Landscape Architect Articles

The Gannett Company Headquarters01-02-07 | News

The Gannett Company Headquarters

By Michelle Ryan, regional editor

The maintenance of the many water features on the property is a joint effort between Gannett staff and the Davey Tree Expert Company. The pond floor is cleaned three to four times a year using a vacuum system similar to those that would be used to clean a swimming pool. The lotus pond contains 15-20 of these shower type fountains.

The Gannett Company, Inc. property located in McLean, Va. is the world headquarters of the media giant whose best known publication is USA Today, the nation?EUR??,,????'???s largest-selling daily newspaper.

The nature of the media company?EUR??,,????'???s business requires 24/7 operation. Despite this challenge, the trees, planting beds and turf are maintained in pristine condition to reflect the company?EUR??,,????'???s position of global leadership. The Davey Tree Expert Company?EUR??,,????'???s involvement with the project began in the autumn of 2000, with the installation and maintenance of all irrigation and landscaping.

Currently, the 25-acre project includes maintaining rooftop plantings, perennials, irrigation lines, a full-size athletic field and sand volleyball courts in addition to mowing, maintaining and landscaping the surrounding property.

Approximately 120 hours of labor is spent per week during peak times at the Gannett site, which has annual expenditures of around $70,000. The vegetation in the picnic areas are maintained through a self-contained drip irrigation system. The plantings were designed to provide employees and guests with a relaxed atmosphere.

Twice annually, 150 yards of mulch is purchased in bags and applied to protect the nearly 20 different species of trees and planting beds.

Maintenance

Some of regularly scheduled tasks of maintaining the corporate campus include the care of plants in multiple locations at various elevation levels, including the several rooftop terraces in which access is often limited during meetings. Special projects have been completed at the site as well such as the installation of a drainage system to alleviate runoff problems and a comprehensive top dressing project. Overall approximately 120 hours of labor is spent during peak times at the Gannett site, which has annual expenditures of around $70,000.

Among the many plantings cared for are blue fescue and periwinkle groundcovers and a variety of lavender and hayscented fern perennials, which are planted in both a fall and a spring rotation.

Approximately 350 trees in all add shade and beauty to the landscape, nearly 20 different species total including ginkgo, cherry, dogwood and magnolia ornamental trees. In high traffic areas, some trees such as the variety of Oak street trees, receive frequent hazard inspections. They are all fertilized annually, appropriately pruned, and routinely evaluated as part of an integrated pest management program.

The walkways and fitness trails that wind through the site are adjacent to a wooded area and need to be free from leaves and other debris at all times. The employees and their guests also enjoy softball, volleyball and horseshoes on fields maintained to exact standards, they are regularly mowed with one of the two mowers stored onsite and conditioned despite the challenge of periods of heavy play by employees and their guests.

There are five acres of turf at the Gannett site and mowing alone can be quite demanding. There are numerous slopes, heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and mowing restrictions mandate expertise. Natural mulching provides protection and definition for the vegetation and hardscape features. Twice annually, 150 yards of mulch is applied to protect trees and planting beds.

The hardscape features, such as the property?EUR??,,????'???s numerous winding stone walls and the slate that encases an area of a water feature is also maintained.

The rooftop gardens are accessible to the maintenance crews through a freight elevator that allows them to transfer mulch, planting materials, and cleared debris on a cart without disturbing Gannett Company employees. The building terraces feature a wide variety of perennials such as Moonbeam Coreopsis and Daylily and groundcover such as Big Blue Liriope and Creeping Lily Turf.

High winds that pass between the two primary towers can injure tall shrubbery and the 8,000 square feet of ornamental and prairie grasses featured in many of the plantings. Intense heat is also a concern; soil temperatures have been recorded at between 110-150 degrees in the terrace beds, thus the efficiency of the drip irrigation system is often tested.

The Crew

A complicated irrigation scheme routes water from a central pond and pump house to all non-terrace based vegetation. Terrace beds feature self-contained drip irrigation systems. Management at the site requires a thorough understanding of both systems.

The project is staffed with two full-time and three seasonal employees. There are a lot of people coming and going so the site must look its best at all times.

Gannett does an extensive amount of training and meeting with prospective clients so constant meetings are always going on and the team is requested not to perform certain services such as mowing, leaf removal and mulching until off hours so as not to disturb or distract employees or guests. This can be challenging with weather considerations and when attempting to schedule sub-contractors. Weekly quality control inspections are also performed with a Gannett representative to ensure things are looking great.

Project Manager Robert Craft, Branch Manager and his crew of two full-time employees are proud of the more than 2,000 annuals, 1,000 perennials and 1,000 groundcover plantings maintained at the Gannett site.

In order to traverse the project site more efficiently a John Deere Gator utility vehicle is used to move two full-time, and three seasonal employees of the Davey Tree Expert Company and their equipment around the 25-acre corporate campus. When not in use the vehicle is stored on-site in a designated space in the parking garage.

Challenges

Water features present an unusual maintenance challenge. Wide varieties of water plants are located in several fountain plantings, streams and a large pond and parrot feather and royal fern are among the many. Most are in high visibility locations next to well trafficked areas, requiring rigorous care to ensure a neat, well-manicured appearance.

Rooftop basketball and tennis courts must be kept free from intrusive vines, like the Boston Ivy used in some of the building terraces and sand must be added to the volleyball court regularly. Dry weather also exposes the rooftop terrace plantings to harsh conditions. High winds that pass between the two primary towers can injure tall shrubbery and the 8,000 feet of ornamental and prairie grasses featured in many of the plantings. Intense heat is also a concern; soil temperatures have been recorded at between 110-150 degrees in the terrace beds, thus the efficiency of the drip irrigation system is often tested. A large pond on the property provides water to irrigate non-terrace based vegetation throughout the complex as well.

According to Robert Craft, manager at the Northern Virginia branch, the property is not a typical office facility. ?EUR??,,????'??Conditioning the sports fields during periods of heavy play and mowing the five acres of turf around heavy traffic and on the numerous slops is a challenge,?EUR??,,????'?? he said.

The property?EUR??,,????'???s athletic fields, such as this sand volleyball court, receive routine use and are a recurring maintenance challenge. The court is conditioned weekly, and sand added as necessary. Rooftop basketball and tennis courts are kept free from intrusive vines, and softball fields are maintained in superb condition despite dry weather and heavy play.

A special effort is needed to care for the 8,000 square feet of rooftop terrace plantings. And because access to the terraces is through the building, even routine weeding and mulching requires careful planning in order to dispose of debris and transport bags of mulch up the freight elevator.

In addition, the 40 mph wind that whips through the fourth floor landscaped terrace area requires that the trees be secured and the mulch be replenished frequently but without disturbing the nearby offices of editors or other Gannett employees.

In conclusion, miles of drip irrigation to monitor and a complex variety of plant materials as well as sporting events by the employees on the athletic amenities make this project an ongoing challenge. However, the Davey Tree Expert Company has received recognition from industry organizations for its successful maintenance of the Gannet Headquarters and will continue to do so with pride.

Source: The Davey Tree Expert Company