Dickinson College Admissions House and Quarry

At the Admissions House on the Dickinson College campus, the desire was for an absolute minimum area of traditional lawn around the building. The activities of the admissions staff indicated they might need more lawn than was planned. As a compromise, a turf type was selected that could either be mowed to allow for events, or – if allowed to grow without mowing – would still look attractive and be a believable addition to the landscape rather than just appearing as unkempt lawn. A more traditional – yet native – garden design was the goal for the other plant selections on the site.

The Quarry project (Althouse) is a great example of how the sustainable approach to site grading and planting was put to work in managing storm water runoff. The landscape design – which conveys the sense of a lush, green retreat in the midst of the borough – also functions as a system whereby roof and paving runoff is recharged into the ground and purified before moving off site when runoff exceeds what can be infiltrated.