MICHIGAN ASLA 2008 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Twenty-third Annual Michigan Chapter ASLA Awards Program

Congratulations to our five award winners!

Landscape Design Merit Award Winners:

     JJR, LLC -- Private Residence

     McKenna Associates, Inc. -- Green Oak Village Place

     Hamilton Anderson Associates -- Wayne State University Welcome Center Court

Landscape Planning & Analysis Merit Award Winners:

     Birchler Arroyo Associates, Inc., Grissim Metz Andriese Associates, David Peterhans - C3 Community Core Creators, The Chesapeake Group -- Big Beaver Corridor Study

     Hamilton Anderson Associates -- Detroit River International Wildlife Gateway Refuge

Chek out our 2007 Award Archive Here.

Check out our 2006 Award Archive Here.

Check out our 2005 Award Archive Here.

Download the 2009 Michigan ASLA Chapter Awards Criteria (pdf)

Landscape Design Merit Award Winners :

Firm: JJR, LLC

Project Title: Private Residence

Project Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Nestled in the quiet, shaded neighborhood in Ann Arbor, this turn of the century estate stands as a unique example of the area’s residential design legacy. Built in 1915, the residence was designed in the arts and crafts style by the notable architects Smith Hinchman & Grylls. Site layout and landscape for the original 40-acre estate were designed by the office of landscape architecture pioneer Fredrick Law Olmsted.

Over many decades, the original 40-acre estate was sold off and subdivided into the neighborhood that exists today. When the current owners purchased the home, 2.5 acres of the estate remained. The once grand gardens and long rolling views were neglected and lost, overgrown with volunteer trees and scrub growth. Historic paths and walls left unattended had fallen into ruin. Decades of remodeling and cosmetic changes to the house and grounds chronicled fifty years of outdated and inappropriate design trends. Recognizing the historic significance of their home and property, the home owners embarked on an ambitious 10-year master plan and restoration project. In their pursuit for historic accuracy, both the home owners and design team researched extensively and as a result, located original drawings, notes and plant lists from the Olmsted archives in Brookline Massachusetts and Smith Hinchman & Grylls in Detroit, Michigan.

As adjacent properties became available, the site was increased to the 5 acres that make up the property today. One notable acquisition was a two 2 acre parcel containing a 1970’s pink brick ranch house. The house was razed and the team was given the charge to design a new guest house and surrounding gardens compatible with the historic character of the property. Recognizing remnants of the Olmsted design, the Landscape Architects carefully sited the guest house on the central promontory to optimize long views and integrate site details into the rolling topography and majestic old conifer groves. The 1970’s plantings along with masses of volunteer invasive species were removed to enhance the remaining historic plants. Referring to the original Olmsted Studio plant list, historically accurate plant types were installed to rebuild the landscape borders. The home owner’s love of playing host to friends and family inspired creation of passive open spaces well suited to outdoor entertaining. Garden rooms were developed to embrace the unique site and accommodate seasonal living

The grounds adjacent to the main house posed bigger challenges. The team needed to respect the 1915 architectural character, yet meet the homeowner’s twenty-first century lifestyle needs. An existing 1970’s swimming pool was underutilized and looked very dated as its detailing was out of character with the rest of the estate. A new pool cabana was designed and built in the arts and crafts style repeating elements from the house. A custom, handmade wrought iron fence for the pool, painted a black-green to blend with surrounding vegetation, replaced the existing chain link fence. Mismatched wooden steps, pressure treated decking, and low-cost prefabricated lattice panels were replaced by an elegant overlook and curved stone stairway, providing strong visual alignment between the home and pool.  At the house, a 1970’s wood deck and screen porch were razed and replaced with a series of stone terraces, walls and steps to provide additional spaces for dining and outdoor living. The dining patio is shaded by a distinctive cantilevered pergola, using cut Michigan fieldstone piers and cedar trellising to support a 90-year old wisteria vine. Because of a very demanding professional schedule with extensive overseas travel, the homeowners now see the home as their vacation destination.

Firm: McKenna Associates, Inc.

