LEED in Landscape Architecture

Comment

Comment by Geoffrey Katz on January 25, 2010 at 2:12pm

Naomi and all
There is a good image of parking lot curbs with cuts at regular intervals in Tom Low’s Light Imprint Handbook on line at http://www.lightimprint.org/G_principles.pdf page 126. The caption reads “This conventionally engineered suburban parking lot has excessive and costly infrastructure to support its rain garden.” Sometimes the volume of vehicular traffic demands that kind of engineering, but the curb cuts get you a step ahead in increasing on-site infiltration.

Comment by Naomi Sachs, ASLA on January 25, 2010 at 2:00pm

Thanks much to Chad and Charles. Are there specific details that you used, or did you just design your own details for each specific site? I'm going to look at SSI and see if there are any parking lots in their case studies; looking for pictures of good examples to show client that it can look good as well as earn them LEED credits!

Comment by Chad Shaw on January 25, 2010 at 11:29am

Naomi-
If 6" curbs are a must, explore the possibility of using curb cuts at regular intervals or where it makes sense....the cuts will still allow runoff to enter the depression. Clay soils? Maybe grade soil towards a central trench/basin filled with gravel. Put an underdrain at the bottom of the gravel and follow Charles' suggestion of piping the water away. Even though you're still ultimately putting the water in a pipe, you have succeeded in slowing it down, allowing the soil/gravel/plants to collect some sediment and pollutants, and decreased the probability for increased erosion/scouring/etc. in the nearest body of water......and feel the satisfaction of scoring one tiny victory for healthier streams

Comment by Charles A. Warsinske on January 25, 2010 at 11:16am

Naomi
We have done quite a few parking lots with the planting islands as depressed catchment areas. Most of the time we have to plumb them together to get rid of the water as infiltration is not good. One problem I have seen is that these areas tend collect litter and looks bad unless cleaned oftern.

Comment by Boilerplater on January 24, 2010 at 12:05am

I just took a little Green Associate Review the week before last as part of training for BPI (Building Performance Institute) certification. I plan to take the GA test within the next few weeks, so I'll post how it goes.

Comment by Naomi Sachs, ASLA on January 23, 2010 at 3:41pm

Anyone have a good detail/case study for using planting islands as small stormwater catchment areas? This is for the northeast, and the parking lot will most likely have standard curbs, but if there's another idea... Just getting started on the project, but excited about the possibilities. Thanks!

Comment by Oona on January 23, 2010 at 3:37pm

Has anyone taken the LEED Green Associate exam? Please share your exam experience.

Comment by Geoffrey Katz on January 7, 2010 at 4:38pm

Baskar - Could you go into more detail with your comments...

Comment by Baskar G on January 4, 2010 at 7:26am

natural topography( wild grasses area or growing naturally ) can take as landscaped area? or it should be neatly landscaped ( dry or xeroxscping_) area? for site selection ?.

Comment by Josiah Raison Cain on December 4, 2009 at 12:29pm

Take it easy on the graywater scare tactics people. CA code requires that graywater cannot come into human contact; it's always in a pipe, sealed treatment vault, or underground. In addition it is a very simple and effective strategy to add a $400 UV disinfection unit that kills all pathogens and is state approved technology even for sewage. Pathogens are NOT hard to control and there have been close to zero reported cases of exposure (I know of only one in Florida, un-permitted system not installed properly). Not bad with an estimated 1.7 million residential systems operating in the state...

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