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We provided site and landscape architectural design for the following projects:
HEALING GARDENS, Family Services, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
A Silver level LEED certified project
Family Services of Winston-Salem, NC has been providing services to the community for over 100 years. In 2008, they were able to construct a new facility to house their support services. This new building is the first LEED certified building in the city of Winston-Salem. It was the concept of Sweetgrass Design to continue the healing that was taking place inside the facility in the gardens, and create the gardens to have an educational component.
The healing/support concept was to begin as the users, clients and staff would enter the property off Broad Street, as they park, move through the parking lot, or as they wait for their appointments.
As their was no real budget to fund the construction of this garden, the design was manipulated in such a way that the entire garden design was one landscape, all incorporating plants native to the state of North Carolina. The spaces in the garden were divided into 17 “adoptable” gardens with a path that accesses all the parts of the garden.
All of the states best garden experts collaborated to refine the plant selections, based on local knowledge of plant performance, and plant availability.The gardens are being installed as they are adopted. The signature garden is the water garden that is located to maximize the view for those in the waiting room.
THE PLAINS OF AIKEN, Aiken, South Carolina
A high end equestrian development in historic, Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken, SC has a long and illustrious history of horse and equine racing and support. The Plains of Aiken project is a private, high end residential development done by MacMillan and Associates. The concept for Plains is to replicate something of the Virginia countryside and to honor the traditions in architecture and polo in Aiken. The entry feature was designed to use those foundations in the arches, iron gates, sculptures, and design materials.
The roads in the development will be the red dirt of the native soil, with the exception of the bridge abutments and the entries. These are concrete, but are colored to replicate the color of the dirt roads abutting the paved areas.
Sweetgrass Design was retained to develop these concepts with Karl MacMillan, and to prepare photo-manipulations to assist in sharing the design concepts with the future property owners, as well as the financing of the project.
Further, we prepared the design development and construction documents, planting plans, and assisted in construction observation review.
FRENCH HUGUENOT CHURCH, Charleston, South Carolina
Renovations for the Cemetary, and 44 Queen Street Courtyard
We work with the French Huguenot Church to update and renovate the historic Cemetary, and to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the courtyard of 44 Queen Street, which the Church uses for parties, and gatherings.
There are approximately 30,000 visitors a year to these facilities.
The church is over 300 years old, and is still on its original site in the City. Several years ago, the mansion house across the street from the church at 44 Queen Street was purchased as a meeting facility and church offices location.
Both the garden at 44 Queen, and the Cemetary needed to be renovated.
MAGNOLIA PLANTATION AND GARDENS, Charleston, South Carolina
Magnolia Plantation is Americas oldest landscaped gardens, first planted in the early 1700's, and has been under the direction of the same family in all the years since. They are world famous for their collection of ancient Magnolias, Camellias and Azaleas which grace the gardens and grounds of the facility located on the Ashley River in Charleston.
We are skilled at grant writing, and provide this service for various projects of Magnolia, to include web site development for the African-American Cultural Heritage Center, also for the restoration of the historic slave cabins, and the work of the Gardens with Ancient Camellias and the Great Gardens of America Preservation Alliance.
BIG CANOE RESORT, Big Canoe, Georgia
Environmental Guidelines
Big Canoe is a resort in northeast Georgia dedicated to the preservation of the native environment. Our services, with Sara Edi's former firm, Livingston & Associates, included the development of environmental guidelines to be used by homeowners and landscape architects while developing ideas for the landscape of the new properties. This guide was helpful in identifying the appropriate plants suitable for each micro-habitat and their maintenance requirements.
We also developed a wildflower program for the golf course to turn out-of-play areas into habitat for wildlife. All entrances to neighborhoods were landscaped with plants native to Big Canoe.
AYLESBURY FARMS & Chatelaine Park, Alpharetta, Georgia
Site Design, Upscale Townhome Residential
The design services for Dominion Development Corporation provided by Sara Simmons-Fife involved creating an
image for the development to be used as a marketing strategy. She incorporated the theme of wildflowers as
the main focus of design to be used while developing their projects.
