DIVISION S SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN GUIDELINES
DIVISION SSUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN GUIDELINESINDEXS.1GENERAL .2S.2BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE .3S.3SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN PRINCIPLES 3S.4COMPLIANCE . 7S.5DESIGN PROCESS REQUIREMENT . 8S.6PRE-DESIGN SITE ASSESSMENT . 9S.7SITE CONTEXT – PITTSBURGH CAMPUS 10S.8SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN – WATER . 14S.9SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN – SOILS 16S.10SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN – VEGETATION AND PLANTING 17S.11SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN – MATERIALS AND HARDSCAPE 23S.12SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN – HUMAN HEALTH AND WELL BEING 24S-13REGIONAL CAMPUSES 26APPENDIX A. PENNSYLVANIA INVASIVE PLANT LIST . 28APPENDIX B. RECOMMENDED NATIVE PLANT LIST . 31APPENDIX C. DEFINITIONS 36APPENDIX D. PENNSYLVANIA ECOREGIONS MAP . 40APPENDIX E. PITTSBURGH – OAKLAND CAMPUS LANDSCAPES MAP 41APPENDIX F. OAKLAND CIVIC CENTER MAP 4204/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-1
DIVISION SSUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN GUIDELINESS.1GENERALA.The University of Pittsburgh is dedicated to achieving a unified, safe,sustainable campus landscape at the Pittsburgh Oakland campus, and at thefour Western Pennsylvania regional campuses, including the PymatuningLaboratory of Ecology. These sustainable landscape design guidelines will helplead to the creation of campus landscapes that reflect the core values of theUniversity, including a commitment to the health and well-being of theUniversity community, the wise stewardship of its natural systems, a unifiedcampus aesthetic brought about by integrating intrinsically beautiful naturalsystems into the dynamic, urban and suburban campus conditions, and bycreating harmony with the historical architecture and culturally significantlandscapes and places that comprise the University of Pittsburgh.B.At the discretion of the University Of Pittsburgh Facilities Management Division,designers may be required to collaborate with the University in seeking SITEScertification, http://www.sustainablesites.org/certification for specificprojects. In addition, other sustainable initiatives, such as LEED (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design), http://www.usgbc.org/leed, Living BuildingChallenge and Living Community Challenge (International Living FuturesInstitute), https://living-future.org may be considered.C.These guidelines are not prescriptive, but, rather provide the designer with aframework of best practices and performance goals to create sustainablelandscape design outcomes rather than prescribe specific solutions andtechnologies. The designer shall comply with these guidelines in the design ofexterior landscapes at the Pittsburgh Oakland Campus, and the regionalcampuses at Bradford, Johnstown, Titusville, and Greensburg, and thePymatuning Laboratory of Ecology. On some projects certain guidelines may ormay not apply. In these cases the designer shall confirm which guidelines areapplicable to specific projects with Facilities Management’s designated projectmanager and the Senior Manager of Grounds.D.These guidelines apply to design of landscapes only. Sustainable guidelines forconstruction activities, and operation and maintenance are not included in thescope of this document.04/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-2
S.2S.3BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPEA.Promote the University and attract and retain students and staff.B.Conserve water, improve storm water management and soil health.C.Attract pollinator insects and create wildlife habitats.D.Reduce heat island effect by increased shade from tree canopies.E.Increase biodiversity and biomass through use of native plants.F.Reduce use of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides.G.Reduce landscape maintenance costs.H.Improve air quality and sequester carbon.I.Provide edible plants for food.J.Improve mental and physical health and well-being.K.Create a living laboratory and outdoor classrooms for collaborative research.L.Return benefits in the form of goods and services from healthy ecosystems,such as clean air and water, and healthy soil.M.Project an image, vis-a-vis first impressions of the campus, of a caring,welcoming, innovative campus with a vision that includes sustainability.N.Improve building energy efficiency.O.Make a positive impression on alumni and donors.P.Demonstrate innovative sustainable practices.SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN PRINCIPLESA.Do no harm by avoiding changes to the site that will degrade the naturalenvironment and promote reuse and improvement of sites with previousdisturbance or development. Minimize site disturbance including earthwork andgrading. Ensure future resource supply and mitigate climate change byconserving water, eliminating pollutants, and recycling.B.Do not create risk to human and environmental health (the PrecautionaryPrinciple). Examine options, even if it means taking no action.C.Support local sustainability policies and practices.04/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-3
