Landscape Architect Articles

A New Walkway for Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J.04-10-17 | Feature

A New Walkway for Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J.
Partner Engineering & Science-Landscape Architecture Headed by Adam Alexander, LLA

Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J., serves over 13,000 students and faculty in Monmouth County. The college was founded in 1967 on what used to be the Brookdale Farm. In 2016, a landscape architecture team headed by Adam M. Alexander, then with Partner Engineering & Science and now with Spiezle Architectural Group, implemented a new design for the back campus walkway, including new lighting, paving and sculptures.

The back campus walkway at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J., was transformed from an underutilized path to the center of campus life. Brookdale's main campus is located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township. The 220-acre campus was originally part of the Thompson Estate, purchased by Monmouth County in 1967 specifically for the establishment of a community college serving the county.

The renovations stretch from the Performing Arts Center on the north end of the Lincroft campus to the Robert Collins Arena on the south end. Improvements have also been made to the entrance and walkway of the Monmouth Museum. The project was funded by Monmouth County and the State of New Jersey through the Chapter 12 capital improvement program.

Along the 1,500 foot long the walkway, area lighting is provided by columnar 'Rialta' LED luminaires from Sternberg Lighting. Princeton elms were selected for this area both to break up the hardscape and to accentuate the height of the luminaires.

The back campus walkway is a critical promenade that is the 'spine' of the campus and the center of campus life. Vehicular traffic has been banned from the site, providing a safe environment for students and faculty. New spaces have been created for quiet reading, conversations, and a wide range of campus activities.

"The new promenade has transformed the Lincroft campus, connecting nearly all existing buildings and serving as a source of social and aesthetic unity for Brookdale students, employees and visitors," said project landscape architect Adam M. Alexander, LLA.

One of the key elements of this project was to create a warm and secure environment for students and staff. This was accomplished by meshing hardscape upgrades with state of the art LED lighting for both area and accent lighting.

The sculpture in the center of the Bankier Library plaza, 'Kismet,' is lit with in-ground LED uplights. Low voltage warm white cap lights are mounted on the concrete block walls, and 10-watt Vista Pro 1164 lights are trained on the surrounding ornamental Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk' trees.

Sternberg Lighting was the manufacturer of choice for the area lighting. The Rialta Series luminaire allowed for maximum spacing to mounting ratios for all of the pedestrian areas. In order to prevent damage during snow removal and landscape maintenance, the concrete foundations for the "column" luminaires were designed to extend 8" above finish grade. Columnar tree cultivars, including Princeton elm and Armstrong maple, were selected to complement the vertical form of the luminaire. LED bollards were employed to highlight the approach to the renovated areas.

The in-grade LEDs that were used to illuminate both 'Kismet' (see above) and 'Flight,' seen here, were selected for their durability and estimated lamp life of 50,000 hours. Step lights from the same manufacturer, the 1501 series, were also incorporated into the back campus walkway design.

Shade trees and plantings, decorative pavement, ornamental lighting, signage, and site furniture provide continuity throughout the back campus walkway to create a sense of place. The new walkway is ADA accessible and features energy efficient decorative LED lighting for safe travel at night. A series of new art installations have been integrated into the design including a custom "Success" bike rack that captures the school's motto: "Success Re-Imagined." The art work is highlighted by in-grade LED uplights from Vista Professional Lighting, The selection of the fixtures was predicated on durability and lamp life (50,000 hours), to reduce the need for service over the life of the fixtures.

Sconces from HessAmerica and another manufacturer, including the Residenza 200 LED and a 3.2-watt LED pictured here, were placed on buildings along the walk. They were chosen to complement the contemporary feel of the pole-mounted luminaires.

In addition, the back campus walkway enhancements are the connecting linkage between the various architectural styles of the campus buildings. The walkway is now a linear pedestrian corridor that connects all buildings and the existing and proposed courtyards, alcoves, and seating areas, throughout the core campus.

The varying architectural styles are complemented by LED wall sconces from both Hess America and another manufacturer, selected because they transcend many architectural styles and provide quality lighting and a great first impression of the building entrance.

The custom "signal blue" colored bike rack designed by the landscape architect was a success, playing off of the school motto: Success Re-Imagined. It was made for the school by Creative Metal Works in Dayton, Ore.

Project Team:
Owner Representative: Maureen M. Lawrence, Vice President, Finance & Operations, Brookdale Community College
Landscape Architect: Adam M. Alexander, LLA
(Partner Engineering and Science)
Civil and Electrical Engineer: Partner Engineering and Science
Architect: Thomas S. Perrino, AIA, LEED AP, Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc.
General Contractor: Circle A Construction, Foreman: Charles Newbury
Lighting Consultant: Ryan Clarke, Liberty Lighting Group

Lighting:
Sternberg Lighting
Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting
HessAmerica

Site Furnishings:
Benches: Victor Stanley
Sculpture: Terra Sculpture
Bike Rack: Custom Fabrication