WETLAND EXPLORE at SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO FOUNDATION CHILDREN'S GARDEN - Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Columbus OH

Terra’s inspiration for the Children’s Garden is the depth and magic of the ever-changing landscape of central Ohio.  One of its iconic brands is the dramatic earth art installation/green infrastructure project called Wetland Explore.  All of the raindrops that fall on the Children’s Garden are captured and routed to the detention basin in the western portion of the site – a functional solution to storm water management. But what moves far beyond code compliance is the interactive design and stunning beauty of this green infrastructure feature.  During dry periods, bold drifts of rushes, little bluestem, and flame willow spiral around the basin, mapping the flow of rainwater towards the outlet.  Wooden platforms elevated above the wetland floor invite children to hop from deck to deck and explore the wetland. Terra designed Wetland Explore for beauty in all seasons and in all weather - however, it is immediately after a rain event that it becomes truly magical as the water rises and children and their grownups can run into the center of the wetland, floating above the water.

TRANSFORMING TWELFTH PROJECT at BARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Steel Valley School District, Homestead PA 

Commissioned by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Terra and our team master planned the Transforming Twelfth project, which was located on a vacant lot on 12th Avenue across from Barrett Elementary School in Homestead.  In doing so, we took the first step in meeting Steel Valley School District’s goal of becoming the greenest district in Allegheny County.  When constructed, pollinator-friendly rain gardens and underground infiltration chambers will capture, clean and release rainwater from several city blocks before it reaches the combined storm and sanitary sewer system that empties directly into the Monongahela River.

In addition to mitigating the downstream effects of a combined system, Transforming Twelfth will provide nature play and outdoor classroom opportunities for the adjacent school and neighborhood families.

The Transforming Twelfth planning process also helped empower area youth.  Through the Creating Value Program, we worked collaboratively with a highly-motivated group of high school students to survey the surrounding community to learn what neighbors and other stakeholders wanted this vacant lot to become.  Creating Value students continued to stay involved in the planning process by working hand in hand with Terra and Bernie Lamm, a professional engineer and natural philosopher from Common Ground, to document physical attributes of the site and conceptualize its development.   

The Borough of Homestead has approved the Transforming Twelfth Master Plan, and they have submitted for funding from various agencies.

CARRIAGE HOUSE RAIN GARDEN at KINGWOOD CENTER GARDENS - Mansfield OH 

The Carriage House Garden was one of the first projects of a multi-phase master plan for Kingwood Center Gardens. Designed to serve as a much-needed breakout space for the events scheduled in the renovated Carriage House and a visitor destination for the casual Gardens visitor, the Carriage House Garden celebrates Kingwood Center’s cultural heritage and conceptually resurrects the orchard and kitchen gardens from the 1920’s Country Place Era estate.

Perhaps more importantly, the green infrastructure components of the Carriage House Garden introduce Kingwood’s commitment to sustainable design. For the first time in its 50 year history, Kingwood is celebrating the capture and cleanse of a portion of its rainwater. Whimsical downspouts from the Carriage House roof guide water into a tumbled glass channel, sprinkled with echevaria and other succulents. The channel leads to two curving runnels, covered with custom-designed, engraved grates inspired by the plants that are showcased in the Garden. Finally, rainwater from the terrace and rooftop gathers in a beautifully planted rain garden and replenishes the ground water. 

A 210-car green parking lot, dramatic moat & Garden Gateway entrance bridge, and an improved Cypress Pond joined the Carriage House Rain Garden in 2020 to expand Kingwood Center Garden’s ability to capture and cleanse its rainwater.

RADIATING WAVES RAINWATER EXHIBIT at HASKELL PARKING LOT - Lewis and Clark Community College, Godfrey IL   

Lewis and Clark Community College is one of the founding partners of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center and committed to the Mississippi River watershed health.  So it was with great pleasure that Terra designed “Radiating Waves”, a one-acre earth art installation that captures not only the storm water from the last unmitigated parking lot on campus but the attention of more than 100,000 annual visitors.  The first line of defense is a field of porous pavers that covers a 200-space parking area.  Rain that does not infiltrate into the groundwater directly is guided to the first of three boldly-planted tiered rain garden basins.  As each basin stages up, cleansed rainwater spills over weathered steel weirs to finally collect and travel to a nearby tributary of Piasa Creek, a waterway of interest to the Great Rivers Land Trust and part of the Mississippi River watershed.

Radiating Waves has become an iconic brand for the College and a model for other municipalities in the region.

NATIONAL GREAT RIVERS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER (NGRREC) / FIELD STATION  - Alton IL 

Surrounded by two acres of restored pre-settlement landscape, the NGRREC Field Station is the headquarters for research scientists to study the Mississippi River watershed.  The complexity of the environment at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers creates a unique platform for interaction between scientific research and public education.

Terra Design Studios collaborated with NGRREC terrestrial ecologists and educators to design the interpretive landscapes and outdoor visitor experiences that showcase the inter-connection between the flora and fauna of the watershed. One of these exhibits, called “Green Streets”, points out the relationship between the porous-paved road and adjacent Dragonfly Pond. The porous roadway was the first pervious pavement project to be funded by IDOT. Storm water that is not used by prairie plants on the green roof is cleansed in two phytoremediation wetlands and recycled again for use in washing river boats and research equipment.  

Completed in 2014, the Field Station has achieved LEED-NC Gold certification.