|
ABOUT US
DISCIPLINE
NEWS
CONTACT
CAREERS
<< back
|
| |
|
DeWitt Planners Cite EDR
|
|
Environmental Design & Research was
awarded a 2007 Parratt-Schick Award of Excellence by the Town of
DeWitt Planning Board. EDR was cited along with Anaren Microwave
for "creative treatment of the storm water management facility" at
the Anaren Microwave campus in the Town of DeWitt. The board's award
resolution noted that the "ponds and landscaping make a dramatic
entrance to the facility and provide a pleasant environment for the
employees."
|
|
|
Auburn Cuts Ribbon for EDR Design
|
|
|
EDR
Visualization Services Profiled
|
|
|
EDR Honored for Brighton Park Project
|
| |
| |
EDR received a 2007 Honor Award of
Excellence from the New York Upstate Chapter of the American Society
of Landscape Architects for the firm's work at
Corbett's Glen Nature Park
in the Town of Brighton. The award is
in the category of Built Design.
EDR's Rochester office was responsible for conceptual design, public
presentations, design development, construction documents, signage
design, and construction administration. EDR also produced a master
plan report, including maintenance guidelines and recommendations.
The award jury, composed of landscape architects, an architect,
engineer, and planner, selected three projects for Honor Awards of
Excellence out of 21 professional entries submitted.
Tom Robinson, of Penfield, served as EDR's project manager, with
Douglas Brackett as principal-in-charge. EDR staffers from several
disciplines (landscape architecture, environmental services,
surveying) supported the project.
Click Here to
learn more on Corbett's Glen Nature Park.
|
 |
|
| |
EDR Staffer Goes Green
|
| |
|
Sage Gerling,
of Geneva, has been certified as a LEED Accredited Professional. LEED AP is
the U.S. Green Building Council's program for Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, which distinguishes professionals who have
demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and
principles and familiarity with LEED requirements, resources, and
processes.
|
|
| |
EDR Planner Named to Board
|
| |
|
Jane Rice, of
Fayetteville, AICP was
elected to the Onondaga County Planning Federation Board of Directors.
The Onondaga County Planning Federation is an affiliation of
municipalities in Onondaga County that promotes community and
intercommunity planning. The Federation provides planning information
and training opportunities for municipal planning and zoning
officials. Jane is also the Planning Board Chair for the Village of
Fayetteville.
|
|
| |
EDR Addresses Statewide Forum
|
| |
David Crandall, Paul Fritz, and Jane Rice of EDR gave a
presentation to the 2007 Training School and Annual Meeting of
the Association of Towns of the State of New York. The talk,
attended by town officials from throughout New York State, was
held in Manhattan on February 19. Their topic was "Preserving
Rural Character/Sustaining Urban Growth:
Which Comes First?"
Click Here to view the presentation.
Nearly 200
local planners and town officials attended the forum and
addressed questions to EDR staff about their lessons learned
from planning initiatives.
View the
Poster for the presentation on "Character Defining Elements, The
Building Tools For Shaping Rural Communities."
Click Here to view the poster.
|
| |
EDR Garners ASLA Awards
|
| |
EDR Receives
ASLA Award for Scenic Trail
The New York
Upstate Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects has
recognized EDR as part of its 2006 awards program. EDR received a
Merit Award for its work on the Trenton Falls Scenic Trail. The firm
was cited for achievement in the category of Research, Historic
Preservation, and Communication.
EDR developed a master plan for a scenic trail system at a the
Trenton Falls, New York, hydroelectric facility whose grounds had
been restricted from public access for nearly 100 years. The site
features a series of dramatic waterfalls in a gorge with a rich
historical and geological history. In the mid-1800s, the site
featured a luxury hotel that made the site a tourist attraction that
rivaled Niagara Falls. The intent was to collaborate with the client
(a hydropower provider) and the town to develop an attractive,
educational, and recreational venue while ensuring public safety and
maintaining security of the hydroelectric facility. The result is a
site that is both popular and critically acclaimed (already
recognized nationally for recreational stewardship by a the National
Hydropower Association).
We developed a master plan for the scenic trail system, designed
specific safety-related features (parts of the trail border a steep
gorge), and researched, wrote, and designed interpretive panels on
the site's history, geology, and hydropower operations. EDR’s work
included trail design (including stairs, railings, cradle overlooks,
interpretive signage structure and graphics) and construction
oversight as well as text and images for interpretive signage, which
required thorough research and verification.
Other participating professionals included the town historian,
hydropower facility representatives, town officials, and a
geologist.
A number of special factors and challenges were addressed by the
project, often through innovative means. In doing so, access was
restored to a site that was previously closed to the public for
nearly 100 years.
-
Research methods included conferring with local
historians versed in oral and written history,
consulting archival materials from industry sources,
geologists, an art institute, university archives,
privately published materials, and Internet sources.
-
Two
trails are available: a one-mile stone dust primary
trail that takes visitors from the entrance to a hydro
dam overlook, and a series of wood mulch secondary
trails that allow visitors to experience nature and
scenic vistas along the gorge.
-
The
project incorporated historic concrete cradles from an
original wood stave pipeline into scenic overlooks,
preserving a historic feature and using it as a safe and
dramatic viewing area. An old path to a family cemetery
was also restored.
-
The
trail traverses steep terrain in the immediate area of
several 100-foot drop-offs to a gorge. Visitors are
protected by an extensive fencing system, well-defined
trails, and signage. Impacts to the natural environment
are minimized.
