A VISIBLE
Institution: Purdue University West Lafayette
Team Registration Num
Design Team:
Chris Curnell - Landscape Architecture and Horticulture
Ethan Fieig - Landscape Architecture and Horticulture
Harland Nadeau - Landscape Architecture and Environmental Science
Jeffery Tseng - Landscape Architecture and Horticulture
Faculty Advisor:
Yiwei Huang, Ph.D., ASLA - Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Facility Advisors:
Adam Keyster- Civil Engineer, Physical Facilities, Purdue Technology Center Aerospace
Camille Shoaf - Campus Planning and Sustainability, Purdue University
Marcus Smith - Civil Engineer, Physical Facilities, Purdue Technology Center Aerospace
Advising Team:
Aaron W. Tompson - Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Kuang Xin - PLA and LEED AP ND at Design Workshop in Chicago
Nathan Frazee - Stormwater Management Expert and PLA at Boston Parks and Recreation
Paul C. Siciliano Jr. - Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Sean M. Rotar - Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Program Chair
Abstract:
Resting on the banks of the Wabash River in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue University drains almost
all its runoff into a highly engineered stormwater management system of pipes and lines. The Wabash
is currently listed as an impaired waterway under the Clean Water Act and experiences roughly a
dozen combined sewer overflows, or CSO(s), every year. These events cause havoc on the natural
ecosystems that once thrived along the river's banks. Agriculture Mall sits on the southside of Purdue's
campus and serves as a large un-programed and underutilized space, used primarily for students
and faculty passing through during class breaks. Like many of the other malls on campus, Ag Mall
is made up of about 56 percent completely impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt. Much
of the runoff from Ag Mall's impermeable surfaces drains into the combined sewer, contributing
to these CSO events. The underutilization of the mall and lack of proper stormwater management
makes Ag Mall a prime site for redesigning and implementing green infrastructure (Gl) technologies.
This visible and interactive solution creates new spaces that not only better cater to pedestrian flow
and education of sustainable stormwater management but will also support Purdue's goals in the
50-year master plan, set to take campus completely off the combined sewer system, eliminating its
contribution to CSO events. A Visible Solution's design demonstrates a network of relevant green
infrastructure technologies, showcasing the benefits of local sustainable stormwater treatment and
allowing for education through interaction of the Gl(s) and its ecological impact.
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Regional Context:
The Midwest portion of the United States is known for being one of the largest agriculturally dense
areas in the country. This is due to the deep rich soils, a nice, even climate for growing, and the lack
of much topography change, in its current state, Indiana is nearly two-thirds covered by agriculture,
with 74 of its 90 counties having a majority of their land covered by farmland (IBR). Indiana was not
always primarily cropland, however, in the days of its statehood in 1816 Indiana had an estimated
22.4 million acres of woodland. By 1917 the state was down to less than 2 million acres of forests
and it was predicted that Indiana would be completely bare of the natural woodlands by 1932.
Preservation measures were installed, and the Indiana Forest Classification Act was enacted in
1921. Now indiana has around 4.2 million acres of woodland, a mere 19 percent of the original
woodlands that dominated Indiana's original landscape (Indiana Division of Forestry). The issue
that arises from having large woodland areas and cropland in close proximity is that the runoff from
the heavily cultivated farms starts to degrade the ecosystems and natural processes in those edge
landscapes.
On a smaller scale, the Wabash River watershed, in which Purdue is located, has been, and
continues to be, contaminated by large amounts of pollutants brought into the river system by
stormwater runoff. A study by the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation published in 2011, reports
levels of phosphorus, nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, and even E. coli that regularly exceed Indiana state
standards. Pesticide monitoring that has taken place in multiple areas of the watershed have also
reported unacceptable levels of chemicals, especially atrazine, reported at levels as high as 10
mg/L. Furthermore, tests conducted on the average suspended sediment concentration within the
river in Lafayette reported an average of 714 tons of suspended sediment moving through the river
each day. These factors, and many more, have caused a rapid and steady decline of the river's
natural habitat. Species diversity in the river has also been on a steady decline due to increased
pollution levels and severely reduced water clarity. More sensitive vulnerable species within the
river have declined and given rise to common carp and freshwater drum fish species dominating the
Wabash river outcompeting native species. Reports like this clearly demonstrate the dire need for
green infrastructure and sustainable stormwater management strategies to increase the ecological
health of the Wabash River and the surrounding communities of Lafayette, West Lafayette, and
Purdue University.
