Sustainability Enhancement Projects

About

Sustainability enhancement projects have been identified with recommendations for renovations and maintenance for 51福利社鈥檚 campus landscape. The series of icons references the implementation of specific Master Plan Principles within each project.

Campus Map

Legend

The One Room School House | Cheney Normal School Heritage Center: Vernacular Landscape Restoration

Before Enhancement

Built in 1905, the One Room School House, formally known as the Jore School, was found in the woods near Newport, Washington. It was relocated to 51福利社 and restored with care and attention to historical accuracy. The School House represents 51福利社鈥檚 beginnings in 1890 as the first institution in Washington for teacher instruction.

Description: While the building is historically accurate, the campus landscape does not reflect the landscape vernacular of the region鈥檚 original schools and homesteads. The project converts traditional irrigated turf grass to prairie grasses and forbs for pollinators and demonstrates prairie restoration within the campus core. The irrigation system is modified to provide functional control of the irrigation around the building site. The prairie restoration and irrigation modification will reduce water use and long term maintenance. The hardscape walls and foundation planting will be strategically modified to integrate native shrubs and perennials as well as plants that were common to Eastern Washington homesteads. Native plants include native lupine, sticky geranium, arrowleaf balsamroot, camas, and indian blanketflower, among others. Introduced historic plants include Russian sage and other adapted plant species.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategy:

  • An extensive educational outreach program was created and implemented to ensure a broad understanding of this project and its intent.
  • 聽The existing irrigation system was modified to isolate the site from adjacent turf grass. Twelve inch high pop-up rotors replaced the existing irrigation to provide as needed irrigation for the prairie areas.
  • The foundation plantings are irrigated with drip or bubblers. Reduced watering, power raking, and overseeded with fescue and other native grass mix.

Irrigated Turf Reduction

Before Enhancement

Small lawn areas are typically inefficiently irrigated and difficult to effectively maintain. Curves and narrow strips generally result in irrigation overspray onto walks, wasting water. Reducing irrigated turf in these areas can reduce water use, the need for fertilizer applications, and weekly mowing.

After Enhancement

Description: Remove irrigated grass, modify irrigation, and plant with native and adapted plants from campus plant list.

Enhancement Strategy:

  • Install informational signage.
  • Shut down watering, power rake. Remove existing lawn with application of a broad spectrum spray or applying a weed barrier fabric and thick mulch to smother the grass.
  • Provide supplemental irrigation as necessary for trees during turf grass removal.
  • Once the grass is eliminated, reduce grades at sidewalks and curbs by 3-4鈥 to accommodate organic mulch thickness.
  • Install drip irrigation tubing, 4鈥 below finish grade and pin to maintain depth.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds. Plant selection depends on location. Do not plant within 6鈥 of existing trees and omit plants when large roots are found.
  • Extend drip tubing to individual plants. Emitters to be 1/2 gph to allow to soak in around plants.

Tawanka Commons Irrigated Turf Reduction and Pollinator Plantings

Before Enhancement

The existing lawn area around the Tawanka Commons entry is generally small, inefficiently irrigated, and difficult to effectively maintain.

Description: The entry can be enhanced with the removal of turf grass, resulting in reduced water use and sustainable identity. Remove irrigated grass, modify irrigation, and plant with native and adapted plants from campus plant list.

After Enhancement

Description: Remove irrigated grass, modify irrigation, and plant with native and adapted plants from campus plant list.

Enhancement Strategy:

  • Install informational signage.
  • Shut down watering, power rake. Remove existing lawn with application of a broad spectrum spray or applying a weed barrier fabric and thick mulch to smother the grass.
  • Provide supplemental irrigation as necessary for trees during turf grass removal.
  • Once the grass is eliminated, reduce grades at sidewalks and curbs by 3-4鈥 to accommodate organic mulch thickness.
  • Install drip irrigation tubing, 4鈥 below finish grade and pin to maintain depth.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds. Plant selection depends on location. Do not plant within 6鈥 of existing trees and omit plants when large roots are found.
  • Extend drip tubing to individual plants. Emitters to be 1/2 gph to allow to soak in around plants.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds. Plant selection depends on location. Do not plant within 6鈥 of existing trees and omit plants when large roots are found.
  • Extend drip tubing to individual plants. Emitters to be 1/2 gph to allow to soak in around plants.
  • Apply pre-emergent and then 4鈥 of fine bark mulch.

Irrigated Turf Reduction and Identity Enhancement

Before Enhancement

Many existing lawn areas around parking lots are narrow, include stormwater swales, and are generally inefficiently irrigated and difficult to effectively maintain.