Client: Lorimax Stern, Redico, Quadrants

Project Title: Green Oak Village Place

Project Location: Brighton, MI

The first of two on-site traffic circles features a 50-foot diameter custom fountain, annuals, and a center island planting of ornamental grasses and large Pin Oaks. The entry boulevard terminates into the first on-site traffic circle.  Billowing panicum, and the lower sedum offer rich contrast in height and texture.  Natural stone retaining wall absorbs subtle grade transition.	Marking this walk’s transition to the boulevard crossing, is this cluster of large boulders, custom cut to rest on footings and accept large, outdoor sculpture displays.  GOVP features 20 such sculpture boulders within its pedestrian areas.	A kiosk marks the trailhead to the Island Lake State Park bike path.  Three other kiosks help punctuate the walkway winding throughout GOVP.
The pedestrian walk in the foreground is colored to match the paving along the stores.  The grade is raised slightly to serve as a traffic-calming device.  This is further defined with the rich paving and sweeping lines within the traffic circle.	This large pedestrian plaza features varied seating, raised planters and one of the first sculptures.  A sweeping line of brick paving reaches out to the main walkway, inviting passersby into the space.	The freeway right-of-way planting (here in its mid-summer glory) provides a low- to no-maintenance planting for a large and prominent area by introducing organic forms while  still providing year-round interest.
More than 120,000 square feet of custom-colored brick walkway winds throughout GOVP.  The curving pattern contrasts and compliments the architectural lines of the buildings.  This bold pedestrian space is accented with planters, seating areas, street trees, sculpture, plazas and ornamental lights.

Green Oak Village Place is a 550,000-square foot lifestyle center located in the developing edge community of Green Oak Township.  Sited on a 65-acre triangular parcel bounded by US 23 to the west, a raised rail line to the east and Island Lake State Park to the south, the site had little opportunity to create connections with other developments. Recognizing that the site layout did not lend itself to a traditional lifestyle environment, a visionary ownership partnered with landscape architects from McKenna Associates, committed to designing a one-of-a-kind environment, using creative landscape design to encourage shoppers to meander and provide an oasis for shopping and entertainment.  With direction to provide a fresh perspective, the McKenna team sought inspiration in an unlikely place: the surrounding natural plantings and woodlands of adjacent Island Lake State Park. 

The project posed a number of design challenges, including extended stretches of stores that required transformation into engaging, charming, pedestrian friendly environments connecting across large parking areas.  In addition to the site challenges, the team faced an aggressive schedule that required coordinated efforts between disciplines.  Day-to-day communication between consultants was crucial to the project’s success, as the ever-changing requirements of retail leasing coupled with an aggressive schedule made for daily, and often, hourly design changes. 

McKenna’s design team found the solution by looking to the surrounding environment for inspiration.  The bike trails, trees, and blowing grasses of adjacent Island Lake State Park influenced the flowing, organic paver patterns and the naturalized plantings that define Green Oak Village Place.  The scene for this dramatic space is set by a wide curving walkway of vibrantly colored concrete and custom colored brick accented with overflowing planters, ornamental streetlights draped with banners and irrigated hanging baskets, distinct seating areas, directional kiosks, a glowing outdoor fireplace, several custom designed fountains and mature transplanted pin oaks.

Continuous custom paver and colored concrete walkways traverse the parking lot several times, meandering through flowing masses of perennials, shrubs, trees and ornamental grasses selected for seasonal, textural and floral interest. This inviting setting has become a favorite for local walkers and bikers.  They enjoy the almost two miles of internal walkways and bike paths with linkages to the Island Lake State Park mountain bike trail-way  system to the south.  

Dotted along these walkways are outdoor sculptures mounted on native boulders, hand-picked and custom cut to blend with the colors and sizes of the spaces.  The shopping experience takes visitors through a series of outdoor gardens and “sculpture rooms” highlighting works of nationally renowned artists.  The noted artist, John Suave, also a local resident, curates the sculpture garden.  Green Oak Village Place invites local and regional residents by planning programmed activities in the pedestrian spaces, shops and restaurants coordinated with the surrounding municipalities. 

McKenna’s careful design ensures local residents not only enjoy a unique shopping venue but also experience their community’s natural environment. McKenna’s design team provided protection of habitat for flora and fauna in sensitive environments adjacent to the site. These special protections included a 600-foot long, 20-foot tall segmented retaining wall, shielding an environmentally diverse wetland.  Additionally, a newly developed short grass prairie of little bluestem and perennials provide year-round interest along US-23 and in other locations within the site.  These treatments are environmentally sustainable and provide a low maintenance aesthetic atypical of highly developed sites like shopping centers.