Aylesbury Farms and Chatelaine Park
The design concept for this project was to use wildflowers to create a prairie-like expression of color. Our goal was to emotionally separate the home owner from a busy life in Atlanta, and immerse them in a colorful and natural landscape. All streets at Aylesbury Farms are named after wildflowers. The flower beds are inundated with native grasses and wildflowers, and the banks and roadsides were sown with seed. Approximately 12,000 container wildflower plants were installed at Aylesbury Farms and 3,000 at Chatelaine Park.
In May, 1996, Dominion Development Corporation and Sara Simmons-Fife were awarded by the National Association of Home Builder’s “Pillars of the Industry” 1st Place for the “Best Luxury Multi-Family Housing Development” project in the United States.
CHICK FIL A RESTAURANTS, various locations, Colorado
Site Design
The members of Sweetgrass while with our former firm, MDG, provided the landscape architectural services to corporate Chick-Fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia for several restaurants built in Colorado. The locations were at Federal Plaza in Federal Heights, Flat Irons inBoulder, Thorn Creek in Thornton, Crown Point in Parker, and Jefferson Village in Littleton. All the plants used at the Parker location were plants native to Colorado, and emphasis was given to creating habitat for wildlife.
For each of these projects, we collaborated with a local engineering firm in Denver to produce construction
drawings, irrigation plans and sketches required for PUD permitting within the various local municipalities in
which the facility was located.
Further, we followed the local requirements and recommendations of each municipality for using plants required
by them and prepared Landscape Maintenance Manuals for each location in response to the plants and design
of each.
FOX RUN DEVELOPMENT, Fort Collins, Colorado
Theming
While with our former firm, MDG, we participated as part of the design team for this 120 acre mixed use development in Greeley, Colorado. Her role began in the final plat/processing phase of the project. The theming for the community was developed and incorporated into a set of contract documents. This included signage, fencing and other site elements as well as streetscape and neighborhood park design.
The Fox Run Development Project resulted in permanent disturbances to existing wetlands that were subject to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permitting process. As a condition of the permit, a mitigation/monitoring plan was established to compensate for the loss of wetlands and to provide guidance to ensure the long-term success of the mitigated site. MDG, Inc.’s staff biologists/ecologists are providing all environmental services related to the monitoring program, including consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
CAMP GEORGE WEST, Denver, Colorado
Signage Package
Camp George West is a facility in Golden that houses a variety of State Departments including the Colorado State Patrol, the Forestry Department, the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado Department of Corrections. The challenge was to develop a theme for the signage that would identify each department as well as provide directions to each departments offices or facilities for the postal service.
We worked with the General Support Services to design the signs, stanchions and maps for the project while with our former firm, MDG.
T-REX TRANSPORTATION PROJECT, Denver, Colorado
Federal Highways Transportation Enhancement
The project known as T-REX, the Transportation Enhancement Project, began May 17, 2001 in metro Denver along I-25 and I-225. This project was set into action to reduce the pressing problem of congestion along the southeast corridor. The primary goal of this project was to retrofit wider bridges and add additional lanes of traffic within the interstate systems, and to increase the distance of the light rail transit route to include 13 new stations.
This project was a product of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in partnership with the Regional Transportation District (RTD.) They worked together to pursue local and federal funding for the T-REX project, obtaining a budget of 1.67 billion dollars, the third largest budget for a single transportation project in DOT history.
The design-build effort was headed by Kiewitt-Parsons.
We were part of the Urban Aesthetics Design Team, along with two other landscape architecture firms, for this enormous urban project. The design team was responsible for developing the collection of plant palettes to be used for the entire southeast corridor. The team worked together to create the “look” of the interstate amenities, including the texture, color and styles of the walls, bridges, railings, and lighting.
We, while with our former firm, MDG, were solely responsible for the landscape design along the I-25 corridor from Broadway Avenue to Franklin Street and the two light rail stations located within, a section otherwise knows as “the Narrows.” We coordinated with all disciplines, including structural, electrical, civil, sculptors, and traffic engineers to develop a plan that was attractive, low maintenance, and compatible with all other areas of design work. This project involved participation from citizens, community leaders, politicians, environmentalists, regulatory agencies, developers, educators, and fund-raisers.
