SITES Certifies Four New Projects

Seattle Center's Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens (pictured) is one of four projects that earned certification from the Sustainable Sites Initiative in March. The GGN-designed installation includes bio-retention and evaporation gardens that collect and process stormwater runoff, a regional native plant garden and a sustainable design showcase with educational activities for the public. Below the surface, a continuous gravel infiltration bed connects the basins and handles runoff.

 
Credit: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), arguably the most comprehensive rating system for "greened" installations in the nation, has certified four more pilot projects to join the 11 that have earned the distinction since SITES began in 2009.

The newly certified projects include the Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens in Seattle; the Taylor Residence in Kennett Square, Pa.; the BWP EcoCampus in Burbank, Calif., and the Grand Valley State University Student Recreation Fields in Allendale, Mich.

The Theater Commons and Donnelly Gardens in Seattle, designed by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN), earned one star from SITES by transforming a 1.6-acre parking lot, service road, and isolated lawn area into a pedestrian-focused entry to Seattle Center. Seattle Center is a 74-acre urban park and cultural campus, and the site is located between the Intiman Theatre and the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Stormwater from the theater roofs and non-permeable site surfaces is collected and filtered in bio-retention garden basins. Below the surface, a continuous gravel infiltration bed connects the basins and handles runoff, accommodating the required water volume while maximizing aesthetic variety at the surface. Permeable unit pavers help limit storm water runoff.

The Taylor residence in Kennett Square earned three SITES stars by converting the steep slopes of this former dairy farm with innovative water management techniques, surrounded by artfully crafted terraced rooms and unique garden spaces. A drip irrigation septic system handles sensitive wastewater disposal while preserving hillside woodland vegetation, and green roofs absorb rainwater and reduce peak stormwater surge while regulating building temperature.

A rescue garden incorporates historic materials unearthed during construction such as a porch railing that has become a fence, porch timbers used to construct a potting shed and excavated stone and soil to form planting beds. The site is intended to demonstrate sustainable landscape design and management techniques to visiting individuals and groups.

Burbank's BWP EcoCampus earned one star by turning an electrical substation into a regenerative green campus, showcasing products and techniques for stormwater treatment within a public right-of-way, including permeable pavers, tree-pod bio-filters, silva cells and planted infiltration planter bump outs.

Other sustainable features include three rooftop gardens, a solar power array that hosts a rainwater catchment system, a canal that purifies storm water with plants, LED lighting, a solar powered fountain pump and salvaged and repurposed concrete and gravel. The project has also implemented five different water filtration technologies, including infiltration, flow-through, detention, tree root cells and rainwater capture.

The Grand Valley State University's student recreation fields in Allendale, Mich., earned two stars from SITES for engaging the athletic complex's playing fields and support facilities in the university's effort to reduce stormwater runoff back to pre-development levels. The complex captures and filters rainwater, contributing to better water quality and less sedimentation in the Grand River and Lake Michigan, and the university is monitoring wetland quality as part of its permit requirements.

SITES began in 2006 as a collaboration between the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden, to promote sustainable land development and best management practices.

The system measures 15 prerequisites and 51 flexible credits in areas like soil restoration, use of recycled materials and land maintenance, totaling a possible 250 points. One through four stars are awarded for earning 40, 50, 60 or 80 percent of the 250 points.