Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Conceptual Site Design 2014 - 2018
Discovery Center
2017 Award of Honor
in Unbuilt Work, AIA Pennsylvania Chapter 2017 Award of Honor
in Unbuilt Work, AIA Philadelphia Chapter
After being off-limits for decades, the West basin within Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park has finally become accessible to the public again. This 37 acre reservoir was originally built in 1889 to provide the city of Philadelphia with clean drinking water. After being decommissioned as a water supply, spontaneous vegetation grew thickly along the levees, allowing the basin to evolve into an ecologically unique and incredibly important stopover for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. Within this rich ecological, cultural, and infrastructural history, the National Audubon Society and Philadelphia Outward Bound School joined forces to establish the Discovery Center, an urban wildlife sanctuary that provides education, research, and leadership development.
Design strategies for the landscape operate at two interrelated scales of time. The immediate design intent is to carefully provide public access to this unique ecological infrastructure while continuing to protect critical habitat for birds and other wildlife, especially during nesting season. The long term strategy is to direct a growing gaggle of volunteers to slowly and deliberately transition the existing plant communities into more diverse, more resilient, and more beneficial habitat for migrating and resident wildlife. The Discovery Center offers researchers and visitors alike the opportunity to better understand Philadelphia’s cultivated wilds.
Collaboration with DIGSAU Architects,
Ground Reconsidered
Landscape Architects
