Re-Visualizing the REBELS

A University of Rhode Island LAndscape architeture&

South Kingstown High SchoolCollaboration

A University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture&

South Kingstown High SchoolCollaboration

The collaboration of South Kingstown High School (SKHS) and the University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture Senior Design Studio required the aid of many participants. We would like to thank those people for their assistance with en-couragement, data, and critiques. First off, we would like to thank Robert McCarthy, Principal of SKHS for giving us this opportunity and for participating in this project. We would also like to acknowledge, Jeffery Taber, a teacher at SKHS, who was instrumental in getting this project off the ground and maintaining its course. We would also like to thank Kristen Stringfellow, Superintendent of South Kingstown School Systems, members of the South Kingstown School Committee, Vin Murray, Town Planner and others who attended our final presentation and expressed their support for many of these ideas. A special thanks goes to Andrew Gannon, a senior at SKHS, who was enthusiastically engaged in this project from the start. Andrew provided information to the class, visited the class for a presentation, attended workshops, sent emails, contacted the press and had a vision for how landscape architecture might help the high school. We would also like to thank Carol Baker, GIS Administrator for the town who was very helpful in getting us GIS informa-tion which allowed us to work on the project. Concerning design reviews, we would like to thank Graham Young, a Landscape Architect from South Africa, who, early on, reviewed our work, pushed us along, and helped us to redefine our initial site analy-sis. Also, David Szlag, ASLA, Steve D’Ambrosia, Gates Leighton & Associates and, Art Eddy, Birchwood Design Group, land-scape architects who gave us professional critiques as we prepared for the final presentation. As this was a class project, we could not have completed this without the assistance of all students: Ivette Banoub, Oliva Beane, William Blount, Sean Condon, Michael Doucette, Matthew Fountaine, Elizabeth Handscom, Jessica Irey, Rebecca Little, Ryan Menges, Brianna O’Connor, Matthew Palin, Shane Scott, Jared Sell, Matthew Smith, Nicholas Thadeio, and Benjamin Thur-ston. Lastly, we would like to thank our professor, William Green, who made this project possible, gave us direction on sustain-able practices, and guided us through the process of a public project.

Braden Drypolcher and Kelley Woodacre

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Acknowledgements

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary Service learning is an important component of the BLA curriculum at the University of Rhode Island. Each year classes partner with communities and non-profit organizations as ideas flow and students develop design, technical and communication skills. The report ‘Re-Visualizing the Rebels’ documents one such project undertaken by the 2011 LAR 444 Design Studio. Discus-sions began in 2010 with Jeff Taber, a Social Studies teacher at the high school. He and I met to discuss a possible collaboration between URI Landscape Architecture and the South Kingstown High School. The idea was to have an upper level design studio explore sustainable options for the largely paved high school campus. This project easily fit within the parameters of a “sustainable design studio” where students explore sustainable practices and materials with a focus on providing a community design service. This particular project would require careful research and analysis, a look at sustainable precedents, probing inquiries and innova-tive thinking. It would also require close coordination with a group of teachers and the principal, and would involve a group of interested high school students who wished to reduce the ecological footprint of the 1200 students and faculty at South Kingstown High School. As a class project, there were no preconceived notions about what a sustainable South Kingstown High School campus might look like, since this project, like others undertaken by the studio, has a unique set of circumstances and conditions. The design pro-cess, however, is understood and leads the students to ask particular questions at particular times. During this class there were lively discussions about what was needed and how the landscape might change, about how it might influence or be influenced by cars and buses; parking and pedestrian movement; pavements, plants, and runoff; outdoor spaces for learning and recreation; energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions; and nearby ecological resources and community connections. The URI students conducted site visits, walked around the campus and neighborhood with high school students, and ana-lyzed existing conditions. They looked at sustainable precedents, organized a workshop, met with students and teachers after school, conducted a survey and discussed the issue of parking, carbon footprints, environmental ethics, and green infrastructure. Through this process the URI students learned about student and teacher preferences. Ultimately the landscape architecture stu-dents settled on five themes and developed one master plan per group. Their designs illustrated ideas ranging from introducing a new entrance drive, reopening Kimball Street to traffic and reworking the current circulation pattern. There were green roofs, green walls, and green drainage systems illustrating ways of collecting and treating storm water while at the same time creating more us-able and attractive landscapes. There was a sustainability hub, an amphitheatre, and a picnic area as well as rain gardens, a sensory garden, and community gardens. In December the students presented their work before an audience that included the school superintendent, members of the school committee, the principal, the town planner, and students, teachers and parents. This report explains the process and il-lustrates many of the recommendations that emerged during the semester. While the economy suggests a difficult path ahead, the discussion on how to proceed with an improvement plan that can make a difference to learning and to the environments needs to go forward. The students and faculty have come together and their vision is here. Let’s hope that these ideas can lead us forward.

