Verdant Design

Belvedere rain garden

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:48:11 +0000

Verdant Design and Diane Secor have been working with MSD to develop sustainable stormwater features to the Louisville Belvedere. Currently, the rain water from the elevator building has been redirected to a rain barrel (called a Raintainer) and out to a rain garden made up of local, native plants. A public meeting on May 10th at 7pm at KY Center for the Arts will showcase the upcoming project phases. The city’s website will have updates and more information on the meeting. There is more to come.


	
			
	
		
		
			Proposed Belvedere Rain garden
			A 3D modeling program was used to show what the final result would look like prior to construction.
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Installed Landscape with Raintainer
			The "rintainer", a rain barrel with a container on top stores the water until it's needed in the rain garden.
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Rain Garden plants and green wall trellis
			The plants are Kentucky natives that thrive in our local environment.

Old Brownsboro Crossing, Low Impact Development Plaza

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:30:05 +0000

A 100 acre regional marketplace lays out a pattern of development fixed on activity centers, focal points, and multi-modal traffic connections. The Low Impact Development Plaza encompasses 8 of the lots: the parking lots and buildings are joined to reduce their size, the parking lots are used by the banks during the day and the restaurants at night, and the parking lot drainage is filtered and infiltrated through a series of bio-detention swales, or depressed water corridors. The rain water is filtered through native trees, shrubs, and perennials like Bald Cypress, dogwoods, hibiscus, butterflyweed, and Northern Sea Oats among others. The limestone rock allow the water from the parking lot to cascade down to the vegetated swales. The bottom of the swales are lined with river rock to take away some of the scouring power of the water. In dry times, the rock looks like a dry creek bed.


	
			
	
		
		
			Water cascades down the rock
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Rock looks like a dry creek bed
			Dry creeks are common in Kentucky with exposed bedrock
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Rain fills up the planting area
			When full, the water spills into the catch basin
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Native plants
			Native plants and river rock provide interest into the Fall
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Red Dogwood
			Stem color can be another way to have color through the seasons
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Fall color
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Black gum turns red in Fall
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Color even during the winter
			Yellow and Red dogwood have colorful stems
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Rain Garden in Winter
			When it warms up the water will still infiltrate the ground through the Winter
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Re-envisioning the LID space
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plantings reshuffled in the landscape master plan
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Illustration showing new plantings and seating
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Illustration showing new plantings
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Illustration shows the continued color in the space
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Illustration shows new plant groupings
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Illustration shows new colorful interest

Williams Residence

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:57:04 +0000

The Williams Residence had many challenges to overcome: creating a large enough flat rear yard while minimizing stairs, creating enclosure without encasing the property, and providing plants with a minimalist, modern feel. A retaining wall flattens the grade for most of the back yard. The front yard uses a series of plantings on slope for low maintenance. The enclosure (for pets and children’s sake) was accomplished with a metal picket fence. The plantings inside create a large volume while still providing openness to the street. The grade difference between the street and the home’s first floor used two earthen ramps to minimize the steps needed to enter the home. And finally the plantings chosen was a simple palette of native bamboo, upright evergreens, and native grasses that are planted in a minimalist manner.

Click into the image to pan and view the backyard.


	
			
	
		
		
			3D model view of front of residence
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Japanese screen print of front
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Japanese screen print of back
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Japanese screen print of front
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Japanese screen print of front
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plant layout in the rear of the property
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Overall view

Smith Residence

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 03:06:58 +0000

The Smith’s residence had an erosion problem at the bottom of a very steep yard. They were making improvements to the house with a deck but all it overlooked was exposed tree roots. After diagramming the site’s needs and strategies to solve the problems, the Smiths needed to see the problem. A 3D flyover of the property showed where the improvements would be made to solve the erosion problems and how to create flat portions of the yard to access the walkout lower level. The solution gave the couple what they both wanted: an improved view of new plantings, reduced erosion, and less mowing.


