in Burbank, CA; and the Grand Valley State University Student Recreation Fields in Allendale, MI.
Sustainable features of the four newly certified projects
Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens (1 Star). This project transformed a 1.6-acre parking lot, service road, and isolated lawn area into a welcoming, green, pedestrian-focused entry to Seattle Center. Stormwater from the theater roofs and non-permeable site surfaces is collected and filtered in bio-retention garden basins. Below the surface, a continuous gravel infiltration bed connects the basins and handles runoff, accommodating the required water volume while maximizing aesthetic variety at the surface. Permeable unit pavers help limit storm water runoff.
The Taylor Residence (3 Stars). The steep slopes of this former dairy farm created an opportunity for innovative water management techniques throughout artfully crafted terraced rooms and unique garden spaces. A drip irrigation septic system handles sensitive wastewater disposal while preserving hillside woodland vegetation, and green roofs absorb rainwater and reduce peak stormwater surge while regulating building temperature. A rescue garden incorporates historic materials unearthed during construction such as a porch railing that has become a fence, porch timbers used to construct a potting shed, and excavated stone and soil to form planting beds. The site is intended to demonstrate sustainable landscape design and management techniques to visiting individuals and groups.
BWP EcoCampus (1 Star). Burbank Water and Power transformed an electrical substation into a regenerative green campus, showcasing products and techniques for stormwater treatment within a public right-of-way, including permeable pavers, tree-pod bio-filters, silva cells, and planted infiltration planter bump outs. Other sustainable features include three rooftop gardens, a solar power array that hosts a rainwater catchment system, a canal that purifies stormwater with plants, LED lighting, a solar-powered fountain pump, and salvaged and repurposed concrete and gravel. The project has also implemented five different water filtration technologies, including infiltration, flow-through, detention, tree root cells and rainwater capture.
Grand Valley State University Student Recreation Fields (2 Stars). This athletic complex provides playing fields and support facilities for the university’s intramural, club and varsity sports teams, and is an important part of the university’s effort to reduce stormwater runoff to pre-development levels. Not only does this complex contribute to the health and well-being of the university community, it captures and filters rainwater, contributing to better water quality and less sedimentation in the Grand River and Lake Michigan. The university is monitoring wetland quality as part of its permit requirements.
More background on SITES pilot projects
Since June 2010, pilot projects have been testing the 2009 rating system created by dozens of the country’s leading sustainability experts, scientists and design professionals. The diverse projects represent various types, sizes and locations as well as budgets. Fifteen pilot projects have achieved certification to date. Take a look at the first three projects.
“The pilot program has informed and helped us refine the next iteration of the SITES rating system which will be published in the fall of this year (2013),” said Nancy Somerville, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). “Many additional projects are continuing to work toward certification while we proceed with our preparations for open enrollment this year.”
About 80 of the initial 150 projects in the two-year pilot program have indicated they will continue to pursue certification. The feedback from these projects plus additional work by staff and technical advisors is influencing the next SITES rating system that will be available this fall.