Will Green, Professor of Landscape Architecture, URI4

Project Statement

South Kingstown High School in Wakefield, Rhode Island is a 15 acre site with approxi-mately 1,200 students and teachers. In 2010 teachers began to look at their campus with an eye for change. What began as an annual clean up day started to evolve with the aid of URI profes-sor Will Green, teacher, Jeff Taber and a group of interested faculty. This group thought that the grounds around the school could be improved beyond weeding and mulching, and following discussions the idea took shape to “re-visualize SKHS” as a hub of sustainability that will be able to reintegrate its campus into the surrounding natural systems and reduce its environmental impact. SKHS

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South Kingstown High School is proud to be a safe and respectful community of learners that recognizes and encourages the talents and potential of every student.   We are committed to a rigorous curriculum that fosters and develops identified academic, civic and social skills. The 21st century Rebel is an independent, critical thinker who effectively participates in our diverse community. (www.skschools.net)

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SKHS Mission Statement

Each year the University of Rhode Island Landscape Architecture Department incorpo-rates service learning into their Senior Design Studio. This year was a collaboration between stu-dents and teachers from South Kingstown High School, neighbors, and officials with the aim to design a more functional and sustainable high school campus. Projects such as this also permit the Landscape Architecture students to develop their design, communication, and technical skills while addressing issues associated with land use, circulation, water runoff, ecological footprints and the landscape planting.

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Sustainable Design Studio Objectives

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eden

ts When moving forward it is important to understand past and recent projects elsewhere that can offer us views of how things have been done and can be done. Below are examples of three sustainable landscapes we gathered information, techniques and methods from that can be used at South Kingstown High School.

Mt. Tabor ,Portland, OR

URI CBLS Platinum LEED BuildingKingston, RI

Manassas Park Elementary SchoolManassas Park, VA

Precedents

www.asla.orgwww.asla.org www.uri.edu

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As history dawned, Narragansett and Niantic Indians fished, farmed, hunted and defended the fields, forests, wetlands, and fresh and salt water ponds that defined their territory lining the coasts of the ocean and bay. Descended from aboriginal people variously reputed to have arrived in Rhode Island as early as 30,000 years ago, or, more likely as the last glacier retreated, a tribal population estimated at about 7,000, resided in kin-based villages consisting of winter long houses in the forests and summer camps scattered among the dunes.

History got underway officially in 1635 when Roger Williams, a dissident churchman ex-pelled from Massachusetts, first negotiated settlement rights from Narragansett Tribal Sa-chems and began leading groups of English set-tlers to the Providence area. Many of the settlers were free-thinkers fleeing church dominated settlements in surrounding Colonies and their numbers continued to swell. Twenty-two years later, in 1657, negotiations for the Pettaquams-cutt Purchase opened South Kingstown and other portions of Washington County to Euro-pean settlement. That same year, the village of Wakefield was established - reputedly named by Rowland Hazard in honor of a homestead in

South Kingstown’s magical mix of ocean, pond and meadow bathed by balmy breezes, warmed by the Gulf Stream, soon attracted a special breed of settler who created a ‘Southern Planta-tion Culture’ based on dairy and livestock pro-duction for export to the British West Indies and other ports-of-call on the Triangle Trade. The 17th and 18th centuries saw vast planta-tions extend across fertile coastal flats from Wickford to Westerly. Cattle, horses, sheep and pigs and the grains to fatten them brought unimagined wealth to the colony. The names of major South County Planters included Hazard, Robinson, Rodman, Perry, Congdon, Updike, Smith, Carpenter and Casey - familiar names

With the demise of the plantation economy at the close of the 18th Century, many of the grand families of South Kingstown turned their sights to industry and applied revolutionary new means of manufacturing based on water power, a newly mobilized source of energy. Early grist-mills owned by the Carpenters in Perryville and the Kenyons in Usquepaug, although still in existence, were overshadowed during the 19th century by the town’s three textile mills owned by the Robinson, Rodman and Hazard families.

