Sustainable Sites Initiative

Mann Library Courtyard

Size & Type of Project:
Less than 1 acre; Greyfield

Location:
Ithaca, NY

Budget:
$9,050

Project Phase:

Completed April 29, 2008

Project Overview

The Mann Library Courtyard Project was a Horticultural and Landscape Architecture class project at Cornell University. The project took an underutilized urban site on the campus and refurbished the space to make a more inviting place for students to use.  First, the course instructors met with faculty from adjoining buildings who were interested in making the space useable for informal social interaction and outdoor meetings.  Faculty discussed some of the site limitations caused by underground utilities and came up with spaces to focus on with the class. These faculty members also reviewed the class designs and helped decide the final project footprint.  The most important challenge was eliminating site waste during the construction process.  Next was choosing plant material suitable for the location and third was minimizing transportation.  Since completion, students and university staff actively use the site for studying and lunch breaks.

Site Context

Ithaca sits on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, in central New York State.  The city and surrounding area consists of rolling hills, forests, deep gorges, and waterfalls.  Deciduous trees dominate the natural vegetation of the Ithaca area, which is northern temperate broadleaf forest.  Ithaca experiences a moderate continental climate, with cold, snowy winters and sometimes hot and humid summers.  Ithaca receives an average of 36 inches of rainfall a year, half of which is in the form of snow.  The average winter temperature is 22 degrees Fahrenheit while the average summer temperature is 69 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cornell University was founded in 1865 and is a member of the Ivy League.  Prior to 1865, the land was used for agriculture.  At present, the campus comprises 745 acres and overlooks both the town and Cayuga Lake.

Sustainable Practices

Reuse and recycling of construction materials:
Because of the established relationship between the professors and the University, the waste from the project was mitigated, and the majority of the added material (130 yards of soil) came from a site less than 1/2 mile away.  This soil was a byproduct of other construction on the Cornell campus.  During construction, 13.4 tons of pavers and bricks were removed as well as 130 yards of gravel, conglomerate and soil (from under the pavers).  This was 100 percent  of the waste.  All of this material was re-used by Cornell University.

Use local and appropriate vegetation:  
A thorough site assessment preceded the design of the site and this served to drive the choice of plant materials.  Plants that had few disease or insect problems and that could thrive in the microclimates and soils on-site were chosen. This was a major part of the class project.  Soil under brick pavers was mostly ‘fill' and unsuited for plant growth.  Excavated soil from an on-campus construction site was brought in to replace it to a depth of 30 inches. The fill material was removed and reutilized on campus. Soil pH was 7.8 and the soil was moderately well-drained. Cornell campus compost was used to amend the soil at a rate of 50 percent by volume. Plants were chosen that were not invasive and appropriate for the site and a wide diversity of plants were used for teaching purposes and seasonal interest in the courtyard.

Reduce energy consumption during construction:
Much of the labor in renovating the site was done by hand, by the students.  Soils were moved from less than a mile away on the Cornell campus, which reduced energy consumption and the associated emissions produced from transportation. Some of the plant material was salvaged from completed field experiments and other plants were purchased or donated from a nursery about 80 miles away.

Education and Community Participation:
The design and construction of the Mann Library Courtyard was an educational endeavor and part of the course content for students at Cornell University.  Since completion of the design, a "Weeding on Wednesdays" program has been initiated, where people in surrounding buildings are encouraged to help with weeding and maintenance of the plantings.  This was successfully initiated during the 2009 growing season and 10 weeding sessions took place.  During the "Weeding on Wednesdays" sessions, the design and construction of the site was discussed. The designers also hope to incorporate interpretive signage soon.

Social Gathering Spaces:
Prior to the redesign and construction, this space was completely paved with a few potted plants. The space was not inviting to the public since there were few seats, little shade and no privacy. The completed site has gathering areas that include seating and table furnishings, which are made from local red cedar - a sustainably harvested, rot-resistant tree.  Smaller gathering spaces were designed to give a sense of privacy.  Both students and college staff now use the site actively for studying or lunch breaks.  Part of the future programming for the Mann Library Courtyard will be the installation of an outdoor coffee kiosk.

Construction Cost

Because the project was central to coursework by students, they participated in all aspects of the design, including construction.  It is estimated that 30-plus student volunteers performed 270 hours of labor. The total cost for labor would have been $4,050, if the hourly wage were $15.  Overall, the Mann Library Courtyard project was made possible chiefly by the large supply of student volunteer labor.  In addition, construction costs were further reduced due to several factors:

• Imported soil was recycled from a nearby construction site on Cornell's campus.
• Many materials, including plant material, were donated (estimated at $5,000).
• Construction waste was re-used on campus and therefore did not need to be dumped or processed at another facility.

Monitoring Information

Since completion of the design, very few problems have been encountered.  Once every two weeks, students hired for landscape maintenance during the growing season monitor plant health,  ?checking for insect or disease problems. Very few plants had pest problems. Those that did were removed.  All plantings were established after one year and were taken off irrigation at that time.

Maintenance

The garden is managed by student gardeners and maintained by campus landscape crews during the summer.  Weeding, pruning, trash removal and the occasional plant replacement are done on a routine basis.  In addition, the "Weeding on Wednesdays" sessions create a regular program of watering, weeding and pruning during the growing season. During the winter, snow plowing occurs on site

Issues/Constraints of the Site

The constraints of this class project had to do mostly with the nature of student involvement and the fact that everything had to be completed by the first week of May, which coincided with the end of classes.  Fortunately, the weather was accommodating and the timing of materials procurement and construction were a success.

Lessons Learned

There are great benefits to knowing about available resources when working within a large institution.  The designers were able to coordinate re-use of soil stockpiled on the Cornell campus while simultaneously planning for re-use of wastes generated during construction of the courtyard. Moreover, coordination of demolition and construction required regular communication with the Cornell Grounds Department so that the project could be completed within the students' limited class time frame.

More project details

http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/news-events/20080404.cfm

Project Consultants

Horticulturist/ Soils consultant
Professor Nina Bassuk, Cornell University

Landscape Architect:
Professor Peter Trowbridge, Cornell University