Wolf Lighthall's 20,000 s/f bioswale at Cornell University honored by Society for College and University Planning

A 20,000 s/f bioswale at Cornell University, designed by Tobias Wolf of Wolf Lighthall, has received 2013 Honor Award for Excellence in Landscape Architecture from the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP). Designed in concert with Cornell Plantations' Nevin Welcome Center, the bioswale greets visitors to Cornell's botanical garden while cleansing runoff, recharging ground water, and providing habitat for native birds and pollinators. The design and construction team for the Nevin Welcome Center and the bioswale included Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, T. G.Miller, P.C., Welliver McGuire Inc., and landscape architect Irene Lekstutis. Wolf, who authored Plantations' master plan and designed the bioswale while a senior associate at Halvorson Design, is a principal at Wolf Lighthall Landscape Architecture + Planning. Cornell Plantations' executive director, Don Rakow, writes, "What truly distinguishes this project is its integration of engineering, horticultural, and landscape architectural approaches into a system that accommodates both large and small rain events while receiving visitors in a gracious and welcoming manner. Since its original planting in fall 2011, the bioswale has become one of Plantations' most popular gardens." The Nevin Welcome Center and the bioswale have been featured in GreenSource Magazine and Canadian Architect Magazine. The project has received LEED Gold certification from the USGBC and has won the Award of Excellence from AIA New York State. The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) is a community of senior higher education leaders who are responsible for the integration of planning on their campuses and the professionals who support them. Cornell Plantations is the botanical gardens, arboretum, and natural areas of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.