andropogon urban experience
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
SELECTED PROJECTS
APRIL 2015
AN–DRO–PO–GON \ N:
a common field grass, is one of nature’s remarkable adaptations to stress and change in the landscape. Wherever the landscape has been disturbed, andropogon is one of the first field grasses to colonize the ground, providing a self-sustaining cover for the gradual return of our native forests.
The economy and elegance with which these grassy meadows heal the wounded landscape aptly describes Andropogon’s goal in ecological planning and design,
“to weave together the landscape of man and nature for the benefit of both.”
FIRM PRINCIPALSJosé AlmiñanaYaki MiodovnikThomas Amoroso
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPALSMartin Troutman
PRINCIPALS EMERITICarol Franklin Colin Franklin
Founded more than thirty years ago, Andropogon is committed to the principle of “designing with nature,” creating beautiful and evocative landscapes inspired by the careful observation of natural processes and informed by the best environmental science. The elegance and economy of natural form and process continues to be the benchmark by which we measure the success of our work—from the smallest construction detail to the multi-layered patterns of regional sites.
As a certified minority business enterprise (MBE), Andropogon is committed to diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. Our multi-cultural staff is dedicated to the successful maturing of each project, from initial concept designs to construction review and long-term landscape management. Our body of national and international work includes early examples of innovative green strategies that have withstood the test of time as well as a broad range of landscape, site planning, environmental projects, ecological restoration and innovative stormwater management techniques.
Our clients often tell us that we combine integrated design with a depth of ecological understanding in synergistic ways. With every project we embody our mission... “to weave together the landscapes of man and nature for the benefit of both.”
firm profile
PLACE FIRST
Our goal is to understand and express the essential character of a place. We tell the story of a site by learning what it was, understanding what it is, and realizing what it can become.
CREATING HIGH-PERFORMANCE / MULTI-FUNCTIONING LANDSCAPES
Creative problem-solving shapes our landscapes making them interactive. We are committed to synergistic designs where roles are inter-dependent and mutually supporting.
HARMONIZE PEOPLE AND PLACE
Our designs find opportunities for a dynamic and relevant future in the fundamentals of the place and the aspirations of the community.
HEAL ECOSYSTEMS
Our core approach is to build dynamic, holistic systems and establish a healthy web of relationships.
ECONOMY OF INTERVENTION
We protect the integrity of ecological and social systems through non-invasive and carefully targeted solutions; maximum impact with minimal invasion.
BEAUTY IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
Our landscapes are not only artistic and aesthetically beautiful; they create evocative experiences with lasting impressions while serving as essential organizing elements of a site.
design principles
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Site Analysis
Site & Landscape DesignLandscape Management
Permit and Regulatory PreparationConstruction Documentation & Observation
Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
REGIONAL PLANNINGEnvironmental & Land Use Planning
Environmental AssessmentFeasibility Studies
Natural Resource ManagementOpen Space and Trail Systems
Community Planning and Facilitation
LEED STRATEGIESSite Selection
Environmental AssessmentSite Planning & Design
Stormwater ManagementBrownfield Redevelopment
MASTER PLANNINGProgram Analysis and Development
Mixed-use & Residential DevelopmentInstitutional Visioning and Development
Stormwater ManagementEcological Restoration
Brownfield RedevelopmentFunding Strategies
RESEARCHPost Occupcany Evaluations and Case Studies
Environmental Monitoring Soil Biology Analysis
Social Monitoring Experimental Design Monitoring Protocols
Adaptive Landscape Management ProgramsPublic Outreach and PresentationsGrant Writing and Technical Writing
SITES Documentation
services
WE PUTHIGH PERFORMANCE LANDSCAPES TO THE TEST
All too often, ecological design is claimed, but rarely academically rigorous and reflective. In keeping with our passion and commitment to sustainable landscape design, Andropogon launched the Integrative Research Division in 2012, which guides the succession of the firm into its 4th decade. Although evidence-based design and embedding the best, most recent scientific knowledge into our landscape practice has always been a critical step in our design process, this complementary division enables us to rigorously review our past and present landscape interventions to inform future projects and the overall design community.
