Institutional Projects
A living, green counterpoint to brutalism
Regenstein Library, The University of Chicago
Serving as a new entry feature for the Walter Netsch-designed library, the Julie and Parker Hall Garden is a composition in planes and angles that harmonizes with the building’s rugged façade. Featuring sculptural specimen evergreens and exuberant plantings of ornamental grasses and perennials, the garden’s framework is created by a selective editing of hardscape installed in the 1980s and the addition of new terraced planting beds constructed of reclaimed pieces of sandstone dating to the university’s founding in the 1890s. Even prior to the completion of the garden’s construction in the fall of 2009, students were drawn to the garden’s welcoming spaces and gallery-style benches.
Regenstein Library The University of Chicago
An homage to traditional and contemporary
Sesquicentennial Garden, University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Arboretum Sesquicentennial Garden is a gift of alumna Jo Downey and serves as a bridge between the landscape of the university president’s house to the north and the Hartley Garden to the south. This garden celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the University of Illinois in 1867 and showcases native flowering trees with an understory planting of flowering perennials and ornamental grasses.
Conceived as a large ellipse centered around an oval panel of lawn, the garden is divided into four quadrant beds that pay homage to great gardening traditions such as the Persian chahārbāgh, a highly symbolic form of garden that includes four quadrants that represent the world and four rivers flowing into it. In the Sesquicentennial Garden, the four rivers are represented by walkways that carry visitors to the heart of the garden from each of the four cardinal directions.
In a nod to contemporary garden design, the garden introduces a unique element referred to as the “origination point” that is not, as might seem most intuitive, at the garden’s center, but is instead set off slightly to the west. All axial lines within the garden, other than the predominant north-south/east-west axes, return to this “origination point.” This alternate point of orientation is marked within the garden walkway to offer a sense of discovery in the garden.
Sesquicentennial Garden University of Illinois, Urbana
A defined landscape with room to grow
Beth Emet The Free Synagogue, Evanston
Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp was retained as the landscape architects to redevelop the campus of a prominent synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. A masterplan was initially developed for creating a defined landscape identity which allowed for phased improvements to occur as time and budget allowed. In the first phase, overgrown plantings were removed to highlight the synagogue’s distinctive architecture and circulation needs were explored to improve pedestrian safety and ADA accessibility. The initial implemented phase also provided monument signage which met City Ordinances, Historic Preservation approval and Beth Emet’s wish to have a more visible community presence. Current work includes the redevelopment of the main building entrance to ensure a prominent presence along Dempster Street whilst meeting ADA requirements, and the early design development stages of a new adventure based playground for pre-school age children.
Beth Emet The Free Synagogue Evanston, Illinois
A restored gem on Evanston’s lakefront
Arrington Lakefront Lagoon, Evanston
A historic, but deteriorating, lakefront lagoon in Evanston’s Centennial Park required an updated landscape architectural design and restoration of mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services for site lighting, water feature infrastructure. The goal of the project was not only to restore but also to enhance the design of the existing lagoon’s infrastructure for a successfully functioning and aesthetically appealing public space. The new plan incorporates improved site circulation, path alignments and materials that are ADA-compliant. Restoration work on the stone walls and steps and a renewal of the lagoon’s fountain and historic waterfall garden are complemented by a large outdoor performance space. The design includes donor recognition elements and a bronze memorial to the lagoon’s namesake, W. Russell Arrington.
APWA Project of the Year, Historic Restoration/Preservation, 2015
Arrington Lakefront Lagoon Evanston, Illinois