Beginning as a cotton weaving operation in 1802, the Hazard’s Peace Dale mill (which is the best recorded of the three), moved to wool manufacturing - enjoying peak markets supply-ing woolen blankets to the Union Army during the Civil War and khakis to the U.S. Army in World War I. Between wars the mill produced high quality cashmere shawls and other luxury weavings. The vast wealth produced by the mills supported many other Hazard invest-ments highlighted by the Kingston - Narragan-sett Pier Railroad as well as most major town

The lot of mill workers in Peace Dale was envi-able. Neighborhood amenities abounded - the Peace Dale Library, the Neighborhood Guild, the first ‘kindergarden’ in America – were all estab-lished for the well-being of the mill workers. Be-cause so many mill workers were new immi-grants from Southern or Central Europe or from French Canada, efforts were targeted at easing their assimilation. Mill workers houses were spe-cially designed with unusually ample windows to benefit spinners and weavers performing piece work at home - they can still be seen on village streets, lending a special feeling to Peace Dale. In 1878, the Peace Dale Mill introduced a new ex-perimental plan to share a portion of the mill profits with its employees in support of the Haz-ards' belief that “Capital and labor are interde-pendent. Their interests are identical”. Sadly the experiment did not long prevail against the turn-of-the-century decline of the New England mill economy.

Today & Tomorrow

History of South Kingstown, RI

1500’s &Before

1635 1700’s 1800’s 1900’s

The scope of our site analysis was to start at a large scale and work in towards our site area. By focusing on the Sau-gatucket River Watershed we begin to isolate certain ecological factors that play a part in the health of South Kingstown’s envi-ronmental system . These ecological factors combined with structural elements, social variables, and land uses help define the town and its relationship to South Kingstown High School. Not only does our research provide information about people and place it also provides the knowledge to be able to competently answer project related questions and solve issues when hard data is not readily available.

Natural Environment -Habitat -Watershed -Wind -Soil -Solar -Ecology

Built Environment -Utilities -Structures -Pavement -Circulation -Impervious Areas

Community -Nodes -Paths -Edges -Districts -Landmarks

By visiting the site, the URI students noted patterns of circulation, open spaces, and the use of different materials. They discovered areas of importance for students and teachers, and studied topography and water as it relates to recreation and water drainage. After the initial visit, the class was divided into three groups with the task of collecting information and analyzing the components of the landscape. The groups were divided according to the following:

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Site Analysis

Saugatucket Watershed

Natural Analysis

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Route 108

Saugatucket river`

SKHS

Indian Resevior

Saugatucket Pond

Rocky Brook

Understanding SKHS proximity to community, circulation, and both riverine (river) and lacustrine (lake) connections allows us to view nodes of interest as we begin to establish a hiearchy of importance while pushing forward towards a goal of a sustainable master plan.

Riverine Connections to Point Judith Estuary

Saugatucket Pond

Upper Pond

Silver Lake

Understanding the high school’s relative proximity to community, circulation, and both riverine (river)and lacustrine (lake) connections al-lows us to view areas of ecological significance within the watershed. This process also permits us to establish a hierarchy of importance while push-ing forward towards a goal of a sustainable master plan

Riverine Connections to Point Judith Estuary

Circulation

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Green Space Analysis

Positioning managed parcels of early successional habitats in close proximity to existing land uses like schools and developed zones can max-imize benefits of contemporary land uses and provide learning opportuni-ties.

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Saugatucket River Watershed Habitat Types

The graphic above depicts the native species of the Saugatucket watershed and their relationship to the natural environment including the average range in acres they need to forage. This is a way to better under-stand the impact that development has on species fragmentation.

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Community Connections

Old Mountain Field is located in this district that the students of South Kingstown High School use to play sports such as baseball, basketball, tennis, softball, jog-ging, and skateboarding. Old Mountain Field is also a public recreational area with trails and natural areas

The commercial areas near the high school are distinctly varied and provide educational, recre-ational, and gathering spaces for students. There are a variety of facilities and establishments that students from South Kingstown High frequent such as Old Mountain Lanes, Staples, Star-bucks, Riverbend, and the South Kingstown Public Library.

This district represents South Kingstown High School. It is marked as an important landmark.

South Kingstown High School is in the center of a residential district consisting of middle class homes with a variety of architecture styles. There is a blend of both historic and traditional homes throughout.

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Community Connections These concepts are about how people perceive and move through their neighborhood. It indicates what has meaning, and where things are located and clustered. An analysis such as this shows where the high school is, where linkages occur and suggests how a design might affect the surrounding areas.

Definitions Pertaining to the Analysis: Paths: The streets, sidewalks, trails, and other channels in which people travel. Edges: Perceived boundaries such as walls, buildings, fences, and shorelines. Districts: Relatively large sections of a municipality distinguished by some recognizable identity or character. Nodes: Focal points, intersections or loci. Landmarks: Readily identifiable objects which serve as external reference points.