D.Let the principles of sustainability guide design decisions. Strive to supportpreservation, conservation, and regeneration. Maximize the benefits ofecosystem services by preserving existing environmental features, conservingresources, and regenerating lost or damaged ecosystem services.E.Support a living process: A rain garden with plants and healthy soil cleans andrecharges pollutant laden runoff better than a storm sewer system.F.Consider regenerative systems that provide future generations with asustainable environment. Encourage biodiversity; provide multiple ecosystemservices such as cleaning air and water, providing habitat for plants, pollinatorinsects and wildlife, as well as storing carbon.G.In surface parking lots strive to increase planting areas beyond municipalrequirements to provide more pollinator plantings and bee nesting areas, anduse storm water collection systems such as bioswales and vegetated islands toimprove storm water management.H.Collaborate with the University Facilities Management Division in the designdecision process. The University shall determine the make-up of user groupswho may participate in the design process such as: University staff, students,community groups, municipal and state officials, and other stakeholders.I.Promote opportunities for education and research in sustainable land care,green infrastructure, and native plants. Utilize interpretive signage to educatethe campus community and general public on sustainability practices.J.Respond to principles of Biophilia (Pittsburgh is a Biophilic City)(http://biophiliccities.org/): Focus design on aspects of the natural world thathave contributed to human health and productivity. Connect the humaninherent need to affiliate with nature in the built environment. Exploreinclusion of art in the landscape sensitive to harmony with natural systems.K.Respond to principles of permaculture by developing opportunities forpermanent edible landscapes. Strive to create food forests using native treesand shrubs such as: paw paw, persimmon, serviceberry, hazelnut, blueberry,strawberry, hickory, black walnut, American chestnut, black chokeberry,American plum, New Jersey tea, and indigenous viburnums.L.Consider the principles of the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability (people,planet, profit) in making design decisions (John Elkington, "Towards the SustainableCorporation: Win-Win-Win Business Strategies for Sustainable Development," California Management Review36, no. 2 (1994): 90–100.):1.04/05/2017People – promote health and happiness, refuge, attraction ofprospective students, relationship to adjacent neighborhoods and theCity, crime prevention, traffic calming.Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-4
M.2.Planet - consider environmental impacts on the site; look at health ofecosystems, biodiversity, environmental pollutants such as ozone,Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, excessive soil nutrients, solid andhazardous waste management, invasive/noxious plants, impact onmunicipal infrastructure, storm sewer overflow.3.Profit – examine the cost of excessive landscape maintenance, energyusage, cost of unnecessary chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides,water usage. Look at cost of underemployment, job growth, jobcreation, taxes.Promote functional plantings that provide shade to buildings and pavement,screen offensive views and frame quality views, direct pedestrian movement,block unfavorable winds and direct favorable winds. Select plants that requireminimal pruning, cutback, and replanting.1.Where appropriate, plant trees in staggered groups and groves to mimicnatural woodland conditions. Honor and compliment historical designstyles of architecture and landscape architecture as directed byUniversity of Pittsburgh Facilities Management.2.Limit large masses of single plant species.3.Strive for a rich, diverse, composition of plants including canopy trees,understory trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Maximize the typesand numbers of understory, shrub and herbaceous/grass planting attransitional edge/ecotone conditions between woodlands and meadowsor lawns.N.Strive to create a unified aesthetic, with emphasis on simplicity, andcontextual relationships to both the dynamic, urban environment of thePittsburgh Oakland campus and the rural/suburban environments of theregional campuses, as well as the existing campus architecture and othercampus cultural and landscape settings.O.Strive to design landscapes that are easily maintained using the principles ofsustainable landscape maintenance, such as NOFA (Northeast Organic FarmAssociations of Connecticut) Standards for Land Care(http://www.nofamass.org).Reduce complex, time consuming maintenanceprocesses and methods.P.Strive to design a cost-effective landscape that addresses life-cycle costs.Q.Use high quantities of native flowering perennials with large, vibrant, colorfulflowers to maximize the visual impact of native plantings, especially from lateApril to early May and in mid to late August when Pitt students, families,04/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-5
visitors, and prospective students are more likely to experience the outdoorlandscape.R.Support design decisions that reduce use of tall plants around foundation ofbuildings, especially where plants are a hindrance to the view of exceptionalarchitecture. Do not obstruct windows or doors with plantings.S.Consider reducing the use of plants for hedges that require excessive trimming.Separate plantings from walkways with appropriate plants that will not grow toimpede pedestrian movement.T.Strive to protect and enhance University of Pittsburgh campuses’ ecosystemservices which include goods and services of direct or indirect benefit such as:1.Local and global climate regulation (shading, windbreaks, carbonsequestration).2.Air and water cleansing (reduce pollutants in air and water).3.Conservation and management of water and storm water runoff on site(improve ground water recharge).4.Control of soil erosion and protection of soil.5.Providing pollinator plantings for reproduction of plants and crops.Strive for 20% of planting