Landscape Architect Articles

Kentucky Children's Garden07-07-16 | Feature

Kentucky Children's Garden
Landscape Architecture by elementdesign - Landscape Architecture + Engineering + Planning

The 100-acre "Arboretum - State Botanical Garden of Kentucky' in Lexington was founded in 1991. Within the arboretum is the Kentucky Children's Garden, a 1.85-acre learning environment designed for 2-12 year olds. The Children's Garden features a concrete loop trail imprinted with fossils, leaves, animal tracks and cultural artifacts; ponds and streams; a small amphitheater; themed gardens; and the Quilt Fountain.

Project History & Scope
The Kentucky Children's Garden is an experiential place, where children of all ages can interact with the environment and have fun while learning about the ecology, geology, and cultural history of Kentucky. The garden provides a safe place for children to learn and explore a "natural" educational landscape. Each component was designed to enrich the user experience and offers both passive and active educational components, allowing visitors to discover hidden details or simply enjoy the garden at large.

The garden is located in Lexington, Kentucky, at the Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, a joint effort between the University of Kentucky and the Lexington-Fayette urban county government. It is the product of many years of collaboration in planning, design and construction by a diverse and extensive group of stakeholders. A master plan was completed for the garden in 2004. elementdesign began work on the garden walkways, entrance features and signature water features in 2009. The project was the first and largest push in construction and became the catalyst that would spur fundraising for completion of the garden. The full scope of the project included design development, construction documents and contract administration for the primary loop trail, ponds and streams, garden entrance, walls, and Quilt Fountain. The custom decorative concrete loop trail displays imprints of fossils, leaves, animal tracks and cultural artifacts that correspond to the different eco-regions of Kentucky, and provides opportunities to appreciate hand-crafted and custom artwork, such as guard-rails and gates featuring children's artwork. Each program element was developed in collaboration with design and educational committees to maintain the design and educational intent of the master plan throughout the detailed design development and construction.

The Quilt Fountain is just inside the main garden entrance (background). The quilt pattern has a granite border engraved with the months of the year; each month has a row of indented circles to represent the days of each month. The equinoxes and solstices are subtly indicated by slightly raised circles within the circles. The nine interior quilt squares encase the fog mist nozzles, which are inscribed with custom images of native wildflowers. Surrounding the squares is a field of turf over a specially designed drainage system to create the body of the quilt. The fog misters emit water in random patterns.

Water Elements
The garden is home to two water features, the main pond and stream system, and the Quilt Fountain. The main water feature includes two springheads, cascading streams and waterfalls, two ponds, a disappearing stream segment, wetland area, bridges and a dock and boardwalk. The pond and stream is a closed system that recirculates water, and is fully adjustable and fully automated. The large pump vault is buried underground, thus disappearing into the garden landscape.

The streams and ponds were carved from what was once an open field. Water emerges from two separate springheads concealed by rocks, and cascades over a series of limestone ledges before entering the two streams. The streams converge in time to flow over another series of limestone ledges and into the upper pond, the smaller of the two ponds. Once in the upper pond, water flows under a custom dry laid stone bridge and into a disappearing stream reminiscent of the many karst features present throughout Kentucky's landscape. The water emerges again and flows into the lower and larger pond, which includes wetland plant display areas, before being cycled back up to the springs. The lower pond also features a boardwalk, dock and flat-bottomed boat. The ponds are now home to a variety of aquatic life for children to learn about.

This is the view of the boardwalk at the lower pond. elementdesign used a consultant for the boardwalk design concept, which was constructed by volunteer Eagle scouts as a service project. Footings for the boardwalk were completed during construction of the water feature.

The smaller water feature, the Quilt Fountain, is located at the main garden entrance and creates a unique focal point from the entrance overlook. Custom engraved granite, turf, and fog misters create a feature that celebrates the nature and heritage of Kentucky. The entire fountain is in the pattern of a quilt, with turf creating the large body of the quilt and the granite features creating the border and patterned squares. The granite border pieces are engraved with the months of the year. Circles mark the number of days for each month, with subtle changes depicting the equinoxes and solstices. The nine interior quilt squares encase the fog mist nozzles and are inscribed with custom images of native wildflowers. Surrounding the squares is a field of turf over a specially designed drainage system to create the body of the quilt. The fog misters emit water in a random pattern to the delight of young children.