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Built Analysis

UtilitiesThis graphic is a study of existing storm drains, electrical lines, sewer lines, along with other information crucial in moving forward to the design process.

Vehicular CirculationA study of the vehicular circulation was imperative to the design progress as the issue of safety, parking, and impervious surfaces were of paramount concern. -Car - Bus

Pedestrian CirculationUnderstanding the way students and faculty use the site was useful in establishing new and stronger connections throughout the site. Above is one example of foot traffic from school en-trances. -Light Traffic -Heavy Traffic

SKHS from Columbia St.

The high school property is almost entirely developed. With the exception of the playing fields and the atrium, the only other green spaces are grass strips along the sidewalks and plantings on some of the corners of the building. Lack of vegetation decreases ecological diversity and does little to attenuate storm runoff, which is all sent off site through catch basins and storm sewers. Another issue that is created from the lack of green space is increased heating and cooling costs. Since the building is exposed to winter winds and summer sun with no vegetative cover or buffering, the heating and cooling system must work harder to make up for this difference. The sports fields also have drainage issues to the point that there is extreme ponding during rain events.

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Hard edges create a rigid environment that is not conducive to inform social interactions. The small signs and purple trim on and around the building do little to increase aesthetics. Direct views from the schools cafeteria and the drop off area to the loading dock area creates an unappealing view for students on break and parents waiting for their children. A vegetated buffer could help break up sight lines, create separation, and make the campus more inviting.

Lack of parking and unmarked spaces has lead to damage of the turf surrounding this area. Large amounts of debris in the corners of the parking area contributes to drainage problems. The current vegeta-tive buffer surrounding the parking lot is overgrown with invasive plant species. Redesigning the parking area, creating defined spaces, and a large buffer with native species could help solve this problem.

The majority of the roof is asphalt and gravel creating a sterile view from the classrooms. The potential for a lightweight green roof and a rain water collection/drainage system is possible. Ten photovolteic cells have already been installed on the high school’s roof demonstrating their sustainability.

Extensive use of concrete and asphalt creates a heat island effect and a dull atmosphere. Pockets of vegetation can be used to reduce the amount of heat that it generates, collect runoff, and provide for local habitat. Veg-etative wall systems can also be implemented to break up the monotony.

Visual Analysis

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South Kingstown Precipitation Chart 2010

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Greenhouse Gas Emission Study

Budget

The RIEDC is looking for projects such as this to spur the future de-velopment of alternative energy in Rhode Island. Funding of up to $500,000 is available for projects such as this that would help put Rhode Island at the epicenter of this emerging market.

“The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation is focusing on the green industry — an industry that has the potential to put Rhode Island at the epicenter of the emerging alternative energy market.” -RIEDC`

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Town budgets are very tight, with the school department budget mak-ing up the lion’s share of municipal expenses. For significant site improve-ments to be made that can impact learning and enhance the community; funds will need to be made available. One way to procure funding for this project is to submit grant proposals. There are many state and federal grants for green energy and technologies that could be utilized.

The goal of this workshop was to gather information on what the community, staff, and students value at South Kings-town High School. It was to identify their preferences, insights, wants, needs, and expectations. There were three activities:

1. Presentation of the analysis.URI Landscape Architecture students presented their built, natural, and community analysis as well as sustainable precedents.

2. Question and answer session. The class facilitated a question and answer session. Prepared questions were posed and students recorded the answers attendees gave in flip charts. The intimate group setting led to lively discussion and shed light on important issues and possible interven-tions.

3. Plan and sticker activity. The attendees were divided into three groups each run by three URI students. Group members were given a site map and stick-ers and asked to locate places they visited, paths they walked or passed through, and sites where classes met. They were asked to show areas for vegetables gardens, art, lighting, vegetation, and places that they love, hate, or find dangerous on campus. This fostered small discussions with group members and generated valuable information regarding locations of happenings on cam-pus.

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Workshop

A survey is another method for gathering information. Just ten questions were used to gauge people’s opinions. The general consensus was students, staff, and community members wanted a greener campus, a place where they could gather, learn, and have fun that was attractive, safe, and reduced its environmental impacts.

Please check the bubble that best describes your opinion.