The result is an ever-changing canvas of natural and man-made landscapes blending in a dramatic, natural design that looks to be seamlessly integrated.  Certainly, this effortless look did not happen without the guiding hand of landscape architects on the McKenna design team.  In addition to the traditional roles a landscape architect often plays (municipal approval agent, landscape design, construction drawing and contract administration) the team led the design and detailing of most every element within the outdoor environment and hardscape and coordinated with the design team to insure proper implementation.

McKenna’s landscape architectural team took on a far broader role as the project progressed.  The strong image created for the marketing and brand development of Green Oak Village Place was conceived by the landscape architects.  Working together with the marketing team, McKenna’s landscape architects developed the shopping center logo, way-finding pylons, slogan and branding material to tie directly into the landscape concept defined at project conception.  The simple, yet strong result truly defines what Green Oak Village is: a vibrant, natural, distinctive place.

Practical measures of the project’s success include the first year sales figures for retailers in Green Oak Village Place, many at or near the top of their categories.  On-site management reports receiving daily compliments about the unique landscape architecture features of Green Oak Village Place.

Green Oak Village Place is most certainly a welcome addition to the community, a well-known landmark, a regional attraction and an enduring tribute to the distinctive natural features of this community. Though the site plan’s layout of large, rigid buildings could have allowed structures to dominate or overwhelm the project, the McKenna design team’s careful incorporation of natural features and creative design elements graciously balances built and natural features to provide residents and visitors  a one-of-a-kind shopping and strolling experience.

Firm: Hamilton Anderson Associates

Client: Wayne State University

Project Title: Wayne State University Welcome Center Court

Project Location: Detroit, MI

Wayne State University Welcome Center Court	The site intersects the City’s cultural center and Wayne State University.  Context includes the cultural center to the north and east, downtown Detroit to the south, and Wayne State campus to the west.  Prior to the project’s construction, there was little legibility of the campus in the cultural center environment.  It was difficult for visitors to recognize that they had arrived.	An interplay of angles sets up the transitions between materials, pedestrian and vehicular environments, passive and active spaces, and the City and the campus.  Informal perennial plantings along the plaza’s edges create relief from the formal geometry of the space.	Low walls and plantings buffer the pedestrian space from the vehicular service lane.  A dense grove of canopy trees creates informal, sheltered spaces and relief from the southern sun exposure.  Flagpoles create rhythm and focal interest and accommodate banners for each of the University’s colleges.
The Welcome Plaza unifies the entire project and serves as a link between the University and the urban community.	The open space brings the campus to the surface, reflecting its grounding in arts and technology.	The plaza’s elegant lines and simple forms are evident from the upper floors of the adjacent buildings as seen in this aerial photo taken before the foliage budded out in spring.	View east looking to the Welcome Center entrance.  Alternating panels of concrete and pavers express the coming together of the green campus and hard cityscape. The site angle connects the buildings.

PURPOSE of the Plan­­­

In his Inaugural address, Wayne State University’s new President revealed his vision for “A New Era of Greatness”.  Recognizing the school’s accomplished history, he encouraged everyone to embrace new opportunities. He advocated that students experience cultural diversity by immersing themselves in the University’s rich, yet mostly unexplored urban setting and identified a new welcome center complex as a catalyst for his vision. The design team was challenged to create a composition of buildings and spaces to restore a vital gateway connection between the University and its neighboring downtown cultural center. This new “front door” was designed to play a fundamental role in welcoming students entering university life and promoting social interaction. 

Located in Detroit’s cultural district, the site contains two historic, early 20th Century structures with fronts on three major avenues. Inspired by the President’s progressive urban vision, it appeared natural that a new welcome center be established on the main commercial artery for this region.   A new bookstore was placed at the corner of two equally important thoroughfares and a traditional entrance to central campus. A 750-car parking structure was constructed on the same block. Connecting all the pieces of the new complex is a versatile people-friendly space designed and designated as the Welcome Court.  It acts as an allegorical handshake between the University and City, a symbol of restored unity between campus and community. Its south facing exposure coupled with the amenities in the surrounding buildings has made the Welcome Court a popular place for students, business people and neighborhood residents to meet and interact.  

