Landscape Architect Articles

LASN Stewardship December 200812-03-08 | News

Courtyard Transformed into Sea Kelp Forest

By Gregory Harris, assistant editor

Native California plant material such as Perez?EUR??,,????'???s Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii) is highlighted in planting ?EUR??,,????'??pods?EUR??,,????'???????EUR??,,?EUR in the Edison Language Academy courtyard.
Photos: EDSA

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Southern California does not see a high volume of rain compared to other parts of the country, but for one elementary school, when the rains came, problems soon followed.

The Edison Language Academy in Santa Monica, Calif. is a school that was built in the late 1960s-early 1970s. The school has a 5,400 square-foot courtyard that was unusable during the winter months.

?EUR??,,????'??There were many problems with the site, but the biggest problem was that there was a storm drain in the courtyard that drained to the road,?EUR??,,????'?? Timothy Grubbs, a senior associate at the landscape architecture firm EDSA, said. ?EUR??,,????'??When it rained, the courtyard often had sitting water and became useless during the winter.?EUR??,,????'??

As with many school districts around the country, money for capital improvements was tight for Edison officials, resulting in no quick resolution to the courtyard problem. Fortunately for the school, Grubbs and EDSA, whose services were donated for this project, was able to offer a solution.

The refurbished courtyard features concrete seatwalls with embedded tumbled recycled blue glass chips and planters filled with drought tolerant plant materials.

?EUR??,,????'??During a Congress for New Urbanism conference, I met Carolyne Ramsey from a non-profit agency called Olive Branches in Los Angeles, an organization known for helping communities plant trees in their neighborhoods,?EUR??,,????'?? Grubbs said. ?EUR??,,????'??She approached our office a few months later asking for help in designing a lunchtime play area for the children at the elementary school.?EUR??,,????'??

Grubbs said he was impressed with Ramsey as she was the only speaker, in his opinion, to give a glimmer of hope for helping the environment. The groups involved with refurbishing the courtyard teamed with a local artist and came up with a theme for the new courtyard, turning it into a California Sea Kelp forest.

The key aspect of the project was to eliminate the drainage problems on site. Grubbs said the use of native grasses and pervious paver materials would help solve the drainage issues and that these materials helped the project earn government grants to help fund the project.

Grubbs said when contractors dug up the existing storm drain, they noticed the drain had sustained considerable root damage. The project called for the removal of some trees, but others were planted on site. The gutters on the school used to drain water directly into the courtyard, causing the standing water issues. Boulders have been placed in the courtyard that reduces the amount of runoff.
The design of the courtyard serves as a teaching tool for the elementary students.

?EUR??,,????'??It tells the story of the passing of rain drops,?EUR??,,????'?? Grubbs said. ?EUR??,,????'??The kids have the opportunity to learn about the environment.?EUR??,,????'??

Grubbs added that the curvilinear pathway in the design represents the movement kelp makes in the ocean along with kelp pods as gathering points to play, rest, or just eat lunch. Emphasis was placed on educational planting that cleans and filtrates rainwater, and pervious pavers to aid in the absorption of stormwater before it ultimately reaches the ocean.

Grubbs said the project has been an overwhelming success at the school, is popular among students and teachers and is a source of pride among EDSA staff members.

?EUR??,,????'??The school is around the block from our office and it is nice to contribute to something in your own backyard,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.