1. Green Roofs improve storm water management and can also reduce energy demand. Should SKHS invest in a Green Roof?

2. It is important for SKHS to reduce its environmental impacts while implementing more sustainable practices.

3. SKHS should use a portion of its land to teach about food production and grow food for those in need.

4. There are enough outdoor spaces for school activities and learning opportunities.

5. Would you be in favor of the removal of parking spaces for the creation of green areas for teaching and recreation?

6. The interior courtyard is used effectively and is well maintained.

7. Entrances to the campus and to the school are inviting, attractive and clearly marked.

8. The campus landscape and spaces are attractive and appealing.

9. The greening of SKHS will have no impact on students and its surrounding neighborhoods.

10. The campus environment and buildings should be used for teaching about climate change and sustainability.

Interractive Workshop Boards

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Workshop

Opportunities and Constraints

The site analysis and workshop allowed the URI Senior Design Studio to understand and appreciate the factors that col-lided while providing direction for planning the high school site. Synthesizing information from a wide angle lens and working inward allowed the students to better understand the systems and connections to community and ecology. Conclusions from the analysis served to inform many of the decisions leading to the design of five master plans. Below are a few examples of the initial concepts that individuals developed as they identified priorities, and selected major objectives. All of the students recognized that the 15 acre site has little space for building. With extensive parking lots and buildings covering much of the site, there is not much land to develop. In our quest to re-visualize the rebels the groups looked into rethinking and retrofitting the used and unused spaces with the goal of creating an attractive, functional and sustainable landscape that would reflect the environmental values being taught into South Kingstown High School.

Conceptual Master Plans

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Following review of initial concepts the class broke into five groups with each group working to develop a different theme. The concepts grew out of ideas expressed by students, parents, and teachers. The following pages illustrate each of the group’s design ideas including master plans and perspective sketches representing views of what South Kingstown High School might become.

Group Conceptual Master Plans

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Outdoor Education and Recreation This site allowed for many redevelopment opportunities. Reconstruction of the existing parking lot by raising it and giv-ing a 30’ green buffer led to better circulation throughout the site, fresh sight lines for the abutting neighbors, and the addition of a new green. Outdoor recreation suggests ways to enjoy the new green spaces on campus and lets students, faculty, and members of the community to learn about sustainable and the green practices.

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Above: Raised planting beds, green walls, and the sustainability hub (learning center) branch out into the recreational fields.

Right: Outdoor eating area with sail shades and benches.

Bottom: Back entrance to school with lush vegetation and raised crosswalks to provide pedestrian safety and recharge ground water.

Inner Courtyard with outdoor classroom

Locus Map

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Sustainability Hub Area: Provides a location for education and com-munity functions such as classrooms, a farmer’s market, and a venue for movies.

This building integrates systems for monitoring sustainable practices. In this educational context data is collected and the quantity and quality of the sustainable interventions are described.

Front entrance area increases ecological habitats and creates spaces for gathering. The native trees will be labeled as an arbore-tum for educational purposes.

Rain Garden Section

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Working within the precepts of Biophilia, which is defined by Edward O. Wilson as an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems, it was our aim to rethink natural systems and introduce materials, practices and system pieces to the school environment that express Biophilia at SHKS. Interventions are meant to increase aesthetics while decreasing the impact of the school’s nearly 15 acre campus. Constraints of the site and budget limit the extent of interventions. Our scheme systematically assess the existing program and intervenes in areas of major concern including energy, roofs, walls, pavements, edges, and plants for food and habitat.

bioPHILIA

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This green wall is approximately 1,000 sq. ft. and can potentially sequester

4,420 lbs. CO2 per year.

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Locus Map

Section of athleticfields30

Outdoor ClassroomGreen Wall

Compost Area

Raised Veggie Beds

Seating Area

Trellis

Buffer

Gathering Space

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM• 3,388 sq. ft. outdoor classroom; seats 50 people• Large chalk board• Large rock table• Can be utilized by all classes as well as public presentations. • Secluded in a distraction free natural setting.

"Children are born with a sense of wonder and an affinity for nature. Properly cultivated, these values can mature into ecological literacy, and eventually into sustainable patterns of living."

-Zenobia Barlow

COMMUNITY GARDENSBenefitsProvides a catalyst for neighborhood and community developmentStimulates Social InteractionEncourages Self-RelianceBeautifies NeighborhoodsProduces Nutritious FoodReduces Family Food BudgetsCreates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and educationReduces CrimePreserves Green SpaceCreates income opportunities and economic develop-mentReduces city heat from streets and parking lotsProvides opportunities for inter generational and cross-cultural connections

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Community Garden 31

ESTIMATED GARDEN PRODUCTION

• Total Size: 2,900 sq. ft.• 232 hours of preparation, (50 people

working for 4.5 hours)• Over 6,500 salads produced• Over 3,000 lbs. of squash• $20,000 worth of produce

Solar arbors house 21 total solar panels. These 3’x 5’ units col-lect 200 watts of energy per day to be used for water pumps that con-nect the outwash basin south of the rear parking area to the commu-nity gardens.

