This is Landscape Architecture. And this is Chris Wiley, RLA.

This is Landscape Architecture. And these are our Landscape Architects.

In honor of World Landscape Architecture Month, we are highlighting what landscape architecture is and the different stages of development, from paper, to dirt, to the final product. Landscape architecture is not just an aesthetically pleasing and thoughtful planting design. It could be an entry sign design, stormwater drainage swales, paving design, or even a bus stop enclave. No matter what it is, or in what stage of the process, this is landscape architecture.

Chris Wiley, RLA, is a Senior Landscape Architect with more than 16 years of experience. He has a passion for sustainable design and is known for his thoughtful and creative integration of Stormwater Best Management Practices. These solutions include rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavers, and sub-sur face storage/infiltration to promote the filtration, retention, evaporation, infiltration, and reuse of rainwater. Through extensive involvement in the development of a project, Chris has become adept at understanding the issues that drive the overall design and has developed methods for proactively communicating these topics back to the client. This open communication between the client and designer is what he believes aids in the success of the project.

One of his most notable achievements is his work on the The Shoppes at Belmont. The Shoppes at Belmont, a 372,100 SF mixed-use development, incorporates retail, residential, and recreational uses. The project features a main street lined with retail shops, restaurants, and a central green. The in-line commercial center includes four anchor tenants, with a residential neighborhood that includes 13 single family homes and 74 townhomes lining the site’s eastern boundary.

PROJECT ELEMENTS

• 372,000 SF of commercial space
• Commercial main street, in-line center & pads
• Residential: 13 SFD & 74 townhomes
• Quarry utilized for stormwater
• Joint permit for floodplain reconfiguration/restoration
• Zoning text amendment for new use
• Navigated a complex, multi-year conditional use process
• Inclusion of the historic limekilns and quarry into the design efforts
• Quarry: extensive landscaping: sidewalk/trail network; main street sense of place with outdoor dining, entertainment
• History: cemetery, quarry, limekilns; floodplain reconfiguration/expansion

April is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM). Established by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), WLAM is a month-long international celebration of landscape architecture and designed public and private spaces. People and communities around the world have deep, long-standing personal connections to the spaces landscape architects create – they’re just not aware of it. During WLAM, ASLA and landscape architects around the world aim to demonstrate that connection by highlighting landscape architect-designed spaces.