PROBLEM Solving Process

Design process – Concept Description

Accepting the urban environment as an asset to Wayne State University, the Welcome Center Project takes as its underlying design concept the bridging together of the urban and campus environments. Woodward Avenue links the site to the Cultural Center with the Detroit Institute of the Arts one block north and Downtown Detroit to the south. Cass Avenue connects the site to the University Campus. A subtle variation in street alignments between Woodward and Cass sets the framework for the Welcome Court’s geometry. A line generated from the Woodward and Warren intersection running perpendicular to Cass becomes a unifying element and marks the transition between the urban and campus experiences. This line extends through the Welcome Center building, across the Court, and through the bookstore. In the Welcome Court, it is the edge between the urban pedestrian landscape and the green, student campus. An interplay of angles sets up the transitions between materials, pedestrian and vehicular environments, passive and active spaces, and the City and the campus.

Incorporating Functional Requirements

The Welcome Court is designed to accommodate a high level of flexibility: the ground plane surfaces are accessible and durable but create a garden-like environment when large groups are not gathered at the site. Sculpture placed asymmetrically in a simple lawn plan adds a graphic statement wile accommodating large events with in the space. The concrete sidewalk extends into the plaza between beveled round planters at the public edge on Warren Avenue. Planters hold the street edge and create an entry experience into the plaza. Concrete pavement alternates with green bituminous unit pavers, representing the University colors and the green of the campus environment. Movement between the Welcome Center and bookstore is framed by sculpted lawn space on one side and multi-stemmed river birch in the round planters on the other.

The central court area is a balance of sculpted lawn and decomposed granite paving. Trees are planted in the granite to preserve the geometry of the land forms covered in lawn. Fixed bench seating and a dense tree canopy create intimate spaces within the court. The tree canopy opens to allow for a sunnier space at the bookstore edge.  A café animates the plaza during the warm summer months.

Vehicular circulation within the site is provided by the two-way service route between Cass and Putnam around the parking deck. From campus, students move along a landscaped walkway at the parking deck edge and cross to move through the plaza to the Welcome Center. Low raised planters mark informal entrance points from the service lane into the plaza.  Perennial plantings are loose and informal, contrasting with the formality of the rest of the space. Ground level accent lighting sprays light across the land forms, highlighting them at night throughout the year. A simple streetscape frames the entire project area. Curbed planters contain perennials relating back to the plaza space.

LOCAL Significance

The University has set a goal to embrace the urban community and has chosen the Welcome Center project as a catalyst for this vision. The Welcome Center project is the new front door that presents Wayne State University to millions of tourists and potential students each year. Located in the heart of Detroit’s cultural center, the area contains the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Science Center, the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library, Detroit Historical Museum, Museum of African-American History, and other historical buildings and institutions. The project is within two blocks of these venues and provides a threshold to the area when entering from downtown.

ROLE of the Landscape Architect

The Landscape Architect convinced the University that the expression of the campus vision should include both architectural and open space components.  Early University plans called for a suburban approach with vehicular drop offs and VIP parking where the student plaza now sits.

Design elements were developed that could be carried through both the site and building components of the project. Paving patterns developed on the site plan are used in the terrazzo flooring design of the Welcome Center building.

The Landscape Architect worked with architects and the University to establish siting for buildings and the plaza. The site solution was larger than the site itself; it required looking at the larger campus and context and determining the best location for the Welcome Center project in addition to working with City agencies to vacate alleys and reroute utilities.

SPECIAL Factors

Through the use of spatial geometry, as opposed to materials and detailing, the site design integrates contemporary architecture within an historic context. A small construction budget and rigorous City and campus maintenance standards meant using durable and affordable materials creatively. Lawn, landform, concrete and aggregate paving were used in expressive ways creating a space that does not communicate a tight budget.

Landscape Planning & Analysis Merit Award Winners:

Firm: Birchler Arroyo Associates, Inc., Grissim Metz Andriese Associates, David Peterhans - C3 Community Core Creators, The Cheseapeake Group

Client: City of Troy

Project Title: Big Beaver Corridor Study

Project Location: Troy, MI

“…I was extremely pleased to see not only support for the document by the elected officials and our boards and commissions, but by the public as well.  Public meetings were held, and the consensus was that the plan provides a viable blueprint for the future.