A view of the rain garden walkway, through the solar arbors to-wards the community gardens.

Storm water fountain from front parking lot32

Terraced storm water fountainThe proximity to the Saugatucket river combined with the amount of impervi-ous surface on the SKHS campus opens the door to important interventions that not only slow storm water but also cleanse it before it can reenter the local stream and ultimately the bay.

Proposed Front Parking System

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Locus Map

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Locus MapEast Side Back of School

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Art & Environment

It was within the project scope to integrate art into the school grounds, promote a sustainable environment for the re-sponsible use and protection of resources-- for learning, recreation, and beauty. Reducing the carbon footprint of SKHS with plantings and utilizing solar power will help SK develop a more sustainable campus. Controlling storm water runoff through natural methods such as bioswales and dry river beds will create spaces for learning while reducing and treating runoff and increasing infiltration. Through the use of sculpture and artistic interpretation the campus will display art works produced by students and local artists to create a unique campus environment.

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•Mounded rim to control traffic patterns and noise from leaving the site•Native grasses and plantings •Green roof on top of building

•Mounded amphitheater•Tall native meadow grass on backside•Small storage area underneath for chairs and equipment•Composite wood stage to encourage theater and presentations

•A large vegetable garden flowing into eating area with table and chairs•Bigger greenhouse•Recycle bins are throughout the site to encourage proper disposal of items•Path lights for safety

•Local artist and student sculpture and mural work to be rotated every other year•Hanging trellises of recycled materials such as glass and metal

Kimball Entrance: Bermed edge to control traffic patterns and noise. Local artist Sculpture Garden from new and recycled materials.

Vegetable Garden: Flows into new eating area with table and chairs.

Mounded Amphitheater: Tall native meadow grass on backside. Small storage area underneath for chairs and equipment. Composite wood decking stage to encourage theater performances and presentations.

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•Amphitheater constructed with granite pieces for seating and turf for path

•A garden for many aspects •Teachers can take students outside during class to draw, have poetry readings, to learn about the various plant materials, or just to hold regular class •The outdoor chalkboard makes teaching a class outside just like inside but with the benefits of the great outdoors: sun and fresh air

•A memorial and seating area with sculptural pieces surrounding the Hazard School•Permeable paver path around site for easy access

Center Courtyard: Teachers can take students outside during class to draw, have poetry readings, to learn about the various plant materials, or just to hold regular class. The outdoor chalkboard makes teaching a class outside just like inside but with the benefits of the great outdoors: sun and fresh air.

Memorial Walk: A memorial and seating area with sculptural pieces surrounding the Hazard School.Permeable paver path around site for easy access.

Amphitheater Cross Section: Constructed with granite pieces for seating and turf for path.

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Locus Map

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The FACTS

Oliva Beane, Ryan Menges, Nick Thadeio, Kelley Woodacre

art and environmentSouth Kingstown High School

A gathering area for academic or leisure purposes. Wooden logs will be placed along the edges for seating.

14 additional parking spaces forfaculty and visitors

A boardwalk pathway connecting Kimball St. and the back entrance of the school. It will be a more direct and safer route due to the vegetative buffer between road and path.

An 84 spot parking lot for Faculty and visitors. It is designed to ensure safety, by rearrangingvehicular circulation.

Large buffers of vegetation along the parkinglot acts as a storm water treatment system by ltering water and using it for irrigation.

The interior courtyard will be used for educat-ional classrooms and gardens. Green walls and native plants will promote sustainable practices and will continue the ecological ow.

Agriculture beds will help produce food for the school and be used for educational reasons.

A trail of native trees, shrubs, and perennialswill ow around the recreational elds that will be labeled for environmental classes.

Produced For: South Kingstown High SchoolProduced By: Sean Condon, Matt Fountaine, Rebecca Little, and Ben Thurston

Dumpster

Rain garden will help collect water off roof and ltrate it before entering ground.

Solar panels will be located on the south facing side of the building. This will act as a sustainable practice that is energy efficient for both the school and community.

Practice elds

A green roof consisting of native grasses and shrubswill act as a continuous connection of vegetation fromground level to roof level.