area allotted for bee nesting habitat.6.To increase ecosystem stability, protect existing wildlife habitat andcreate appropriate wildlife cover such as: non-hazardous snags, logs,dry-stacked stone walls, birds and bat houses, brush shelters, beenesting blocks and boxes, and sand piles.7.Encourage waste decomposition services through natural microbialactivity and composting that recycle nutrients to soil on site.8.Enhance human well-being through interaction with nature.9.Produce food, fuel, and medicinal materials for human health fromplants.U.Review planting design concepts and designs with Campus Architect, ProjectManager, Senior Manager of Grounds, and the University of Pittsburgh Police forsafety and crime prevention goals.V.Encourage the planting of deer resistant plants where necessary, particularly atregional campuses where destructive deer browsing is more likely. Control04/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-6
mosquitos by grading and design that eliminates standing water conditionswithin the minimum mosquito breeding cycle of four days.S.4W.Strive to create an ecological “sense of place” based on the plants and rocksconspicuously identifiable as endemic to the local region. For example at theOakland campus in Pittsburgh and the Greensburg campus, white oak, beech,sycamore, and fossiliferous Ames limestone and Pottsville quartz sandstone foruse in hardscape (walls and pavement) would invoke an identifiable sense ofplace. Similarly, hemlock, beech, sugar maple, black birch, black cherry andLoyalhanna limestone would be identifiable with Johnstown, Bradford andTitusville regional campuses.X.Include in the landscape design documents the requirement to enforcesustainability guidelines during construction and in operation and maintenanceof sustainable landscapes. (Sustainable landscape guidelines for construction,operation and maintenance are Not included in scope of this document).COMPLIANCEA.Comply with Oakland Civic Center Designated Historic District review processesand requirements. (See map Appendix F)B.Comply with or exceed applicable ordinances for landscaping and screening,street tree standards, landscaping for parking areas, and steep slope treatmentin City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Title ).C.Honor and harmonize landscape design with historic architectural andlandscape architectural context as identified by University of PittsburghFacilities Management Division. Review all designs with University of PittsburghFacilities Management Division, Senior Manager of Grounds.D.Comply with PWSA, Allegheny County Conservation District, PennsylvaniaDepartment of Environmental Protection (DEP), and Army Corps of Engineersregulations for storm water management, Best Management Practices (BMP)and soil erosion and sedimentation pollution control.E.Respond to Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS)version 2.1 for Water Use (OP 22), Rainwater Management (OP 23), LandscapeManagement (OP9), Biodiversity (OP 10), and Campus as a Living Laboratory(AC 8).F.Respond to best practices for sustainable landscape design contained in theStandards for Organic Land Care, Practices for the Design and Maintenance ofEcological Landscapes by the Northeast Organic Farming Association.04/05/2017Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-7
G.S.5Deliver operations and maintenance manuals for specific sustainable landscapesystems to University of Pittsburgh Facilities Management Division and theSenior Manager of Grounds.DESIGN PROCESS REQUIREMENTSA.Use the latest As-Built Topographic Survey and Property Survey of the projectsite that complies with the ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects)requirements for as built topographic surveys, or as directed by University ofPittsburgh Facilities Management Division.B.Strive to assemble an integrated design team consisting of design professionalswho are knowledgeable in sustainable landscape design and constructionpractices and other professionals knowledgeable in vegetation, storm waterand hydrologic engineering, soils, landscape ecology, historic buildings,sustainable use of materials, human health and well-being (as determined bythe type of project).C.Prepare a Design Program for the project that identifies design criteria andinformation such as: a hierarchy of needs, uses, activities, circulation, spatialrelationships, and area requirements, among others, for the sustainablelandscape design project as determined by the University of Pittsburgh andother stakeholders such as students, staff, local community and others. Includeapplicable sustainable design criteria, neighborhood adjacencies, relationships,and codes. Prepare a brief program narrative that succinctly states the designproblem and objectives to solve it. Use an integrative and collaborative designapproach. Identify project sustainability principles and performance goals.D.Prepare a Site Analysis (see Pre-Design Site Assessment) that inventories thephysical (natural) systems of the site, and social/cultural systems that apply tothe project. Identify existing site factors, including but not limited to:ecosystems, vegetation, microclimate, soil, slope, drainage, wind, solarorientation, and shadows. Identify applicable pedestrian and vehicularcirculation, historical features, and use areas. (See S-6, Pre-Design SiteAssessment). Identify severe wind areas, noise and light pollution sources,traffic congestion, unsafe conditions, and drainage patterns and problem areas.Identify ecosystem services that apply to the site and prepare a brief narrativeshowing how these services can improve quality of life for students, faculty andstaff, and the general community. Develop a map of opportunities andconstraints for designing a sustainable landscape on the site.E.Prepare a Conceptual Design that synthesizes the program with theopportunities and constraints of the site analysis. Prepare a conceptual designnarrative that explains the concept.Sustainable Landscape Design GuidelinesDivision S-804/05/2017