The entire planning process has been an exciting time for this community, and The Big Beaver Corridor Study has really transformed an economic condition that could have truly spawned a community of victims into a community of possibilities.”   Louise E. Schilling, Mayor, City of Troy, Michigan

“What the Council got was one of the most unique and inspiring planning documents that will help to transform a heavily auto dependent area into a “world class boulevard” that meets the needs of those who work in Troy as well as those who live or want to live in Troy.  I have been in the planning and management fields for over 35 years, and the document “The Big Beaver Corridor Study” is one of the most innovative and creative documents I have ever seen.

The plan not only uses new and innovative measures to make the plan seem “doable”, but also its planning principles and concepts could be used as a pattern for other areas in Troy as well as other communities.”   

Phillip L. Nelson, City Manager, City of Troy, Michigan

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The Big Beaver Corridor Study was completed to catalogue, analyze, and define issues that will begin a process of planning and directing development opportunities for years to come.

Specifically this document, in part one, provides an overview analysis of existing conditions and summarizes stakeholder and expert opinions as important input for part two efforts to redefine basic and overall corridor characteristics and experience.

Part two addresses the corridor as “World Class Boulevard” concept advocated by the DDA as the strategy to re-ignite the development and redevelopment potential of the corridor.  Part two outlines specific requirements needed to fulfill this goal.  It also assigns general land use concepts related to long-term economic viability, transportation management, the urban design aesthetic, and public experience of the corridor.

The study process presents a plan that fundamentally changes the corridor from a traffic dominate highway to a mixed-use urban center, a very dramatic and forward thinking idea.  It also strongly advocates the need for a comprehensive master plan in addition to this study, which will address issues of public and private realm interactions, long-term values, and economic sustainability.  This corridor study is an important chapter of the future master plan for the City of Troy.

PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

The Big Beaver Corridor Study involved data collection/analysis, public input, creation of a concept plan, and formulation of action strategies.  The project team initiated the process with a series of “inventory and analysis” summary plates that included such topics as 1) Corridors, Streets, and Traffic; 2) Pedestrian Circulation; 3) Lighting, Landscape, and Maintenance; 4) Driveway Access; 5) Parking; 6) General Land Use; 7) Buildings and Public Space; and 8) and Economic and Market Context.  These summaries included concise analysis bullet points and conclusion statements that focused on identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the World Class Boulevard Vision.  

The public input process was extensive.  A project web site was established to provide updates on the process and drafts of reports as they became available.  It also provided an email link for public input.  A community Vision Fair was also held, where members of the public, including residents and business owners, were able to view the “inventory and analysis” summaries, ask questions, and complete written surveys.  In addition, stakeholder meetings were held with both selected property owners along the corridor and design professionals.

After the initial public input process, the World Class Corridor concept began to emerge, and the Planning Team clearly defined the key guiding concepts:

• Organize the six-mile corridor into distinct districts.  The plan divides the boulevard into districts, each with a unique character.
• Develop gateways at key entry points.  Signature architecture, landscaping, and streetscape treatments will create a sense of arrival.
• Enhance corridor landscaping.  Street trees will serve as a visual axis along the corridor and will buffer sidewalks from travel lanes.
• Promote foot traffic and walkability.  Increased residential uses, mixed-use development, and density will boost pedestrian activity.  Walking becomes entertainment.
• Promote a mix of land uses, both vertically and horizontally.  Mixing the land uses turns on the lights.
• Provide a variety of transportation choices and reduce the dominance of the automobile.
• Transform the corridor into an outdoor museum.  Civic art will be installed at gateways and in public squares.  Iconic footbridges and sleek, elegant street furniture will also function as public art….telling stories, creating memories, making us smile and informing us along the way.