Research is deeply embedded in our design process in every project. In some cases, the Integrative Research Division engages in more in-depth research projects, which usually occur before or after the design process. Recent examples of such research projects include:
• Kresge Foundation Complex: Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Troy, MI.
• Ecosystem Services Performance of Shoemaker Green. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
• Loantaka Brook Preserve Gas Pipeline Biodiversity Study: A Look Back After 28 Years. Morris County, NJ.
• Feasibility of Native Species and Natural Communities on Green Roofs- SUNY ESF Gateway Building Green Roof. Syracuse, NY.
• Chattanooga Runoff Reduction Standards Public Outreach- Compost Tea Workshop. Chattanooga, TN.
• Drexel Perelmen Quad Behavior Mapping. Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.
• Soil Amendment and Test-Plot Studies for Various Seed Mixes. Moon Township, PA.
integrative research
2014 HONOR AWARD from the AIA NY Committee on the Environment for the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, with Robert A.M. Stern Architects
2014 HONOR AWARD from AIA Philadelphia for the Karabots Pavilion at the Franklin Institute, with SaylorGregg Architects, now a Studo of JacobsWyper
2014 ASLA HONOR AWARD in the General Design Category for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania
2014 GROUNDBREAKER AWARD FINALIST from the Delaware Valley Green Building Council for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania
2014 AIA NYS AWARDS including a Design Award Citation and an Excelsior Award for Public Architecture for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc.
2014 HONOR AWARD for Excellence in Architecture for a New Building rom the Society for College and University Planning/AIA-CAE for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc.
2014 MERIT AWARD in General Design from ASLA NY for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center Green Roof, with Architerra
2014 AIA COTE TOP TEN GREEN PROJECT for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra, Inc.
2014 HONOR AWARD in General Design from the Tri-State ASLA for the Clemson University ICAR Technology Neighborhood 1 Plaza, with Seamon Whiteside
2014 MERIT AWARD for Excellence in Landscape Architecture-General Design from the Society for College and University Planning for Shoemaker Green at the University of Pennsylvania
2013 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AWARD from the Boston Society of Architects for the SUNY ESF Gateway Center, with Architerra
2013 SPEAS AIRPORT AWARD from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for innovative stormwater management at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, with ARCADIS
2013 STORMWATER BMP AWARD from the Temple-Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative for Stroud Water Research Center, Shoemaker Green, and the Kroc Corps Community Center
recent design awards
2013 AWARD OF HONOR from the Connecticut Green Building Council for the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall, with Robert A.M. Stern Architects
2013 HONOR AWARD in General Design and People’s Choice Award from the Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, with MGA Partners
2013 MERIT AWARD in Analysis & Planning from the Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus Landscape Integration Plan
2012 DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the AIA for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, with MGA Partners
2012 COMMUNITY AWARD from the US Green Building Council New Jersey Chapter for Duke Farms LEED Improvements, Reuse and Renovation
2012 DESIGN-BUILD MERIT AWARD from the Design-Build Institute of America for the United States Military Academy Preparatory School Site Design in West Point, New York, with EwingCole
2012 AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE AWARD from the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for the Horticultural Center at the Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Overland Partners
