Celebrating World Landscape Architecture Month
What is Landscape Architecture?
Landscape architecture is an art form that merges the natural environment with the built environment. As we celebrate World Landscape Architecture Month, Summit would like to focus on how our landscape architects use state-of-the-art design techniques to create beautiful, sustainable, and healthy outdoor spaces—ones that bring people closer to nature and encourage healthier, happier lives. By focusing on integrating nature into our everyday lives, Landscape architects create projects that not only enhance our everyday environments but also promote the social, economic, and environmental health of their communities.
Positive Impacts In Our Communities
In this blog, we will look at some inspiring landscape architecture projects that our very own landscape architecture team worked on here at Summit. We want to highlight the creativity, expertise, and dedication our team brings to each project that they work on, all while balancing client needs and expectations. See how each project focuses on providing environmental recommendations that preserve and revitalize our surroundings, how these projects have impacted their local communities, and the way they can be used as a model for future landscape architecture projects.
Our Spotlighted Projects
Project One: McLean-Spell Park
Site: Undeveloped 30-acre Park in Emerald Isle, NC
Client: Town of Emerald Isle
Deliverable: Booklet which included community research, environmental analysis, conceptual masterplan, graphic visuals to demonstrate the design intent, and environmental recommendations for site management
Programs/Software: GIS, AutoCAD, InDesign, and Photoshop
Collaborating Departments/Partners: LA worked most closely with the Summit planning department
Description:
Our first spotlighted project is on a conceptual design for an underutilized 30-acre park in Emerald Isle, NC.
For this project, our Landscape Architects took data and research conducted by the Planning department and used the findings to generate a conceptual design for the 30-acre park. This plan included the amenities most requested and required by the community, such as pedestrian and cyclist-only trails, but also included environmental recommendations to help preserve and revitalize the local maritime forest and wetland environment.
There were unique environmental challenges present in this project, which our landscape architecture team was eager to address. One of the largest environmental features of the project was the robust wetland surrounding it. An integral part of the natural ecosystem, our team worked to ensure that the health of the wetland and native maritime forest was preserved.
Recommendations for the park included:
- Working with a local arborist to site and plant appropriate trees species, such as live oaks, which would diversify the upper canopy of the park and provide a natural home for many native species.
- Leaving dead trees, or “snags,” as-is if they were not found to be dangerous. These snags provide important habitats for native creatures.
- Removing any invasive species and working to ensure they did not continue to encroach upon the park, which would damage the natural ecosystem.
Ultimately, our team was able to deliver a booklet containing community research, environmental analysis, visual design demonstrations, environmental recommendations, and a conceptual master plan to the client.
Project Two: Merchant Commerce Park
Site: 140 acres in Gatesville, NC
Client: Gates County
Deliverable/Services Provided: Master Plan Rendering
Programs/Software: Hand rendering, InDesign and Photoshop
Collaborating Departments/Partners: Architecture, Land Planning, Landscape Architecture
Description:
Our second spotlight is the 140-acre Merchant Commerce Park in Gates County, North Carolina
Our team worked alongside Architecture and Land Planning to develop a park-based Master Plan concept that complemented the desire for retail and economic development in the area without sacrificing the natural features present on-site. This Master Plan emphasized a community-centered, mixed-use space with interactive central village greens, townhomes, industrial centers, community amenities, and more—all with interwoven trails and natural green space to create a sense of environmental wellness. The final Master Plan included preservation areas to accommodate the natural wetlands bordering the town as well, emphasizing the desire to maintain an ecological balance.
This plan led to further interest in community grants to develop the plan, capitalizing on the community’s interest in having a multi-functional, environmentally friendly, and beautiful space. The development success has even encouraged a major grocery chain, Food Lion, to build the first major grocery store in Gates County.
Project Three: SECU Midtown Market Ave
Site: SECU site in Raleigh, NC
Client: SECU
Deliverables/Services Provided: Planting plan, irrigation plan, site design
Programs/Software: AutoCAD, Hand rendering, InDesign and Photoshop
Collaborating Departments/Partners: Summit Architecture and Civil
Description:
For our last spotlight, we have the Midtown Market Avenue project for the Raleigh State Employee’s Credit Union (SECU).
To help the SECU meet open space amenity requirements from the UDO, Summit’s Landscape Architecture team helped develop a 720’ long walking loop and nature trail on-site. This trail includes benches that overlook the natural ravine along the back of the building. The trail is not restricted to customers and staff of the location—visitors and residents alike are able to use the amenity at their leisure, providing the community with accessible recreation space.
When developing the trail, our landscape architecture team also worked to develop both an irrigation plan and a planting plan to assist in stormwater abatement. By utilizing street trees planted in structural soils, the team was able to provide a buffer to stormwater degradation and flooding, providing this SECU site with beautiful, functional greenspace and innovative stormwater management.
We are grateful every day for our Landscape Architecture team here at Summit. The work they do to create beautiful, functional spaces can sometimes be overlooked, but we appreciate their dedication to creating designs that improve our communities by focusing on environmental sustainability.
If you would like to learn more about our Landscape Architecture team and other projects that they have worked on, visit our website: https://summitde.com/landscape-architecture/