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national leader in aviation, aerospace, and STEM, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach sits on a 185-acre campus and holds several top rankings in academic categories presented by the U.S. News & World Report, including second place for "Most Innovative." With a history dating back to 1926, https://erau.edu/about/brief-history, and a campus dating to 1965, the school has grown to over 7,000 students.

To help shepherd the school into the future, Landscape Architecture and planning firm, Prosser, of Jacksonville, Florida, was selected to lead the development of a new campus master plan that focused on the school's transition to a research and development university, while accelerating growth of enrollment and facilities and maintaining a commitment to the student experience. Since then, the master plan has provided a foundation for unprecedented university growth in capital projects and a 27 percent increase in enrollment.

Student Union and Legacy Walk Pedestrian Way
Amongst all this growth, the 6.2-acre Student Union was in need of a redesign. The plan was to illuminate the center of the campus as a beacon of innovation with complementing designs influenced by the history and elegance of flight encompasing the new Mori Hosseini Student Center and the 1,100' by 40' Legacy Walk Pedestrian Way.

The Pedestrian Experience
The design team was tasked with providing structure to the pedestrian experience on campus. The primary goal was to create a safe and properly articulated approach to expanding campus walkability, gathering opportunities, alternative modes of transportation, nighttime experiences, and recreation opportunities.

An extensive analysis of pedestrian special use was conducted and led to the revitalization of Legacy Walk, a pedestrian promenade considered a key in advancing the University's mission, which runs along the new campus quadrangle.

 
The design plan was drawn from queues related to the technology of flight, observed pedestrian networks in the field, and a series of stakeholder meetings. These planning steps made way for pedestrian promenades, exterior study spaces, recreation nodes, and student activity spaces.
Careful consideration of microclimate, maintenance, stormwater, and social interaction was also vital to the success of this project.

Designed Wright
The history of flight is the core of Embry-Riddle, guiding its academic mission, and influencing design elements, both subtle and monumental. The design team developed a conceptual approach to the new quadrangle, Legacy Walk, and the history of flight display on campus to create an interactive imprint of the Wright Brothers' world-changing ascent in December of 1903. The four flights that occurred that day are the basis for design in the quadrangle with each of their lengths and trajectory indicated in the campus gathering space.

Legacy Walk
Legacy Walk is a tree and palm-lined pedestrian link that connects the academic precinct with student areas and resident halls. It includes spaces for students to study, dine, and congregate. The area also features a plaza that chronicles the history of flight. The promenade was designed to end at the "Pathways to the Sky" sculpture that depicts an eagle, the Embry-Riddle mascot, morphing into an aircraft. Featured landscape lighting in this area includes uplighting on the Medjool Palms that illuminate the trunks and canopies. Pedestrian beacon stick lighting creates a contemporary feel that mirrors that of the student union design. The student union is adjacent to Legacy Walk, so both designs connect to each other with lighting to immerse the students in a cohesive experience.

This promenade was designed to ensure that the main viewshed lined with Medjool Palms was protected during construction, but most importantly, ensured that these palms would stay mature and healthy after the project was complete, including the ability to withstand the destructive nature of Florida hurricanes. As a result, Prosser used a specialized root ball anchoring system for the specimen palms that used wedge anchors that are driven into the ground and attached to straps that go over 2 x 6 boards over the rootball. This eliminated the visual clutter of above-ground staking systems while actively protecting them from future storms.

Another solution-oriented design detail aimed to protect the Legacy Walk palms was the creation of thickened edge paving to prevent root heave, which protects the trees from vehicular use. This was derived during schematic design development with Embry-Riddle's maintenance concerns, using this space as a mode of transportation for staff circulation as well as maintenance equipment.

Mori Hosseini Student Union
Continuing with the overall theme of aviation, aerospace, and the goal to create a place akin to "what it might be like at the Starfleet Academy," the university employed ikon.5 architects to design an iconic building that would be the crown jewel of the campus. The Mori Hosseini Student Union was subsequently created to mimic the art, delicacy, and gracefulness of a bird in flight. The pedestrian beacon stick lights are continued throughout this section of campus to create a seamless link to Legacy Walk.

To address the watershed from the student union roof, the design team had the opportunity to develop a multi-tiered water garden. In capturing the runoff from the student union, the resulting water quality is enhanced and flow controlled into a visual feature that sits in the pedestrian quadrangle greenspace and celebrates the function of the student union while illustrating technology and sustainable design.

Beacon of Light
Something unique about college and university campuses is that they are 24/7 operations. Students, employees, and in this case, food-delivery robots, are always on the move. Prosser has played an ongoing role as campus master planner by providing detailed assessments for new improvements to ensure consistency with the master plan and compliance with the University's guidelines for exterior campus elements.

The functionality and appeal of design elements are just as important to uphold at night as they are during the day, and lighting design plays a key role in maintaining this quality. This is true, not only in aesthetics, but for safety and security as well - such as with the introduction of lit bollards along drop-off areas. This allows all campus visitors and residents to continue innovating, experimenting, researching, and experiencing university life at any hour, in a safe and contemporary way.

TEAM LIST
ikon.5 architects - Architect
Landscape Forms - Site Furnishings and Lighting
Parker Mynchenberg & Associates Inc. - Civil Engineer
Wassau Pavers - Hardscape Pavers
Barton Malow - Student Union Contractor
Perry McCall Construction, Inc. - Legacy Walk Contractor