Landscape Architect’s Role in Renewable Energy, Green Roofs, etc.

In my limited and humble experience in the professional world, less ‘sustainable’ projects in general are what have been keeping us afloat. McDonalds, Drive-thru Coffee, Taco Shops, Gas Stations, and even…Oil and Gas Drilling.

I have worked on a few site plans for oil/gas as well as a site plan for ‘sustainable energy uses’ ie PV/Solar, but the drill was pretty much the same–limited budget, meet minimum requirements per code, etc.

I’m sure there are more prestigious energy projects out there, and those I listed are probably unlikely to be those that you are referring to, but perhaps this is the reality. Oil and Gas is still going strong in my neck of the woods, as are cheap and dirty. I’m sure we’ve all heard what a great years McDonalds had last year.

@Christina, I’ve toured green roofs. That was the first thing I thought of when I read Ryan’s post. The MNU Landscape Arboretum has recently completed a large geothermal project which involves routing the pipes through the main parking lot. http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/geothermalheatingandcooling.aspx

There is a lot of interest in geothermal systems at the local home and garden shows. Landscape architects and designers could benefit from relationships with these companies and offer professional advice for aesthetic placement of the underground pipes. A home in my neighborhood had their system routed through the whole front and side yard and covered it with sod. There was no planning for trees, shrubs or patio and the lot looks barren.

There are really quite a lot of boundary-pushing technologies out there for sustainability…but they require at least a basic understanding of science and engineering to utilize them effectively in landscape architecture. In my experience, many instructors will encourage students to consider using solar panels, wind turbines, green roof systems, etc., without giving the students an effective understanding of how these technologies work.

I’ve seen countless student presentations that incorporate solar panels (either as roofing replacement or shade structures), and not one of them could tell me how much power their installation would actually generate.

Everything starts from where people go first to get whatever type of work they need done designed. Any time that we have expectations to be a part of something we need to be realistic as to not only what we can do, but where in the process we actually fit in from the client’s perspective. I believe that it is unrealistic to expect anyone to contact a landscape architect at the beginning of a wind turbine project or solar farm. We can definitely contribute when there is more to the project than just energy infrastructure, but I’m not sure how having more knowledge of green energy is going to make a difference in getting that work.

Electric utility companies and manufacturers of the energy plant (turbines or panels) are going to be contacted first. Their people will be involved in site selection, civil engineers/surveyors will be brought in next to finalize the location(s) and design or assist in designing the infrastructure to make it all work and get through permitting. That won’t change if landscape architects get more education focused on green energy.

The only thing left is integrating the infrastructure into the context in which it is being built. That is something that we are already trained and experienced in. This is where opportunity is for landscape architects in green energy. It won’t be on every project, just the ones where the context of the site goes beyond infrastructure.

I would really hate to see the education of landscape architects get spread thinner and thinner by concentrating on areas where we simply are not going to be positioned to benefit from that added burden. Universities will eat it up because it gives them a whole new demographic to add to their enrollment, but I don’t believe they’ll be scooped up to work in renewable energy.

Green roofs are another story altogether. I’m not sure that this is really a green energy issue or just an aesthetic and PR segment of the green revolution. Is it a big market or just that every green roof project gets lots of press? I don’t know. It might be great if one or two universities made a specialized curricullum for it, but making it a big issue with a lot of time devoted to it in every LA program would be a very questionable direction in my opinion.

Wind turbine projects are not even a boon for civil engineers. I have worked on several in a couple of different CE offices. We are pretty much left with making a topo plan of the already selected site, fitting the pre-designed turbine where they want it, drawing a basic site plan, the construction staking, and an as-built plan. That is it.