The final recommendations included several distinct plan elements: 1) Pedestrian Circulation and Greenspace (over 5,000 new trees to be planted in corridor right-of-way areas plus additional landscaping on adjacent private property); 2) Building Use Plan (transforming the corridor into a mixed-use area); 3) Building Height Plan (ensuring that the threshold of enclosure is achieved in the City Center Area by placing taller buildings at the right-of-way line to define a pedestrian space); 4) Traffic Circulation Plan (establishing low-speed parallel service drives in the City Center to provide on-street parking, establishing a parallel road network to relieve Big Beaver Road, and defining a more pedestrian-friendly edge to the public right-of-way); 5) Corridor Parking (providing structured parking along the parallel road system to relieve congestion on Big Beaver Road while also serving parking demand; filling in large surface parking fields near the road right-of-way with new liner buildings that replace the suburban place with an urban experience); and 6) Conceptual Plan (connect all of the key elements via a concept plan for landscaping, public spaces, traffic, parking, and building use and placement that will define the distinct districts of the corridor).

The final problem-solving element was the establishment of a detailed matrix of implementation action items that called out the responsible party and the appropriate action to make the plan reality.  The City has been hard at work on many of these items so that the momentum of the Big Beaver Corridor Study carries forward each year.

LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE

Located approximately twenty miles north of Detroit, the City of Troy is an edge city with abundant retail and office space.  Big Beaver Road is its major east-west thoroughfare.  The City’s Downtown Development district is centered on Big Beaver Road, and the boulevard hosts a concentration of high-tech uses, corporate headquarters, and premier retail space.  Concerned that the district was beginning to lose its appeal, with continued growth in outlying suburbs, Troy officials advocated redevelopment of Big Beaver Road into a World Class Boulevard, and requested a plan for reigniting the corridor’s development potential.

The Big Beaver Corridor Study is the transformation catalyst of a major east-west thoroughfare from a classic, post World War II automobile-dominant suburban corridor to a pedestrian–friendly urban destination.  The Study’s comprehensive analysis, detailed economic and market analysis and inclusion of architecture, landscape, and civic art in placemaking form a blueprint for the future of the City and a catalyst for others seeking to create vibrant, healthy communities.

ROLE OF THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

The landscape architect functions as an integral part of the planning team, which also included community planners, market strategists, architectural designers, City of Troy planning staff, City of Troy consulting planners, members of the City Council, Planning Commission, and Downtown Development Authority.  In addition to participating in the analysis and planning process, the landscape architect developed the “physical design” for the corridor, established the design “theme” along with the related components and amenities, as well as designing and preparation of the support graphics and presentations including the final booklet design.

SPECIAL FACTORS

Big Beaver Road, for many, is the first and only impression of the City of Troy.  While the corridor represents a one of a kind premier district in the region, City officials recognized that the suburban planning and development practices in place would severely limit Big Beaver Road’s ultimate potential.  This recognition precipitated the Corridor Study which began with a vision provided by City leaders:  Big Beaver Road – A World Class Boulevard.

The existing Big Beaver Road corridor presents a classic example of post World War II suburban development.  Characterized by a high volume traffic highway and standardized single-use zoning of adjacent properties, it represents the planning philosophy of that era and is a place with limited development potential for the 21st Century.  The situation and challenges that face the City of Troy and the Big Beaver corridor are similar to those faced by many suburban communities within Michigan and across the nation.  The Big Beaver Corridor Study presents a visionary approach to addressing these challenges and embraces placemaking concepts that have the potential to reignite the development potential of the corridor and the region.  Many of the Study’s concepts could be modeled and adapted to other communities and corridors.

The Big Beaver Corridor Study proposes to transform Big Beaver Road from an automobile-dominant suburban corridor into a pedestrian-friendly urban destination.  The Study promotes a mixed-use corridor that is dynamic, flexible, and sustainable, insuring long-term value of the community and the region.  Specific recommendations include increased residential uses and density, mixed-use development, creation of gateways, enhanced landscaping, reduction of surface parking, addition of service lanes with parallel parking, increased building height, and reduced setback, and creation of public spaces.

