Architecture students will be able to see their models come to life as they begin work with consultants to transform the courtyard in front of the Elson Art Center. Shawn Smith, an engineer from Nitsch Engineering, and Thomas Benjamin, a landscape architect from Regenerative Design Group, are two of the chief consultants working on the Elson landscape project. They presented their ideas in an Architecture III class last Thursday night. Gail Boyajian, Instructor in Art, who teaches Architetcture III, said, “It’s a really exciting opportunity for Phillips Academy to have a sustainable landscape, and it will be a real prototype and an opportunity for the community to see what a sustainable landscape looks like because we don’t have any good examples here yet.” Boyajian’s students will design a sustainable landscape that redirects contaminated storm water, among other functional and decorative adornments, in the Elson courtyard. The students will follow-up with the consultants at the end of the term to convey their ideas. In their presentation, Smith and Benjamin explained the architectural strategies to create a sustainable landscape. According to the Nitsch Engineering webpage, “[Sustainable landscapes] support natural ecological functions by protecting existing ecosystems and regenerating ecological capacity where it has been lost.” The Andover Grounds Department and Sustainability Office suggested the idea for a sustainable landscape in meetings earlier this year. Ron Johnson, Grounds and Capital Projecs Manager, said, “[We were] talking about opportunities on campus for introducing a pilot project, and [the Elson courtyard] seemed like a nice scale, as well as a focal point on campus.” According to Johnson, Nitsch Engineering had worked with student classes on architecture projects and suggested incorporating students into the design process. This term, the class has assessed the architecture around the courtyard and the topography, circulation patters, materials, and plants at the site. Currently, the storm water, contaminated by oils and chemicals, that trickles off of surrounding landscape and roofs is discharged into Rabbit Pond. According to Boyajian, the redesign will adjust the surface of the courtyard so the tainted water can be absorbed into the ground and be cleaned naturally by plants. Smith taught the group about “impervious surfaces,” which do not allow for the absorption of water into the ground. The runoff from impervious surfaces often contains more pollution than runoff from natural areas. In their presentation, Benjamin and Smith offered advice to the class. For example, Smith suggested that the class consider social, environmental and economic factors in their design, and Benjamin discussed the differences between conventional lawn- based landscapes and sustainable landscapes. The discussion with the consultants excited many of the architecture students about the project. Mary Samson ’12, an architecture student, said, “It’s cool to think that we as students can have a say in the project. When we meet with them later in the term it will be interesting to see where they go with it and where we go.” Amelia Danovitch ’13, another member of the architecture class, said that she wants to make the area more aesthetically pleasing. “I’m really excited about the project because it’s a lot closer to home than most other projects. It’s something you see every day, which makes it more relatable,” she said. Boyajian said that she wants her class to learn about sustainability designs in addition to the standard architectural techniques discussed in class. Smith and Benjamin will return at the end of the term to evaluate the plans the students have created,, and the final designs will be presented to the campus design review committee when the design is finalized this spring.