2012 HONOR AWARD in Excellence in Planning for an Existing Campus from Society for College and University Planning for Drexel University Campus Master Plan, with Goody Clancy
2011 AIA DELAWARE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD for the Lewes Canalfront Park in Lewes, Delaware
2011 HONOR AWARD from the American Society of Landscape Architects in Communications for the publication; Metropolitan Paradise, The Struggle for Nature in the City: Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley, 1620-2020
2009 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT GRAND JURY AWARD from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia for the Historic Smithville Streetscape Renovation, with Vitetta
Innovators Walk of Fame, University City Science Center, Philadelphia, PA
Bartram’s Mile, Philadelphia, PA
Shoemaker Green, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Lubert Plaza, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Lower Venice Island, Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA
40th Street Trolley Portal, Philadelphia, PA
Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, Philadelphia, PA
Hackett Elementary School, Community Design Collaborative Grant, Philadelphia, PA
Bartholdi Park, United States Botanic Garden, Washington, DC
Gateway Center, SUNY ESF, Syracuse, NY
Manayunk Canal and Boardwalk Concept Plan,
Philadelphia, PA
Princeton Theological Seminary Library, Princeton, NJ
Richardson Olmsted Center South Lawn, Buffalo, NY
Harriman Quadrangle, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Lewes Canalfront Park, Lewes, DE
Perelman Plaza and Main Quadrangle, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Perelman Plaza, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DC
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC
Rams Head Center, University of North Carolina, Chapell Hill, NC
McCormack Post Office & Courthouse Building
urban experience
Green Roof, Boston, MA
King’s College Road, University of Toronto, Toronto, CAN
Sansom Common, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Almono Brownfield Redevelopment, Pittsburgh, PA
Dickinson College Campus Improvements, Carlisle, PA
High Performance Science & Engineering Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA
Chattanooga Brainerd (Midtown) Community Green Infrastructure Retrofit Project, Chattanooga, TN
Central Delaware Waterfront, Penn Praxis Study, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Green Streets Standards and Guidelines, Philadelphia, PA
Quadrangle College Houses, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Fairmount Park System Master Planning, Philadelphia, PA
Johnson Park, Camden, NJ
Ninety-Ninth and Broadway Green Roof, New York, NY
East Campus Framework Plan, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Three Rivers Guidelines, Pittsburgh, PA
Panther Hollow Watershed Restoration, Pittsburgh, PA
UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA
Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO
Temple Health Sciences Campus Master Plan, Philadelphia, PA
Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Phipps Conservatory and Botanic Garden, Pittsburgh, PA
selected projects
WASHINGTON, D.CU.S. COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS
U.S. COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERSWASHINGTON, D.C
As a member of the master planning & site development team led by architects Perkins+Will, Andropogon served as the landscape architect and ecological planner for the new United States Coast Guard Headquarters Facility.
The Headquarters Facility sits within the historic 182-acre St. Elizabeths campus, a National Historic Landmark located 2.5 miles from the U.S. Capital. This 1.2 million square foot building, with the second largest green roof in the United States, was designed to integrate within its 37-acre site. The landscape, informed by detailed site analysis, sustainable design principals, and stormwater Best Management Practices, creates a functional landscape with exceptional performance and beauty.
The sustainable directives for the project included achievement of Silver LEED™ certification.