-
Collaboration/cooperation with the public facilitated
enhancements to the original master plan.
-
The
site is open on select weekends in the spring and fall,
and it has lured as many as 4,200 local and regional
visitors per weekend.Local media outlets (newspapers, TV
stations, PR firm, town web site) were instrumental in
communicating the trail's historic and recreational
value.
|
2005 Honor Award for Private Landscape Design
Savannah Dhu Lodge,
Savannah, New York
This project entailed the creation of a 5,000-acre private hunting
and fishing preserve by acquiring and developing overgrown
marshland, abandoned farms, and old gravel beds. EDR provided site
analysis, master planning, design (with site solutions for the Main
Lodge and Conference Barn, including an apple orchard and vineyard),
construction administration, surveying, and ongoing guidance on
operations and maintenance.
EDR assisted in the design for the formation of two impoundments of
water (approximately 100 acres each) and the site planning and
development of the Main Lodge situated on the center point of a
20-foot-high dam that separates the lakes. The two lakes offer
refuge for many fish and waterfowl species as well as aid in the
green energy techniques used for both the Main Lodge and Conference
Barn.
2004 Honor Award for Public Landscape Design
North Tonawanda Erie Canal Gateway Park
The project created a gateway in North
Tonawanda, NY, at the western end of the Erie Canal. EDR redesigned
600 feet of canalway, created a pedestrian promenade, and designed a
pavilion and amphitheater. Historic brick pavers were integrated into
a new parking plaza to provide aesthetic enhancement while respecting
preservation requirements. The project also features a specially
engineered 600-foot canal retaining wall. The park has been a popular
success with boaters, visitors, and area residents.
2004 Honor Award for Public Landscape Design
South Crouse Avenue – Marshall Street Streetscape Improvements
EDR designed
streetscape improvements to a unique urban/collegiate environment
adjacent to Syracuse University. The project featured the underground
placement of utilities and the design and installation of pedestrian
and vehicular brick pavement. The conversion of Marshall Street to
diagonal parking and the creation of a three-color brick pavement
pattern serve to identify and celebrate the popular business district.
Features and amenities include ornamental street light poles, street
trees, benches, trash receptacles, bike racks, bus shelter, and
information kiosks.
2004 Merit Award for Environmental Planning
Huckleberry Swamp Improvements and Permitting
EDR’s landscape
architects, environmental scientists, and surveyors coordinated
improvements for an 80-acre preserve near North Rose, New York,
between Rochester and Syracuse. The project balanced educational
access and wildlife habitat preservation at the site, managed by the
Olga Fleisher Ornithological Foundation of Rochester. The improvements
maximized accessibility within the preserve while minimizing
disturbance to wetlands and other natural features. Features include
the design and construction of a parking lot, bus loop, and gathering
space. A stonedust trail and boardwalk, along with interpretive
signage, are highlights. For the boardwalk, a unique foundation system
of helical piers allows visitors deeper access into the swamp while
reducing construction-related impacts to wetlands and surrounding
sensitive habitats. A half-mile woodland trail system that links to
the wetland boardwalk system is currently under development.
2004 Merit Award for Public Landscape Design
The Vineyard – Rochester Community Garden
EDR provided site
analysis, conceptual design, public presentations, collaboration with
local artisans, and construction oversight for a 2.7-acre parcel in
the heart of Rochester. The community garden is the city’s only
remaining agricultural land and serves as a cornerstone for
neighborhood revitalization. Site features include a sculpture garden
for community artists, lighting, seating, signage, a restored historic
grape arbor, a gazebo, and entryway. The community gardens provide
fresh organic produce for local urban residents, restaurants, and
markets. The project also offers multiple educational opportunities
for students and the public.
|
|
|
|
EDR
Planning Effort Seeks to Revitalize Corridor
|
EDR is assisting the
Town of Greece (NY) in developing a corridor plan for Dewey Avenue.
Working with a task force of residents and town officials, the
firm's Rochester staff, headed by landscape architect Tom Robinson,
is focusing on ways to refresh an area from the Rochester city line
to Latta Road. Public input is being sought through the Town of
Greece's Department of Constituent Services at (585) 225-2000 and at www.greeceny.gov.
Robinson manages a variety of EDR projects, including streetscape
improvements, parks and trails, and site development. He can be
reached at roch@edrpc.com or at (585) 271-0040.
|
|
|
EDR Project Gains National and International
Recognition
|
|
An
EDR project is featured in the June 2005 issue of Landscape
Architecture, the magazine of the American Society of Landscape
Architects (ASLA). In "Design for Food," an Editor's
Choice article on the role that landscape architects play in city
farms, the Vineyard urban agriculture project receives prominent
mention. The Vineyard is a 2.7-acre community garden in the heart of
the city of Rochester. EDR provided site analysis,master planning,
conceptual design, public presentations, local collaboration, and
construction oversight services for the project.
Site features include a community sculpture garden, seating,
signage, a restored historic grape arbor, and a gazebo. The
community gardens at the Vineyard provide fresh organic produce for
local residents, restaurants, and markets. The facility also offers
community educational opportunities.
The article, by Lorraine Johnson, notes that the hiring of a
landscape architecture firm for projects of this nature has helped
community backers to raise funds. The piece offers quotes from
project manager Tom Robinson and features graphics by Nadine
Soubotin and site photos in full color, with full attribution to EDR.
The article also highlights an urban farm project in Toronto.
EDR received a 2004 Merit Award for excellence in public landscape
design from the New York -- Upstate Chapter of ASLA for the Vineyard
project.
|
|
