Sidwell Friends Middle School
Landscape Performance Benefits
Environmental
- Prevents over 317,900 gallons of wastewater from entering the District of Columbia’s overburdened sewer system each year, saving $1,687 in sewer charges.
- Reduces potable water consumption by an average of 8,500 gallons per month by reusing treated wastewater to flush toilets.
- Captures 68% of rainfall from a 1-year storm, 9,820 gallons, in the green roof on the middle school addition.
- Prevented over 100 tons of material from entering landfills by using 8,000 board feet of reclaimed wood and 77.5 tons of reclaimed stone for decking, walls, and stairs.
Social
- Promotes environmental awareness with over 10,000 visitors touring the site in its first five years. Over half of these tours were led by 8th grade students.
Other Examples
Bannockburn Pollinator Gardens
The Bannockburn Pollinator Garden’s diverse array of native plants provide valuable habitat for a wide variety of local pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Brent Elementary Schoolyard Greening: Phase 1
Among other benefits, this greening project reduced daytime summer surface temperatures by an average of 23°F and air temperature by 9°F by replacing 1,500 sf of asphalt play surface with a rain garden.
Glenstone Landscape
The transformative Glenstone Landscape project represents the intersection of ecological and social productivity, and serves as a monument to the region’s natural morphology.
Knollwood Life Retirement Green Infrastructure
The Knollwood Life Retirement Home’s rain garden and stormwater pond reduce the negative impact of stormwater runoff on local waterways by capturing and cleaning an estimated 2.2 million gallons a year.
New York Times Building, Lobby Garden
The New York Times Building’s Lobby Garden encapsulates the Hudson River Valley woodland landscape in a micro-climate featuring native birch trees and a moss garden.
Sidwell Friends Middle School
This renovation and addition to a 50-year-old school building extended the learning environment into the landscape with a green roof, outdoor classroom, biology pond, butterfly meadow, and Washington DC’s first constructed wetland.
At a Glance
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Designer:
Andropogon Associates -
Location:
3825 Wisconsin Avenue NW Washington, District Of Columbia 20016 -
Size:
1.5 acres -
Project Type:
School/University Wetland creation/restoration -
Climate Zone:
Humid subtropical -
Budget:
$4 million -
Former Land Use:
Institution -
Completion Date:
2007