Description: Many parking areas provide an initial impression of 51福利社. The impression and parking lot can be enhanced with the removal of turf grass, resulting IN reduced water use and sustainable identity. Remove irrigated grass, modify irrigation, and plant with native and adapted plants from campus plant list.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategy:

  • Install informational signage.
  • Isolate turf area to be converted. Shut down watering, power rake. Remove existing lawn with application of a broad spectrum spray or applying a weed barrier fabric and thick mulch to smother the grass.
  • Provide supplemental irrigation as necessary for trees during turf grass removal.
  • Once the grass is eliminated, reduce grades at sidewalks and curbs by 3-4鈥 to accommodate organic mulch thickness.
  • Install drip irrigation tubing, 4鈥 below finish grade and pin to maintain depth.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix. Install 4-6鈥 of rock mulch at inlets to reduce erosion.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds. Plant selection depends on location. Do not plant within 6鈥 of existing trees and omit plants when large roots are found. Plants that are durable, resistant to deicer and snow piles should be selected for these areas.
  • Extend drip tubing to individual plants. Emitters to be 1/2 gph to allow to soak in around plants.

Identity Enhancement: F Street Gateway

Before Enhancement

The corner of 6th Street and 鈥楩鈥 Street is one of the most important opportunity locations on campus to reinforce 51福利社鈥檚 identify. Students from the surrounding neighborhoods enter the campus and use the main promenade and Sustainability Spine to access the core of campus.

Description: Install a new 51福利社 monument, similar in scale to the one located at the Child Care Center. This main entrance to the campus circulation system is enhanced with the monument and low water use plantings. Remove irrigated grass, modify irrigation, and plant with native and adapted plants from campus plant list.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategy:

  • Install informational signage.
  • Isolate turf area irrigation and construct monument sign. Install mow curb around planting area to protect sign from mowers and irrigation overspray.
  • Reduce grades at sidewalks and curbs by 3-4鈥 to accommodate organic mulch thickness.
  • Install drip zone and irrigation tubing, 4鈥 below finish grade and pin to maintain depth.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix.
  • Construct new campus monument.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds. Plant selection depends on location.
  • Extend drip tubing to individual plants. Emitters to be 1/2 gph to allow to soak in around plants.
  • Apply pre-emergent and then 4鈥 of fine bark mulch.

North Washington Gateway Improvements - Sustainable Plantings and Prairie Restoration

Before Enhancement

The North Washington Gateway is the most important and visible identity gateways for commuter students, faculty, visitors, and sports fans.

Description: Enhance the landscape around the monument to reflect 51福利社鈥檚 commitment to the Prairie Restoration and incorporation of sustainable strategies on campus. The introduction of the prairie landscape type sets the landscape language for connections between the overall Prairie Restoration and the prairie elements on campus.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategy:

  • Install informational signage.
  • Reduce grades at sidewalks and curbs by 3-4鈥 to accommodate organic mulch thickness.
  • If possible, install drip zone and irrigation tubing, 4鈥 below finish grade and pin to maintain depth.
  • Apply 2鈥 of topsoil / compost mix.
  • Plant native and adapted landscape plants spaced at 80% of mature width to fill in and shade out weeds adjacent to monument. Establish prairie with planting of native forbs and grasses.
  • Plant seedlings grown on campus in the fall and conduct selective weed control.

Identity and Branding - Eagle鈥檚 Flight

Before Enhancement

The Kennedy Library and its grand staircase with flanking ramps is the western terminus of the Arevalo Student Mall. A low wall with 鈥51福利社鈥 is the eastern terminus. This low wall is separated from the mall by a sunken seating area with concrete steps. The mall is a tremendous space for student gatherings throughout the year with opportunities to set up tables and tents for education and outreach.

Description: The Kennedy Library staircase is in need of structural and accessibility renovations. These renovations are in preliminary design and could incorporate improvements to the art streams鈥 mechanical systems.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategy:

  • The renovation of the staircase should incorporate a sculpture or 51福利社 environmental art that appropriately addresses the eastern terminus wall. This feature, properly integrated into the stream can reinforce the mall鈥檚 sense of place and 51福利社鈥檚 brand.
  • An opportunity for students to celebrate achievements around an iconic 51福利社 image would be an accessible and recognized 鈥業nstagram moment鈥. Renovation of the landscape around

Prairie Restoration Project

Before Enhancement

51福利社鈥檚 Prairie Restoration project is a one of kind, ambitious project that will dedicate a third of the campus land and resources for students to actively participate in a real-world, multidisciplinary project designed to restore a threatened ecosystem in our region. This major sustainability initiative will restore 120 acres of campus land to its native prairie habitat. In addition to giving students countless learning and research opportunities, the project benefits the environment for the entire region.

Developed in cooperation with representatives from area Native communities, this project will create a model for boosting regional biodiversity while establishing an educational and recreational space that connects visitors to a long-lost landscape.

After Enhancement

Enhancement Strategies:

  • Research.
  • Strategic prairie planting consistent with research goals
    and maintenance support.
  • Weed control.
  • Local seed and plant development.