F.S.6Prepare a design development narrative that explains the design and describesthe components and sustainable outcomes of the design.PRE-DESIGN SITE ASSESSMENTMap and assess existing site conditions and resources. Identify opportunities andconstraints for sustainable landscape outcomes. Prepare a narrative and create acomprehensive map or individual maps at the same scale and orientation for each ofthe following (where applicable):A.Site Context: Assess site location in relationship to community and connectivityincluding but not limited to: walkability, proximity to public transit, bicyclenetworks (if applicable).B.Identify opportunities to protect and improve soil, water, and vegetativeecosystem services.C.Hydrology (see Section S.8): identify existing hydrologic conditions includingbut not limited to: existing water courses, wetlands, FEMA 100-yr floodplain,topography/piped and surface drainage patterns, potential pollution sources,municipal storm water systems, and basement flooding conditions. Include dataon local precipitation amounts. Discuss opportunities and constraints to employBest Management Practices to capture and reuse rainwater.D.Soils (see Section S.9): Identify existing healthy and disturbed soils. Identifyslope gradient and orientation. Identify Soil Protection Zones that preservehealthy, permeable soils, and areas of compaction and erosion. Where feasibletest soils and assess results of laboratory analysis related to organic mattercontent, compaction, infiltration, and soil chemical and biologicalcharacteristics. (Note: for previously developed sites or brownfield sites,comply with Federal and State laws and secure a certified environmentalprofessional assessment for soil contamination testing and report on pollutionby chlorinated pesticides and herbicides, lead, arsenic, heavy metals, airborneand other pollutants. Assess impact on public health for potential users of thesite, and for on-site food production).E.Vegetation (see Section S.10): If applicable, Identify existing vegetation, nativeplant community types of EPA level III Ecoregion, and habitats for state andfederal threatened and endangered species. Inventory existing vegetationincluding native plant species and non-native plants species, invasive plants,plant communities, turf-grass and other monocultures, and data on individualtree specimens (measure tree trunk (diameter at breast he
04/05/2017 Sustainable Landscape Design Guidelines Division S-1 DIVISION S . SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN GUIDELINES . . L. Return benefits in the form of goods and services from healthy ecosystems, such as clean air and water, and healthy soil. M. Project an image, vis-a-vis first impressions of the campus, of a caring, .
What Is "Landscape Design"? Landscape design is a process, rather than just plunking down plants. For existing landscapes, let the process guide the evolution of the design to become more water wise. Landscape design creates practical and pleasing outdoor living space. Landscape design develops a series of outdoor rooms. Landscape design
2016 NHDOT Division 600 Construction Manual Link to: Division 100 Division 200 Division 300 Division 400 Division 500 Division 600 Division 700 Division 800 Division 900 Master Table of Contents 600-6 The following table list design requirements for 3750-D RCP pipe. Design Requirements For Reinforced Concrete Pipe (3) .
2 Landscape design based on research: a guide 12 2.1 The relationship between research and design in landscape architecture 12 2.1.1 Research into design 13 2.1.2 Research through design 13 2.1.3 Research for design 15 2.2 Research-based knowledge and landscape design 17 2.2.1 Evidence-based landscape architecture and design 17
campus locations' Conceptual Landscape Master Plan (CLMP) . The framework consists of the Bases of Design: Landscape Concepts and Landscape Elements. The TP/SS-CLMP, the RV-CLMP and the GT-CLMP define the landscape concepts and elements which must be followed when site and building landscape projects are designed for each campus.
2016 NHDOT Division 400 Construction Manual Link to: Division 100 Division 200 Division 300 Division 400 Division 500 Division 600 Division 700 Division 800 Division 900 Master Table of Contents 400-6 The State's Asphalt Plant Inspector should visit the commercial plant operation or portable plant as soon as it is set up and ready to operate .
2016 NHDOT Division 100 Construction Manual Link to: Division 100 Division 200 Division 300 Division 400 Division 500 Division 600 Division 700 Division 800 Division 900 Master Table of Contents 100-7 101.5 - INTRA- DEPARTMENTAL RELATIONS Harmonious working relations among all employees are essential to the efficient operation of the .
2016 NHDOT Division 700 Construction Manual Link to: Division 100 Division 200 Division 300 Division 400 Division 500 Division 600 Division 700 Division 800 Division 900 Master Table of Contents 700-5 Therefore, the inspector is obligated to know the following: Which materials must be sampled
Government Construction Strategy Implementation Report July 2012 Overview One year on from the launch of the Government Construction Strategy (the Strategy), this publication takes stock of progress to date against the targets it set for reducing the costs of construction to Government, for the reform of the industry and for fostering innovation and growth. The overarching aim is to reduce the .
