Sustainable Landscapes

From CREATING INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITIES, Volume 1, Number 2, 2007

Where Purpose and Palette Unite

How do you adequately meet the growing needs of your institution without dramatically disturbing the ecosystems that help define its beauty? How do you build upon the beauty and appeal of your surroundings and create open space that enhances your institution’s sense of community? These are the essential questions answered by the creation of a truly “sustainable landscape.” Although many site plans may strive to achieve a sustainable landscape, few will accomplish all of its criteria:

• Attractive not in and of itself, but in keeping with the environs, locale, and character
  of the site.
• Sustainable in terms of maintenance costs and manpower – the ideal sustainable landscape is often self-sustaining based on the location’s natural sunlight and rainfall.
• Functional as well as beautiful – the landscape provides a picturesque site for activities, both educational and recreational, and/or it serves as a natural means for practical functions such as site irrigation, storm water management, and/or grading.

Creating a sustainable landscape was the challenge for administrators at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. For years, the campus was bisected by the town street grid, including a busy road known as Pine Street. The school identified a three-cityblock area in the middle of the campus that they wanted to transform into a central open space named Brock Commons. The area is composed of a series of linked plazas and lawns of varying sizes and styles.

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