B l u e r i d g e +
N o r t h e r n P i e d m o n t
Trap Rock + Conglomerate
Uplands
N o r t h e r n P i e d m o n t
Lowlands + Outer Piedmont
S o u t h -e a s t e r n
P l a i n s
Chesapeake Rolling Coastal Plain
m i d d l e A t l a n t i c
c o a s t a l p l a i n
Chesapeake-Albemarle Silty
Lowlands + Tidal Marshes
N o r t h e r nP i e d m o n t
Piedmont Uplands + Foothills
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURIWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTERST. LOUIS, MISSOURIWASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTERST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
The Washington University Medical Center is inaugurating its Campus Renewal Project with the expansion of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital and the construction of a new medical tower for the Barnes Jewish Hospital. The new healthcare facility is designed with patients and families in mind with the goal of providing a holistic approach to patient care. The half-billion dollar project, led by program construction manager Jacobs and executive architect HOK, is being executed using an Integrated Project Delivery development system.The Campus Renewal Project includes the design of therapeutic landscapes to provide restorative green spaces for patients, their care-givers, and families. Andropogon lead the design of four therapeutic green roofs for both hospitals. Each therapeutic green roof was designed for a specific patient group including: • A place for bone marrow transplant and other
cancer patients;• A private, unoccupied green roof exclusively for
active labor and delivery;• A garden for new mothers and their immediate
families, as part of the maternity floor; and• A children’s garden for patients, family, and friends.Each green roof carefully balances the rare and enlivening experience of the outdoors with medical and physical sensitivities, such as allergens, light exposure, and skin and bone frailties.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTSMCCORMACK BUILDING
MCCORMACK POST OFFICE & COURT HOUSE BUILDINGBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Andropogon collaborated with Goody Clancy and Elevated Landscape Technology to design a green roof system for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The design serves as a model to be replicated at other locations in New England. The green roof gardens, located on the 4th & 5th floor rooftops of the McCormack Post Office and Court House Building, are a living example of an important aspect of the EPA’s mission. The design balances an informal planting aesthetic with the prominent architecture. The roof gardens serve as an amenity for employees to walk through and sit in, and as a pleasing building feature to look at from above. Sustainable functions of the green roof include “urban heat island” mitigation, storm water management, reuse of building materials, and water harvesting from building systems to passively irrigate plantings.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIATHOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY PLAZA
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY PLAZA
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITYPHILADELPHIA, PA
Lubert Plaza is the urban plaza of the Dorrance H. Hamilton Building, the campus center of Thomas Jefferson University. Designed in coordination with architects Burt Hill/Stantec, the 60,000 sf plaza was part of a $60 million expansion-and-renovation project that also included a new facility and 215-space underground parking garage.
Andropogon’s expansive green plaza transformed the 14-acre urban campus by providing a new “heart of campus” where formerly two parking garages consumed half a city block and overshadowed the functions and identity of the University.
2006 Stormwater BMP Award from the City of Philadelphia Water Department
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIASHOEMAKER GREEN
SHOEMAKER GREENPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Shoemaker Green is a 2.75 acre site located immediately east of 33rd Street between Walnut and Spruce Streets, and is a major component of the east-west connection between the central campus and Penn Park, serving as a new continuation of the Locust Walk / Smith Walk corridor. The site is surrounded by two of the University’s most iconic athletic facilities – the Palestra and Franklin Field, and serves as the “front doors” to these historic structures. Shoemaker Green’s program is mainly passive recreation, but the site has the ability to adapt for multiple events and activities with a wide range of scales, from secluded areas to eat lunch all the way up to staging areas for the Penn Relays and graduation. By way of carrying over the essence of College Green, while still retaining a character all its own, the site is the heart of Penn’s eastward expansion.Shoemaker Green is a model for sustainable campus design. Through the innovative use of a variety of strategies and technologies, the design of Shoemaker Green has been optimized to capture and control stormwater from the site and surrounding rooftops, provide viable native plant and animal habitats, minimize transportation of materials to and from the site, and serve as a starting point for the development of a sustainable maintenance strategy for the University at large. Certified Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™) Project, earning a two star rating
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIASANSOM COMMON
Andropogon was the landscape architect for the fast-tracked planning, design, and construction of Sansom Common at the University of Pennsylvania with Elkus-Manfredi Architects. The new $47 million complex includes a bookstore, luxury hotel, and retail stores. Sitework improvements included an outdoor café and public plaza, streetscape treatments, custom lighting, and a hotel entrance court.
The volume of foot traffic at this urban campus demanded a tree planting system that would minimize compaction to tree roots and still support healthy root systems. Both the plaza and street tree trenches were designed and constructed as continuous tree trenches, outfitted with a passive aeration and watering system, and filled with a special soil mix that supports pavement.
SANSOM COMMONPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIADREXEL UNIVERSITY
Andropogon is designing a new “center of gravity” for Drexel University along the former 32nd Street between Chestnut and Market Streets. The new campus hub, to be known as The Raymond G. Perelman Plaza, will become a destination for the campus and neighboring communities, providing an outdoor social and event space that is surrounded by the LeBow College of Business and a new residential and retail center.
