The Nitsch Eng. team’s design for the DC Water Green Infrastructure Challenge has been selected as one of the winners of the planning and design phase of the competition.
Working in partnership with Urban Rain|Design, Nitsch Eng.’s proposal for Kennedy|Greened: A Neighborhood Green Street Project includes six green infrastructure strategies that can be replicated throughout urban corridors across the District of Columbia. The design competition is now moving into Phase II, which will involve more in-depth design to determine which of the winning designs will enter construction.
The DC Water Green Infrastructure Challenge asked firms to design innovative solutions that absorb storm water before it enters the combined sewer system. To meet this goal, Nitsch Eng. and Urban Rain|Design proposed improvements for Kennedy Street that integrate six different landscape and storm water strategies: new street trees, lawn conversion, pavers with Landscape Infiltration Gaps (LIGs), storm water curb extensions, grated landscapes, and sub-surface storage/infiltration.
Environmental art installations by artist Stacey Levy integrate and draw attention to these functional storm water features, raising awareness of storm water movement, treatment and storage. The design further promotes “complete street” concepts by using curb bump-outs, sidewalk crossings, sharrows and boardwalks to create a streetscape that is safe and comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
“We anticipate that our plan for Kennedy Street will eliminate 545,000 gal of storm water from entering the combined sewer system annually, will improve water quality, and will minimize urban heat island effects,” said Nicole Holmes, P.E., LEED AP BD+C, and Nitsch Eng. green infrastructure project manager. “Just as important, our design will benefit the community by raising awareness and advocacy of green infrastructure, and by creating a shared street that is safer and more pleasant for all roadway users: public transit vehicles, automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians.”
The team includes Nitsch Eng. as the design engineer and principal consultant; Urban Rain|Design as the landscape architect; Stacy Levy as the artist; and Raymond Papa as the graphic designer.
To view the team’s submission, as well as those of the other six winners, visit http://dcwater.com/greenchallenge.
Source: Nitsch Eng.
