A participatory planning process is crucial to achieving consensus on controversial projects. Many parties have legitimate concerns when any site is to be changed. Consideration of those concerns can resolve conflicts early on, and often result in a better plan.
- Rolf Sauer
Viridian Landscape Studio is dedicated to the careful design and development of landscape architectural and ecological planning projects.
Sustainable design, ecological restoration and environmental education are key components of our work.
We develop a site's unique sense of place by understanding its history and reflecting it in fresh, creative ways that heal ecological systems and make places for people.
Healthy soils are the basis of a living landscape. In our forests and meadows, soil is a living body made up of inorganic material, decaying organic matter, water, air and billions of organisms. Most of the soils we encounter in the urban and suburban setting have been impacted by humans through construction of buildings and roads or through imprudent agricultural methods. The first step toward restoring healthy systems is to assess the state of the soil and take the steps needed to repair it.
Pennsylvania receives approximately 45 inches of rainfall per year. Ninety-eight % of that rainfall comes in the form of small rain events of 2 inches or less. Living landscapes capture these small storms and reintroduce the water back in to the natural hydrological cycle. Infiltrating into the soil, providing nourishment for the vegetation and recharging the aquifer, rainwater is what sustains all life on land.
Vegetation in a living landscape consists of a multi-layered community of plants. Trees, shrubs, and perennials use and evapotranspire water which creates the appropriate environment for a balanced ecosystem. Native plants are well adapted to local environmental conditions and provide food and habitat for birds and other wildlife.
In the spring of 2007, after completing a year long arboretum master plan with Viridian Landscape Studio, George School made a change to its mission statement vowing to preserve and enhance the campus in an environmentally responsible, educationally sound and aesthetically pleasing way. Serving as
an anchor for the south end of the campus, the Mollie Dodd Anderson Library is George Schools pilot project and put into practice the three guiding principles of the Arboretum Master Plan Stewardship, Site Improvement & Education. Viridian worked with the campus building committee to design the site as a sanctuary and native arboretum devoted to creating sustainable habitat & managing all onsite stormwater.
The Gold Level Leed Certified project celebrates the water cycle. The construction of six raingardens, makes possible the collection of all site and building runoff allowing water to infiltrate and recharge groundwater supplies. In addition, it feeds a re-established intermittent waterway, helping to restore the larger ecosystem of the Neshaminy Valley. Using native plants and local materials, the site design promotes a diversity of habitats - wetlands, woodland and meadows - in order to reconnect students and faculty to the natural elements of the campus.
VLS partnered with SMP Architects, Meliora Environmental Design and the Greening of Greenfield Committee to develop a didactic schoolyard for the students, teacher and neighbors of the Greenfield School in Center City Philadelphia. This project is particularly important for the City of Philadelphia because it returns open space to Penns Green Country Towne, manages small storm events and returns water to the soil mantle. Equally significant, the project transforms the site into a living laboratory that teaches children about microclimates and other aspects of the natural environment.
VLS used their team building expertise to run charettes with participants like committee members, school children, teachers, parents, the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia School District. The result is a plan that is fully supported by the constituents.
Phase 1 consists of a bioswale with check dams to slow run-off, allow absorption and a lush variety of native plants. The landscape evapotranspires stormwater, provides shade, and creates a mini native Pennsylvania forest ecosystem. Other components of Phase 1 include new climbing play equipment, porous pavers, recycled materials for the check dams and benches, and a gardening area. Phase 2 collects stormwater through a porous rubber play surface with a series of mounds for play. Infiltrated stormwater collects in a planted bed and infiltrates or evapotranspires. Phase 1 was completed September 2009 and Phase 2 was completed during the summer of 2010.