Following the completion of the award-winning Master Plan, Andropogon was selected to create a public space that inspires connection, collaboration, and community. The plaza will provide a variety of spaces where thousands of people can meet, eat, study, and attend large outdoor gatherings. The design features an improved flow for pedestrian traffic, seamless integration with existing building entrances, well-planned seating and increased shade and natural beauty. The landscape will also manage stormwater runoff and collect and reuse rainwater.
PERELMAN PLAZAPHILADELPHIA, PA
UNIVERSITY CITY SCIENCE CENTERPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
INNOVATOR’S WALK OF FAMEPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
As part of its commitment to gather together the best and brightest minds in the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), The University City Science Center embarked to create a new campus core. At the heart of the remodel is the Innovator’s Walk of Fame, a sculptural set of recognition pieces paying homage to the Center’s great figures and supporters throughout the years. The site on two blocks between Market Street and Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia, and as the former site of 37th steet, is a major thoroughfare connection Drexel, University of Pennsylvania, and the rest of the University City community. Andropogon teamed with Exit to create a dynamic, mixed space that turns this throughway into a destination, enticing users to sit and relax, mixing casually the melting pot of University City. The space can accomodate a range of activities, from day to day lunches through large-scale science fairs and fundraising events.
Overhead, catenary lights will reduce the vertical clutter of the space, allowing the sculptural elements to hold sway. A series of large, custom social benches will allow for a variety of uses, and loose tables and chairs will scatter throughout the site, encouraging flexibility and site ownership. Electricity and water will be integrated at specific sites around the space, allowing for a wide set of arrangements for food trucks and other events to be supplied and changed as needed.
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INTERNATIONAL HOUSENATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS
UNIVERSITY CITYSCIENCE CENTER
UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
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INTERNATIONAL HOUSENATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS
UNIVERSITY CITYSCIENCE CENTER
UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
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INTERNATIONAL HOUSENATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS
UNIVERSITY CITYSCIENCE CENTER
UNIVERSITY LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION
event scenario - weekday
event scenario - movie night
event scenario - science fair
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA40TH ST. TROLLEY PORTAL
40TH ST. TROLLEY PORTALPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
The 40th Street Trolley Portal is one of the busiest public transit hubs in Philadelphia. Through a collabo-rative effort led by Andropogon and coordinated by the University City District, the project seeks to improve pedestrian and rider safety, reduce the urban heat island effect, and mitigate combined sewer outfall discharges. Features of the design include a cafe, the retrofit of existing catenary poles with high effi-ciency motion activated LED lighting, the installation of new pavement, and construction of planted zones that create habitat, provide seating opportunities, and reduce stormwater runoff. Consulting on the plan were representatives of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Mayor’s Office of Trans-portation and Utilities, higher education institutions, and members of the surrounding community.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIALOWER VENICE ISLAND
LOWER VENICE ISLANDPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Lower Venice Island is a five-acre island located between the Schuylkill River and the Manayunk Canal in Philadelphia. Like many cities across the country, Manayunk is faced with the challenge of planning for change in a post-industrial city and determining new uses for abandoned and underutilized waterfront prop-erty. However, Manayunk’s waterfront is evolving into a highly desirable area where parks, greenways, upscale retail, and residential development are envisioned. Andropogon Associates developed a master plan and site design for Lower Venice Island that incorporates public access to the river along with boating, fishing, and enhanced facilities for a Venice Island Recreation Center. The new facility, recently completed, will include performance, flexible classroom, and meeting spaces. Outdoor recreational activities including hockey, basket-ball, and a children’s water spray park are accommo-dated within the site program.
www.andropogon.com
706 mountford avenue
raleigh, nc 27603
919 800 0523
10 shurs lane
philadelphia, pa 19127
215 487 0700