Verdant Temple / Landscape Master Plan
Comprehensive planning for a verdant and vibrant campus.
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Client: Temple University
Size: 400 acres
Project status: Study completed 2015
Project team: Ground Reconsidered (prime), WRT, The Lighting Practice, Morris Arboretum, Cloud Geshan Associates, Duffield Associates, Inc., Nelson/Nygaard, Becker & Frondorf
Ground Reconsidered led a multi-disciplinary consultant team in the development of a comprehensive unifying vision for Temple University’s main campus that included the key campus landscape elements of mobility, public art, lighting, stormwater management, planting, signage and wayfinding. Design guidelines were incorporated into the Master Plan to inform future projects by providing standards to create a consistent public realm and continuous campus palette. The plan detailed strategies for improvement to the campus landscape, and included a prioritized action plan to guide an achievable phased implementation.
The effectiveness of the plan is manifested through the creative, thoughtful, logical, and comprehensive application of the landscape systems in the design of new projects which address the various plan priorities. GR was subsequently retained for the redesign of Wachman Plaza and a central segment of Liacouras Walk. Liacouras Walk is one of two major pedestrian walks on campus and our transformative plan establishes an iconic primary campus walk that is beautiful and works to infiltrate stormwater. The entry forecourts of adjacent buildings were also redesigned to be more gracious and connected to the campus fabric.
