Planning For A Rainy Day
The second issue with the storm-drainage pipe involved the erosion at the discharge locations. The final plans called for flat stone to be used to disperse the water and protect the rain garden; in retrospect, geo-grid would have better held the soil while still allowing plant materials to establish.
Lastly, during construction the university was concerned about a portion of sidewalk designed to allow water to flow over the pavement in a concentrated area. Due to the lower building-floor elevations in the vicinity of the sidewalk, the civil engineer was most comfortable with this solution.
Although all disciplines recognized this was not the best solution, in hindsight, milestone project meetings might have shed light on a better solution and would have kept the client better informed on these smaller details. The required aggressive project schedule hindered the scheduling of these milestone project meetings.
Although the requirements for the green infrastructure funding were stringent, one obvious step was not a requirement for funding. The compressed schedule for construction did not allow the design team to measure the quantity and quality of the storm water prior to construction.
Subsequently, monitoring the storm water post-construction was not a requirement. Had time allowed, the design team would have gathered pertinent data and would have solid numbers to prove the innovative infrastructure was a success.
Over the coming years, the design team will continue to evaluate this project to determine which plants have the highest survivability rate and which have the most positive impact on the overall design.
There is no better way to learn and grow than to see and experience a design both at initial construction and through the years. It is also the best way to achieve professional satisfaction!
Carisa L. McMullen, RLA, ASLA, is a principal at Landworks Studio, LLC. She can be reached at (913) 780-6707, or carisa@landworksstudio.com.
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Client:
University of Kansas
Design and Construction Management
1246 West Campus Road
Lawrence, KS 66045
Contact: Marion W. Paulette, RLA, ASLA, Project Manager
(785) 864-3306
Landscape Architect:
Landworks Studio, LLC
18977 W. 158th Street
Olathe, KS 66062
Carisa L. McMullen, RLA, ASLA, Principal
(913) 780-6707
Civil Engineer:
Professional Engineering Consultants, P.A.
1263 SW Topeka Blvd.
Topeka, KS 66612
Contact: Michael W. Berry, P.E., L.S., LEED-AP, Principal
(785) 233-8300
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