College Courtyard Wins Two ASLA Honor Awards

KEENE, N.H. — Keene State College’s Courtyard and Outdoor Learning Environment recently earned landscape architecture firm Dirtworks PC’s one of two awards from the Boston Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The courtyard was awarded in the College and University Design category for its natural science learning space at the New Hampshire College.

The design aims to redefine the landscape of education by motivating students to make them more aware of their surroundings, their place in the community and in the natural world, according to design firm officials.

Enclosed on four sides by a three-story brick and glass building, the courtyard is “aesthetically pleasing, functional, and responsive to the college’s commitment to service learning,” officials said.

The Boston chapter of the national society of landscape architects covers Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The original building was in a u-shape, which school administrators had planned on turning into an atrium.

Due to the size of the space and the difficulty in putting in a roof and the HVAC systems, they opted for an outdoor space instead — something aesthetically pleasing, but also educationally relevant, said Gordon Leversee, dean of the college’s School of Science and Social Sciences.

The courtyard was designed to connect to the natural New Hampshire landscape surrounding the urban campus, according to the dean.

Leversee said the state has a rich agricultural history dating back to the 1860s, when 90 percent of the land was pastures and fields.

After the agricultural movement moved west, the land began to go through a second growth and reforestation, with many of the fields turning into woods.

Throughout the area, traces of abandoned farm structures can still be found.

“We tried to capture in our courtyard the little microcosms of those landscape features of New Hampshire,” he said.

The area features a forest zone, a shrub zone and a grassy field for natural plant growth.
Faculty from the college’s Natural Science department worked with the firm to develop the elements that would be used for teaching, while New York-based Mitchell/Giurgola Architects worked on the design for the surrounding building.

The courtyard’s paving patterns and material represent strata and native stone types, while large boulders representing rock outcrops provide opportunities to study natural rock formations, according to the design firm.

The building serves as a giant sundial that casts shadows in the courtyard’s main walkway. The shadows align with the bronze markers indicating significant astronomical dates, such as solstices and equinoxes.

The courtyard’s plant palette was selected to represent native New Hampshire flora and plants significant in botanical evolution, firm officials said.

The space is accessible through three entrances and is frequented by students both in and out of classes, faculty and visitors.

The courtyard’s two groundwater wells are monitored by geology classes and its sidewalks are laid out in a way that reflect rock patterns that tell its geologic history.

Botany students are able to study the plants and use them as examples in their courses.

Additionally, the courtyard serves as outdoor activity space for children that come for summer classes or child development courses.

The courtyard is also a regular stop on admissions tours, he said.

“It’s a good vantage point to get a whole look at the campus and get a good idea of the sciences,” he said. “You can also read a book, catch some sun — it’s a good place to build relationships with other people on campus.”

The prime contractor on the project was Providence, R.I.-based Gilbane Building Company, with mechanical, electrical and structural work done by New Hampshire-based Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering.

The company worked with local nurseries for the landscape selection.

The $23 million project was paid for with the school’s building fund, with $19 million from the state and the remainder from C&S Wholesale Grocers through a private fundraising effort.

The 18-month project was completed in the fall of 2004.
Leversee said one challenge was figuring out how to deal with snow in the courtyard, since the area lacked much room to throw the snow.

The school built in warm water pipes and uses low-level heat to melt off the snow, which empties into a drain.

This allows the college to keep the courtyard open in the winter, have clearways for people and access all year round.

“It really is one of our places for people to see when they come to campus,” he said. “One of the things we wanted to do was make the sciences a destination and certainly the courtyard has served that purpose.”