The converged streams flow over a series of limestone ledges near the boardwalk and pier and into the smaller upper pond.

Design Challenges
The challenges were varied and all encompassing; from the pond system to the walkways, nothing was typical. A completely new landscape was carved from an open field, displaying the variety of design techniques that can be used to create a sense of discovery and adventure in a garden specifically for children. Designing an experiential outdoor space for children is fundamentally different from designing outdoor spaces for adults. From the scale of features to the finishes, the designers had to view the garden through the eyes of a child, where messy is good and perfection is overrated. Each element was custom detailed to meet the goals and objectives set forth for the garden. The result is a garden full of discovery, whimsy and delight that allows children to be children and learn in a way children do best – through play.

The details were extremely site and project specific, and required constant communication between the contractor, the clients and the design team. The landscape architects were on site almost daily, looking at finishes, fine tuning grading, and experimenting with details. For example, each rock along the stream edge was carefully placed and adjusted by hand to create a variety of steps, seats and planting pockets along the stream banks. The pond liner system itself was specifically developed to provide a long-lasting infrastructure that appears natural but can withstand the demands of a high use space.

This is one of two springheads in the garden. The careful placement of limestone ledge rocks form a bridge and create shelves for kids and parents to get close to the tumbling waters. The pond and stream is an automated closed system that recirculates water. It is fully adjustable and is fully automated. The large pump vault is buried underground, thus disappearing into the garden landscape.

Processes of experimentation with details were used throughout the garden. The decorative concrete loop trail displays imprints of fossils, leaves, animal tracks and cultural artifacts. The landscape architects researched custom concrete stamps, coordinated with the client to meet the programmatic and educational needs and then worked closely with the contractor during installation. Mock-ups were used to experiment with concrete finishes to determine the right combination of products, such as admixtures, stains and dry shake hardeners, to produce the desired effects. One of the contractor's employees even went so far as to walk barefoot in the cold wet concrete to create human footprints.

The project demanded extensive coordination with a wide variety of people and organizations, including the involvement of children of all ages. Eagle Scouts, under the supervision of community volunteers, helped build the dock area. The guardrail at the entrance overlook was created from children's drawings done in a special session with the local artist and metal sculptor who custom built the guardrail and entrance gates. Students in the University of Kentucky's landscape architecture program practiced their skills at planting design, presenting planting plan concepts to the client and landscape architects for review. Arboretum staff and volunteers installed the plantings.

The stream (left) from the upper pond "disappears" under a custom dry laid stone bridge; the stream (right) also disappears before flowing into the lower pond. These features are reminiscent of karst formations. Karst describes landscapes underlain by soluble rocks. In Kentucky, it's limestone and some dolostone. The Kentucky Geological Society says that about half of the state is karst topography, and about 38 percent of the state has sinkholes.

Collaboration with the University of Kentucky, Arboretum, and community resources, as well as experts and professionals across the country, has been the key to the successful development of the project. The Kentucky Children's Garden is an engaging resource for the Lexington community that that is well loved and well used.

Kentucky Children's Garden Team
Client:
University of Kentucky / The Arboretum
Lead Design Consultant
Element Design -
Landscape Architecture + Civil Engineering + Planning
Morgan McIlwain, RLA – Principal in Charge
Liz Piper, RLA, ASLA, LEED BD+C – Project Manager
General Contractor: Meyer Midwest
Greg Meyer – Owner
Gary Miles – Project Manager
Engineering
Shrout Tate Wilson Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
(completed by KTA Engineers prior to merger with STW)
Wayne Thomas, P.E. (KTA)
Glen Knauer
Electrical
Hills Electric
Mechanical / Plumbing
Finney Co.
Stone
Bean Stone
Sculptors / Artists / Blacksmiths
Erika Strecker and Tony Higdon
Masonry
Dry Stone Conservancy

The boys are standing just slightly upstream from where this stream and a second stream converge. The streams and ponds were carved from an open field. The pond liner was designed to withstand the demands of a high-use space, and provide access points and planting pockets.

Key Manufactures
Roman Fountains: Water feature pumps & accessories
Firestone Pond Gard: Pond liners
Reading Rock: Permeable pavers - "EcoFlo'
Brickform: Concrete coloring (integral color, hardener, stain)
Limestone: locally sourced

As seen in LASN magazine, July 2016.