Most of the ecology is missing from the Allegheny Riverfront; therefore, redefining Pittsburgh into a city of functioning ecosystems is critical to its long-term health. In a nutshell, the goal for the ecological portion of the Allegheny Vision Plan is to plan for a river-oriented community based on a regenerative agenda that is strategic by nature and builds on the areas strengths; considering green space a new and primary type of infrastructure. Working with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and Perkins Eastman Architects, Viridian and CH2MHill Engineers asked the question: How can we restore the hydrologic cycle and create a healthy river while redeveloping our riverfront? Viridian and CH2MHills goal for ecological planning is based on the fundamental ideal of restoration ecology: restore the hydrologic cycle by capturing the rain and restoring soils and vegetative cover. The Vision Plan illustrates planning and ecological goals, metrics and policy changes necessary to make Pittsburgh an economically viable green city. It does this by taking a portion of the built land surfaces and integrating stormwater management (via green infrastructure) within the features & by incorporating vegetative elements into our stormwater management techniques.
Through restoration, rehabilitation and redevelopment, the Vision Plan seeks to allow the rainfall to follow the natural pathways into the soil mantle that has been paved over for the past century. These pathways will occur in every green island and tree corridor created, blending the form of the new communities with the varied functions they provide: commerce, habitat, and transit.
Through understanding the hydrologic cycle Viridians goal is to create cities that: meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act consent decrees; provide substantive changes to air quality, heat-island effect and open space; and deliver exceptional quality of life to residents.
Click for
Downloadable
Project Sheets
Allegheny Riverfront VP.pdf
Audubon_Master Plan.pdf
Bartrams Garden.pdf
Camp Barbara Harris.pdf
Camp Speers-Eljabar.pdf
CDC projects.pdf
9Mile.pdf
Civic House poster.pdf
Columbus School for Girls.pdf
ELDI-urban.pdf
Cook Wissahickon Elem School.pdf
Cora Hartshorn Arboretum.pdf
Cranaleith Spiritual Center.pdf
CVI.pdf
Design Trust.pdf
East Whiteland.pdf
Felician.pdf
Fire Engine 38.pdf
Greenfield Elementary.pdf
George School_Master Plan.pdf
George school library.pdf
Hamilton Walk.pdf
Immaculate Heart of Mary.pdf
Immaculate Heart of Mary-Graywater.pdf
Julia de Burgos Elementary School.pdf
Kol Ami.pdf
Lassen Volcanic Park.pdf
Lindley Mural Arts Garden.pdf
Meadowood.pdf
Mepkin.pdf
Nursing Education Building.pdf
Norristown.pdf
Northern Home for Children.pdf
Onondaga County CSO.pdf
Okehocking.pdf
Overbrook.pdf
Nursing Education Building-Roof Garden.pdf
Noisette.pdf
Oxford Public Library_Generic.pdf
PEC basin retrofits.pdf
Penn Law.pdf
Penn State Harrisburg.pdf
Philadelphia Zoo.pdf
Riverbend.pdf
Roeser Park.pdf
Silver Lake.pdf
Stony Brook Millstone WA.pdf
Teaching Landscapes.pdf
Tyler Arboretum.pdf
Urban Nature Center.pdf
Villa Maria Parking Lot.pdf
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Photos by Greg Benson
Take a moment to watch our video on landscapes that teach.
Viridian Landscape Studio, formerly Rolf Sauer & Partners, was founded in 1999 by Tavis Dockwiller and Rolf Sauer. We are dedicated to the careful design and development of landscape architectural and ecological planning projects. Sustainable design, environmental education and ecological restoration are key components of our work. We develop a site's unique sense of place by understanding its history and reflecting it in fresh, creative ways that heal ecological systems and make places for people.
The firm provides master planning and site design for historic and urban campuses, parks and regional open space systems, as well as private and corporate sites. Many of the firms projects bring together resources from multiple agencies and stakeholders to realize a design that is both practical and visionary, while addressing a project's long-term sustainability.
Intro-Urban.pdf
awards.pdf
LEED.pdf
Tavis resume and bio.pdf
Suzanna resume and Bio.pdf
Amy resume.pdf
Context Journal feature on Writing the High Performance Landscape Guidelines for New York City Parks
HPB Magazine feature on Germantown Friends School New Science Building
Green Treks feature on Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School
Green Treks feature on Stormwater Basin Retrofits with our very own Tavis Dockwiller!
Viridian Landscape Studio
3868 Terrace Street
Philadelphia, PA 19128
T: 215.482.7973
F: 215.482.7978
