I thought it was time to do a little update about my project with South Mountain Annex in South Orange, NJ. The whole thing started when I helped get an outdoor classroom created for the school. After that, several of the parents at the school and I started talking about how to really reimagine the space and address some of the challenges on the grounds. I suggested we do a master plan for the property to create a concept and look at options for what could be created. After that, we could narrow-in on ideas that were exciting for installation.
So far, we have met two times. The first time was to look at ideas and to get a strong understanding of the issues on the site. I went to the school several times in preparation for our first meeting to discover opportunities for the site that were hidden within the challenges. Between the input I got from the school and my own visits, three things emerged: 1. There’s a stormwater problem onsite. Almost everywhere water collects after it rains and makes the entire school yard muddy. The result is that the kids are limited to where they can and can’t play for days after because it stays wet and muddy. 2. The project needs to create places that are one-part play, one-part flexible space and one-part educational space. I like to call this “multi-tasking design” where one solution needs to solve lots of things all at once. The question is - how do you create a space where kids can learn, run, jump, perform and sit all at the same time that is also exciting, fun, dynamic and ecological? As my teachers always use to tell me…that’s a good question!
The third thing the design really wants to do is to get kids outside more and make their trips outdoors as educational as possible. So, for this, I wanted to bring nature as close to the kids as I can…literally, put as real an ecosystem at their feet as possible. AND! I wanted to do this while making spaces dynamic, educational and to feel like a PLACE! By PLACE I mean to make every space unique while also making them interconnected, full of fun things to do and creating discovery around every corner.
Design Meeting
I named the master plan “Contemporary Ecology: Kids, Education & Nature + Culture (maybe)”. The whole idea is to be all of those things at the same time, but not trying to replicate the notion of any of those things. The master plan focused on 4 areas (see diagram below).
The third thing the design really wants to do is to get kids outside more and make their trips outdoors as educational as possible. So, for this, I wanted to bring nature as close to the kids as I can…literally, put as real an ecosystem at their feet as possible. AND! I wanted to do this while making spaces dynamic, educational and to feel like a PLACE! By PLACE I mean to make every space unique while also making them interconnected, full of fun things to do and creating discovery around every corner.
Design Meeting
I named the master plan “Contemporary Ecology: Kids, Education & Nature + Culture (maybe)”. The whole idea is to be all of those things at the same time, but not trying to replicate the notion of any of those things. The master plan focused on 4 areas (see diagram below).
From those 4 areas, the school, PTA and others could create multiple projects from each area and phase out the installation of each project over a couple of weeks to several years. I’m not going to go through all 4 areas in this blog. I wanted to cover only 2 of them.
Area 1
Area 1 is a part of the yard where a large blacktop abuts a grassy space that borders residential homes. A fence separates the school from the houses. You can see the fence in the picture above. The space slopes down which is perfect for pools of water to form in the low area. This isn’t want we want. In fact, the entire slope gets wet (see diagrams below. The purple shading is where it’s the wettest).
Area 1 is a part of the yard where a large blacktop abuts a grassy space that borders residential homes. A fence separates the school from the houses. You can see the fence in the picture above. The space slopes down which is perfect for pools of water to form in the low area. This isn’t want we want. In fact, the entire slope gets wet (see diagrams below. The purple shading is where it’s the wettest).
We originally thought benches and blackboards could be placed in the area. The benches would be extra wide and long so students could sit, stand and maybe use them as a stage. But when I looked at that as a solution (see image below), I found that, by themselves, the water would still collect. We’d have to grade the area and put drainage in.
Plus, it made the space feel too formal. My guess is that formal spaces wouldn’t feel like much fun for 5 and 6 year olds who are inside all day. I wanted to really push the concept of multi-taskingishness as well as bring an echoing of nature into the design solution.
Grassy Mounds
Water follows the path of least resistance, and so I started looking at how nature does that, well, naturally. What I found were beautiful examples of grassy mounds both natural and man-made. The images below show Maya Lin’s Wavefield at Sky King Art Center along with naturally occurring mounds in the Midwest.
Grassy Mounds
Water follows the path of least resistance, and so I started looking at how nature does that, well, naturally. What I found were beautiful examples of grassy mounds both natural and man-made. The images below show Maya Lin’s Wavefield at Sky King Art Center along with naturally occurring mounds in the Midwest.
Mounded earth has a long history with human settlement. Native peoples all over the world have created them for a variety of reasons. This really got me thinking that making grassy mounds could be fun for the kids and also help the area dry faster after rains. We could also integrate benches into the mounds for seating, put chalkboards against the fence and transform the space into a much more exciting place. Below are before and after images to show the design in the actual space.
Area 4
The other space I wanted to write about in this post is Area 4. This is a large portion of the front yard of the school. Right now, it is void of much vegetation. It’s used mainly as a shortcut from where parents park on the street to walk their kids into the school…that is, when it’s not totally muddy and wet. Below are two photos that show where the area gets wet.
The other space I wanted to write about in this post is Area 4. This is a large portion of the front yard of the school. Right now, it is void of much vegetation. It’s used mainly as a shortcut from where parents park on the street to walk their kids into the school…that is, when it’s not totally muddy and wet. Below are two photos that show where the area gets wet.
I saw this space as a HUGE opportunity because wet areas can be places that teem with life (and not mosquito life either). With the right care and love, I saw that the area could become as near a nature preserve as you could get in such a small space. It could even become habitat for salamanders, frogs and toads if done right.
The biggest issue for the space is that it’s totally off balance ecologically. The diagram below shows how healthy forests have multiple layers of growth.
The biggest issue for the space is that it’s totally off balance ecologically. The diagram below shows how healthy forests have multiple layers of growth.
You have the tall trees creating the canopy and then you have shade tolerant shrubs, bushes, shorter trees, flowers, ferns, grasses and finally groundcover under the canopy. All of these layers create niches of habitats for little creatures like beneficial insects, birds and the like. They also make the soil a party of life. The result is a forest that feels alive, and every corner is full of discovery.
The image above shows how understories carpet the forest floor with green.
And this image shows stones, grasses and shrubs dominating a woodland bog habitat.
The opportunity is that we can create a place that lets the kids touch, smell, and feel the natural world. I discussed with the others at the meeting the idea of getting the students to seed native plants in Feb and March and then plant them in April and May. Overtime, the students would actually MAKE the ecology and could see how the space developed from year to year and beyond.
Below you can see how the space looks now and how it would look after walking paths and lots of plants are put in the space.
The opportunity is that we can create a place that lets the kids touch, smell, and feel the natural world. I discussed with the others at the meeting the idea of getting the students to seed native plants in Feb and March and then plant them in April and May. Overtime, the students would actually MAKE the ecology and could see how the space developed from year to year and beyond.
Below you can see how the space looks now and how it would look after walking paths and lots of plants are put in the space.
Want More Posts about Design and Ecology:
The Quest for the High Line in Suburbia
Take the Next Step with Ecology
Beauty in the After, Part 4 Density + Time
Capture Autumn with Solidago in Your Eco-Yard
The Quest for the High Line in Suburbia
Take the Next Step with Ecology
Beauty in the After, Part 4 Density + Time
Capture Autumn with Solidago in Your Eco-Yard
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