A one-way road will be added to help vehic-ular traffic to the parking lot and movement throughthe campus. It will reduce traffic and congest-ion during the end of school

A staggered stone walkway will ow through-out the interior courtyard which will lead students and faculty to and from each exit andentrance

105 parking spots for seniors and faculty. Each spacewill consist of permeable pavers that will allow waterto ltrate and reduce runoff and ooding.

The new redesign of South Kingstown High School campus will implement and explore a variety of objectives in green renovation. Sustainable practices such as storm-water treatment, energy efficiency, and food production just scratch the surface of what the campus will give back to the community. With our design theme, we applied ecological unity and connections through the site with the goals of providing habitat, outdoor green space for learning and relaxing, and an aerial view of native plantings that connect the woodland area to the river relaxing, and an aerial view of native plantings that connect the woodland area to the river system nearby.

To create a more sustainable and ecological friendly campusthat will increase native vegetation, habitat, and to promotespaces of outdoor education.

To educate students, faculty, and administrators of the schoolabout sustainable practices such as energy efficiency, storm-water treatment, and food production.

Enhance the parking and circulation throughout the campus. Enhance the parking and circulation throughout the campus.

Increase the amount of green space within the campus which will de ne areas of learning.

Create ecological connections between woodland areas and nearbyriver systems.

Objectives

Concept Statement

Scale 1”=50’-0”

Master Plan

North0’ 25’ 50’ 100’ 150’ 300’

Vegetation for the Landscape:

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Ecological Connections

A gathering area for academic or leisure purposes. Wooden logs will be placed along the edges for seating.

14 additional parking spaces forfaculty and visitors

A boardwalk pathway connecting Kimball St. and the back entrance of the school. It will be a more direct and safer route due to the vegetative buffer between road and path.

An 84 spot parking lot for Faculty and visitors. It is designed to ensure safety, by rearrangingvehicular circulation.

Large buffers of vegetation along the parkinglot acts as a storm water treatment system by ltering water and using it for irrigation.

The interior courtyard will be used for educat-ional classrooms and gardens. Green walls and native plants will promote sustainable practices and will continue the ecological ow.

Agriculture beds will help produce food for the school and be used for educational reasons.

A trail of native trees, shrubs, and perennialswill ow around the recreational elds that will be labeled for environmental classes.

Produced For: South Kingstown High SchoolProduced By: Sean Condon, Matt Fountaine, Rebecca Little, and Ben Thurston

Dumpster

Rain garden will help collect water off roof and ltrate it before entering ground.

Solar panels will be located on the south facing side of the building. This will act as a sustainable practice that is energy efficient for both the school and community.

Practice elds

A green roof consisting of native grasses and shrubswill act as a continuous connection of vegetation fromground level to roof level.

A one-way road will be added to help vehic-ular traffic to the parking lot and movement throughthe campus. It will reduce traffic and congest-ion during the end of school

A staggered stone walkway will ow through-out the interior courtyard which will lead students and faculty to and from each exit andentrance

105 parking spots for seniors and faculty. Each spacewill consist of permeable pavers that will allow waterto ltrate and reduce runoff and ooding.

The new redesign of South Kingstown High School campus will implement and explore a variety of objectives in green renovation. Sustainable practices such as storm-water treatment, energy efficiency, and food production just scratch the surface of what the campus will give back to the community. With our design theme, we applied ecological unity and connections through the site with the goals of providing habitat, outdoor green space for learning and relaxing, and an aerial view of native plantings that connect the woodland area to the river relaxing, and an aerial view of native plantings that connect the woodland area to the river system nearby.

To create a more sustainable and ecological friendly campusthat will increase native vegetation, habitat, and to promotespaces of outdoor education.

To educate students, faculty, and administrators of the schoolabout sustainable practices such as energy efficiency, storm-water treatment, and food production.

Enhance the parking and circulation throughout the campus. Enhance the parking and circulation throughout the campus.

Increase the amount of green space within the campus which will de ne areas of learning.

Create ecological connections between woodland areas and nearbyriver systems.

Objectives

Concept Statement

Scale 1”=50’-0”

Master Plan

North0’ 25’ 50’ 100’ 150’ 300’

The new redesign of the South Kingstown High School campus will explore and implement a variety of objectives in green renovation. Sustainable practices such as storm-water treatment, energy efficiency, and food production just scratch the surface of what the campus will give back to the community. Through this design theme, we strove to create ecological unity through connections to provide habitat, outdoor green space for learning and relaxing, and a large buffer of native plantings around and across the site that connect the woodland area to the river system and to Old Mountain Field.