As part of the implementation plans, a Concept Plan for the Big Beaver Corridor was developed and includes many action items to enhance the Corridor districts and manage the transformation.  Action items include:

• Plant new street trees (approximately 5,000) within the Corridor right-of-way
• Develop a form-based zoning code to guide new development
• Host and international design competition for future pedestrian bridge crossings
• Construct attractive public parking garages wrapped by buildings animated at the street level; garages should be accessed from local collector roads rather than Bib Beaver to preserve road capacity.
• Plant hundreds of trees at the I-75 interchanges (Big Beaver and Rochester Road) to create forested portals, gateways to the Corridor
• Construct service lanes parallel to Big Beaver Road within the City Center District to create on-street parking and buffer pedestrians from through traffic along Big Beaver
• Provide wide sidewalks along Big Beaver that can accommodate outdoor dining, street furniture, pedestrian through traffic, and window shopping
• Modulate building heights (east-west) to create interest and pulse points along the Corridor; modulate building heights (north-south) to transition from low-rise residential near the edge to taller structures along Big Beaver; buffer and transition to minimize impacts on existing residential neighborhoods
• Embrace mixed-use development, shared parking, access management, transit service (public and private), and bicycle lanes and paths to reduce vehicle traffic demand and preserve road capacity.

The City Council, Planning Commission, and Downtown Development Authority have formally adopted the key concepts of the Study, and several steps toward implementation have already been initiated.  Specifically, the City has initiated a comprehensive update of the Troy Master Plan and commissioned streetscape design plans for focus areas along the corridor.  The Study is also being embraced by the private sector, and the City is currently reviewing a concept plan for the redevelopment of the former K-Mart Headquarters site that respects and incorporates many of the Study’s concepts and principles.

Firm: Hamilton Anderson Associates

Client: Wayne County Parks in Partnership with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Project Title: Detroit International Wildlife Refuge Gateway

Project Location: Detroit, Michigan

Map of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, a network of wildlife habitats along the Detroit River.  The Gateway and Visitor Center at the Humbug Marsh Unit will serve as the foyer to the refuge.	The site master plan illustrates the siting of the parking area over the existing building slab, earthshaping that engages the Welcome Center and provides for a diversity of landscape and habitat systems while containing contaminants, the daylighting of the Monguagon Drain and the filtering wetlands, the dock and fishing pier and trail network.	The Refuge has received a grant for the design and construction of the boat dock and fishing pier, planned to accommodate access to a Schoolship and other vessels to connect the site to river transportation.
On the river side, the building opens at the ground level, giving classrooms a direct connection to the site.	A group of supporters celebrates the preservation of the Humbug Marsh from residential development.	As a spin off from the Wildlife Refuge project, the landscape architect developed a map of birding locations in the Detroit and Windsor region.

Purpose of the Project

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) Gateway provides a foyer to North America’s only “international” wildlife refuge, encompassing 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie waterfront.  As a living demonstration of sustainability, it showcases green technologies as building blocks to repair a damaged landscape, offers educational programs based on environmental stewardship, and provides a regional recreational attraction, to enhance southwest Michigan’s eco-tourism resources.  

Problem Solving Process

Given a site with industrial contamination, adjacency to the sole remaining untouched natural ecosystem on the Detroit River, and linkages to an abundance of rich habitat, the design process was grounded in research and thorough analysis.  The following activities represent steps in working through this process. 

Develop the project vision

The entire project team participated in developing a guiding vision:  “The DRIWR Gateway will be a community-based center for environmental learning and is envisioned to be a national and regional example of sustainability for education, resource conservation, water conservation and stormwater management, wildlife management, transportation/recreation, financial environment and architectural character.”

Recognize the site’s natural and industrial history

As a former Chrysler automotive paint facility, nearly one half of the gateway site was created by filling in the Detroit River.  The Monguagon Drain passed through the site into Humbug Marsh as a natural creek prior to industrial development.  Now encased in a concrete pipe, the drain empties directly into the Detroit River.  Analyzing the site’s role in the context of the larger watershed led to plans to daylight the creek and restore the natural connection to the Humbug Marsh.

Analyze current conditions

Previous environmental studies and a deed covenant were analyzed to gain understanding of contaminant issues.  Nearly two thirds of the site is known to contain toxins capped by the former plant floor slab and/or areas of earth fill.  A deed covenant requires the capped areas to remain in place or be improved with any future site development.   The plan responds by utilizing earthwork to carefully contain contaminated areas, taking advantage of the resultant landform as opportunity to establish diverse habitat zones and thoughtfully knit the building to the site.  Parking is sited on the former building’s floor slab to take advantage of the existing impervious surface.

