Water Street Studio provided landscape architecture and civil engineering services for a new addition and renovation to the Buckingham County Upper and Lower Elementary School. The school sought LEED certification and aimed to create a comprehensive community outreach model that would enable grant administrators to measure the health of its newly renovated environment.
Water Street’s landscape architects reviewed the site on both small and large scales: mapping viewsheds, existing vegetation and historic significance as well as designing outdoor spaces that included community gardens, edible landscapes, an outdoor dining area and classroom gardens.
The studio’s engineers provided civil expertise to analyze surface flow and designed a rainwater harvesting system able to collect runoff from the existing buildings for reuse in irrigation, fire suppression and sanitary systems. Captured rainwater rills, constructed wetlands, recreation fields and trails organize this campus around its functions within the community.