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Shrubs: *Common Witchhazel – Hammelis virginiana *Hydrangea natives *Native Grasses*Mountain Laurel - Kalmia latifolia *Bayberry - Myrica pensylvanica *Winterberry Holly - Ilex verticillata *Sweet Fern - Comptonia peregrina *Arrowwood Viburnum - Viburnum dentatum *Highbush Blueberry - Vaccinium corymbosum *Chinese Juniper – Juniperus chinensis *Swamp Azalea - Rhododendron viscosum *Dwarf Korean Lilac - Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'

Trees: *Serviceberry – Amelanchier arborea *Japanese Cryptomeria – Cryptomeria japonica *Scarlet Oak - Quercus cocccinea *Red Maple – Acer rubrum *Gray Birch – Betula populifolia *Pagoda Dogwood – Cornus alternatifolia *Flowering Dogwood – Cornus florida *River Birch – Betula nigra ‘heritage’ *White Spruce – Picea glauca *American Holly – Ilex opaca * White Pine – Pinus strobus *Sweetbay Magnolia – Magnolia virginiana

Total 126 proposed trees Trees will purify 6,432 lbs per sq. ft. of CO2 per year

Trees will provide enriched Oxygen that can support 68 human beings per yearTrees will absorb 7,182,000 gals. of H2O per yr.

CAMPUS TREES

1 2

1

2

The perspective above offers a view into an informal area with buffer plantings. This space not only softens the area, but it also increases ecological productivity aesthetic appeal.

The view above shows a potential connec-tion from the rear of the school to Kimball St. a popular route to Old Mountain Field and to and from cars parked on route 108.

Locus Map

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Colu

mbi

a St

.

School St.

Meadow Courtyard

Recreational Field

Recreational Field

Pedestrian Path with an allée of Solar Trees and Trees

Proposed Street

Raised Sidewalk

Raised Sidewalk

Green Roof

Green Wall and Sensory walk

Green Infrastructure The Green Infrastructure master plan provides a safe and secure environment for both pedestrian and vehic-ular traffic. The design establishes an improved circulation system with redesigned parking and pathways that are logi-cal and reduce their ecological impact. It offers spaces and a setting that will enhance the learning experience, involve the school curriculum with the landscape, improve aesthet-ics and bestow a low maintenance landscape.

“Green Street”

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SCENT

TASTE

TOUCHSIGHT SOUND

431

2

3

1

2 3

Front entrance to school with green walls and murals

A sensory Garden for children and adults will emphasize smell, taste, touch, sound, and sight.

Inner Courtyard- for outdoor learning

Green Roof-captures, holds and treats rainwater

Back greenhouse and green walls

Scent Garden

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Moving Forward

This project brought was a collaboration between public, private, student, faculty, and administration interests. We were able to begin a dialogue with students and faculty, learn about the needs of the community and a public facil-ity, and begin to offer suggestions through design to satisfy a diverse set of goals. There is a varying range of practicality within the five designs, some improvements could be done tomorrow and others will need to build consensus, persuade officials, and raise funds through grants. The school board and administration need to review and discuss the potential of re-visualizing the rebels.

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Appendix

Latin Name Common NameTrees Acer rubrum Red Maple Acer saccharum Sugar Maple Betula populifolia Gray Birch Catalpa speciosa Catalpa Cornus alternifolia Pagoda Dogwood Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood Fraxinus americana White Ash Gymnocladus dioicus Kentucky Coffee Tree Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar Liquidambar styraciflua American Sweet Gum Liriodendron tulipifera Tulip tree Nyssa sylvetica Tupelo Quercus robur English Oak Tilia cordata Little Leaf Linden

Shrubs Comptonia peregrina Sweet Fern Myrica pensylvanica Bayberry Pieris floribunda ‘Forest Flame’ Mountain Andromeda Rhododendron catawbiense Catawba Rhododendron Rhododendron maximum Sweet Bay Rhododendron

Groundcovers Baptisia australis Wild Indigo Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania Sedge Deschampsia flexuosa Common Hair Grass Deschampsia flexuosa June Grass Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ Maiden Hair grass Panicum virgatum Switch Grass Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ Tall White Beard Tongue Rudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan Vinca minor Periwinkle

Native Plants

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AppendixReferences

Furio, J. (2011, July). The Next Crop. 32-40.

Low Impact Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/lid/

Lynch, K. (1992). The Image of the City. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Makovsky, P. (2009, February). Open Ended Learning. Metropolie, 70-79.

McCarthy, J. New Hampshire Department of Science, (2011). New Hampshire Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater Management.

Retrieved from Concord website: http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/publications/wd/documents/wd-11-11.pdf

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