Rebuild site to accommodate the gateway vision

In response to the new topography, the master plan calls for woodlands and wetlands, open prairie, a new welcome center with access drive and parking, nature trails, a fishing access pier, a canoe/kayak launch area and connections to adjacent greenways.  All elements are designed to demonstrate sustainability.  Paved surfaces are minimized and porous, lighting is minimal, recycled local materials are used, and stormwater is managed and reused on site.  The Monguagon Drain is daylighted and naturally filtered before releasing into its historical route through Humbug Marsh.  A settling basin and wetland biologically cleans storm water emitted from the drain while providing visual interest to the site arrival sequence. 

Cutting back a 10 foot high riverbank gives way to a new emergent marsh backed by scrub/shrub habitat transitioning to higher elevations.  Excavated material from the settling basin, wetland and riverbank areas are shaped and capped with clean fill and topsoil to create areas of prairie and upland forests similar to those that inhabited the site in pre-settlement times. 

The 24,000 square foot multi-level Welcome Center includes classrooms, laboratories, demonstration facilities, multipurpose areas, offices, exhibition space and scenic lookouts.  The building nests into the new topography, minimizing its visual impact while emphasizing views to the marsh and river.  Direct connections to a living roof from the on-site pedestrian circulation system demonstrate the earth sheltered construction. 

Designed for a LEED platinum certification rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, the Welcome Center is planned to be a net zero energy facility.  On-site renewable energy sources such as micro-hydro turbines and photovoltaic arrays will produce more electricity than the site requires.  Fuel cell technology is being explored with DTE Energy as well.  

Local Significance

Initiated by legislation introduced by State Representative John D. Dingell, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was established on December 21, 2001.  Managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and riverfront lands totaling over 5,000 acres and stretches from Zug Island at the mouth of the River Rouge in Wayne County to the Michigan-Ohio border.    Unlike many refuges, the DRIWR is located near a major metropolitan area offering access to large numbers of people for recreational and educational purposes. 

Being the confluence of two migratory flyways, the Mid-Atlantic and the Mississippi Flyways, this Refuge host millions of migratory waterfowl each year, particularly diving ducks, as well as tens of thousands of shorebirds, raptors and song birds that rest and feed on wild celery during their biannual migrations.

Role of the Landscape Architect

Well ahead of the master planning effort, the landscape architect developed relationships with key community leaders and participated in grass roots activities to preserve the Humbug Marsh for the purpose of developing the refuge.  Attending these early events instilled a deep understanding of the site’s history and stakeholder goals.

Once commissioned by Wayne County, the landscape architect engaged stakeholders in consensus building sessions to establish a vision, program, and budget.   The process concluded in a day long charrette held at the Kalamazoo Nature Center, a nationally recognized center for environmental interpretation.

Using information obtained through the analysis, programming and consensus building exercises, the Landscape Architect developed the master plan.   Site layout, grading, landscaping, architectural collaboration and continued consensus building were all part of the Landscape Architect’s work plan. 

Since the plan’s completion the Landscape Architect, in collaboration with the project stakeholders, identified several key projects and funding sources to initiate site development and promote the overall project vision.  Specific fund raising tools generated by the landscape architect include a grant application to Wild Birds Unlimited to design and publish an interpretive brochure.  Produced by the Landscape Architect, this promotional piece guides visitors on a tour of birding locations in the Windsor-Detroit Metropolitan Region and features the Refuge as a primary destination.   A second grant application, accepted by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust Fund, provides for construction documents to complete a fishing access pier.  Formatted as a coffee table publication, the Refuge Gateway Master Plan has sparked interest in the funding community and continues to generate excitement for the project. 

Special Factors

Soil contamination and areas of loose fill impose severe restrictions on the Gateway (brownfield) site.   With concern over any contaminants entering the Detroit River, all work on the site is subject to close scrutiny by permitting agencies.

Planning for the DRIWR Gateway involved numerous stakeholder groups with differing expectations for the project.  For example:  The Detroit Audubon Society sees the project as a sanctuary with minimal human intervention while Wayne County Community College sees an outdoor classroom for group study.  Subtle philosophical differences among environmentally passionate minds can evoke cantankerous discussion.

Expectations held by the regional community are immense.  This project is intended to evolve as world class education/recreation destination while serving as an icon for sustainability and an idea resource for Michigan’s changing economy.