	
			
	
		
		
			Pictoral outline of proposed changes
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Before: erosion
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			After: beautiful dry creek bed
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Before: erosion
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			After: plantings and rock placement change the look
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plantings complement the space
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Oakleaf Hydrangea
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Witchhazel

Arby’s Landscape

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:23:24 +0000

Even Arby’s needs a easy to maintain landscape. With their general maintenance in mind, some hardy perennials and shorter shrubs were used to create long-lasting beauty in leaf and bloom colors. Lawn area was minimized to reduce mowing and water usage. (Work completed while at Gresham Smith and Partners)

Rain Garden through the seasons

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:12:49 +0000

Many people find rain gardens to be interesting. They take excess water from roofs or other hard surfaces and infiltrate and filter the water. The plants are well-equiped to deal with a lack of rain and wet conditions as well. But what does a rain garden look like through the seasons? Click on the video to see

Richardson Residence

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:07:06 +0000

The Richardson Residence had a great patio space and a water feature. But the supporting landscape was disappointing. With great suggestions from the homeowners, Verdant Design brought about the materials, plants, and arrangement needed for their landscape contractor to install the work. Rather than a traditional plan, both the homeowners and contractor found the images much more important in discussing the landscape improvements.


	
			
	
		
		
			Color interest added
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plantings complement the waterfall and pond
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plantings and containers add instant height
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Special willow on a standard
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Color and depth of interest in the landscape

Nursery Rain Garden Design

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:52:06 +0000

The owners of nearby nursery asked for a rain garden that could assist them in a drainage problem and deal with rain water coming off a garage. The space for the rain garden was in shady, prominent location that could showcase some of the plants available at the nursery while creating a new focus near the parking. The best way to explain the layout and workings of the garden were to use something other than construction drawings to show how the garden would fit into the landscape and where the plants would be located. Below is the video:

Park(ing) Day

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:26:58 +0000

PARK(ING) DAY calls attention to the need for parks and open space in our cities. In Louisville, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects installed a park for 12 hours in two parking spaces. We “rented” the space to show the dramatic difference in air temperature between asphalt and our created park. The amount of urban pavement creates a “heat island” or a spot where the air temperature is hotter. Park offer us a great way to lower that temperature. It’s shows that parks, open space and vegetation are not just beautiful, but needed.


	
			
	
		
		
			Constructing Parking Day (7am)
			Constructing Parking Day (7am)
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Placing Plants
			Placing Plants
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Plants mostly in place
			Plants mostly in place
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Park(ing) Day 2007
			Park(ing) Day 2007
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			in front of Metro Hall
			in front of Metro Hall
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			on Jefferson Street
			on Jefferson Street
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Temperature difference between park and pavement
			Temperature difference between park and pavement
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			The Team!
			John, Tricia, Jon (& Heather taking the photo)!

John Pacyga was on the design, implementation, and photography team. He also authored the video.

For more information on PARK(ING) DAY, go to The Trust for Public Land

Architect Online: Park(ing) Day Celebrates, Promotes City Parks

Unpave Paradise

Minneapolis Tudor

0z-B5@a.6.@t — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:57:22 +0000

A couple with a house on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis desired to update their landscape with a smaller lawn, an easy to maintain landscape, better drainage away from the house and garage, and outdoor entertainment space. The post and beam form of the Tudor-styled house became the motif for the yard. The various portions of the yard were made into “panels” with a thick brick border edge doubling as a walking surface. The wide edging made it easier to mow as did the orthogonal shape. Some of the panels become a deck, a brick patio, and a lawn. Plantings near the street form a double hedge creating more privacy. The deck at the rear of the house was reconstructed to emphasize the French doors with a pergola entry from the alley.


	
			
	
		
		
			Before, rear yard
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Before, front stairs
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			After, front stairs
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			After, rear yard
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Side yard
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			Pergola mimics details of the home
			 
		
	
 			
	
		
		
			A panel of lawn outlined in brick
			The brick edge makes it easier to mow