Figure 1: Watershed map showing the
relationship between the Wabash watershed,
Agriculture Mall, and the CSO outlet pipes
that lead to pollutants from Agriculture Mall
being dumped into the Wabash River after
major storm events occur
.afavette
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Site Description:
Agriculture Mall is located on the southernmost end of campus less than a five minute walk from the
heart of Purdue's main campus. Ag Mall faces many of the same stormwater management challenges
inherent to any urban site. The site is unique in its stormwater divide between the combined sewer
drains and the inlets that pipe a portion of the site's runoff to a retention pond just off campus.
Conversations with campus master planners and civil engineers revealed Purdue's 50-year master
plan, designed by Sasaki, includes plans to renovate Ag Mall and adjacent Marstellar Street to
become fully pedestrian, as well as rebuilding the Forestry Building on site. This master plan would
solve the traffic and pedestrian conflicts on the site but does not address the stormwater problem
or lack of program in the space (Figure 3). This planned campus wide renovation creates a timely
opportunity for our design intervention.
The mall's location, surrounded by both academic and residential buildings, makes this site a major
bike and pedestrian route connecting south campus up to the north parts of Ross-Aid stadium.
Situated less than a mile from the banks of the Wabash River, Ag Mall has the opportunity to use
deliberate and thoughtful design to enhance pedestrian and cyclist experiences, while visibly dealing
with the stormwater runoff in a collaborative and educational setting that shows how stormwater
should and can be treated iocally.
Figure 2: Satellite image showing	Figure 3: Rendering from Sasaki's	Figure 4: Satellite Image of
Agriculture Mall, in relation to campus	2009 Purdue Master Plan	Agriculture Mall's Existing Conditions
Site Inventory and Analysis:
Soils: Purdue's campus is situated on the Wabash floodplain and is composed of a mixture of
minerals in the sand, silt, and clay soil fractions. The parent material of the site's soil is a loamy glacial
till, moderately permeable but somewhat poorly drained with a seasonal high-water-table of 60-
100 cm. This concludes that stormwater runoff can be expected to drain within 48 hours after a rain
event, (sciencedirect) (IN gov. DNR)
Existing Vegetation: Currently, 80 trees exist on the site, many of which have been damaged by
recent construction (n=20) along S. University Street and Agriculture Mall Drive. Most of the existing
trees are not fully mature and range between 15 and 25 feet tall. The few mature trees on site include
the eight Honey Locust (Gleditsia triocanthos) trees that are situated along Agriculture Mall Drive, in
front of the Horticulture Building (n=10). These Honey Locusts are past their peak and are nearing the
end of their lifespan in this harsh urban environment. The dominant tree species throughout the site
are the Red Maple (Acer rubrum) (n=20) and White Oak (Quercus alba) (n=20), although there are
several evergreen species such as White Pine, Norway Spruce and others that are present on site as
well. While these trees should be taken into consideration, it is important to note that none of the trees
on site are particularly worth keeping, as many have damaged root systems or are well past their
peak.
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Water Flow and Drainage: Water draining to the northeast portion of the site is directed into drain
inlets that contribute to the combined sewer, meaning that the four drains on that side of the site
contribute to roughly a dozen CSO events into the Wabash River every year. The remaining ten drain
inlets on the site direct water to Harrison Pond, Purdue's retention pond that is situated just south of
campus. The current conditions of the site's drainage are engineered to immediately concentrate all
the stormwater runoff from the sidewalks and streets including: S. University Street, Agriculture Mall
Drive, Marstellar Street, and all adjacent building roofs. Once concentrated, the water is piped
underground to either the Wabash River or Harrison Pond. This highly engineered system allows for
zero minutes of visible water treatment and interaction.
Pedestrian and Vehicular Circulation: Agriculture Mall's existing conditions offer many conflicts
and areas of injury concern between walkers, cyclists, and vehicles . S. University Street is a main
route for busses and other traffic turning off from State Street. Agriculture Mall Drive, the street that
cuts directly through the site, is the main concern of Ag Mall. The way in which cars parallel park
along Agriculture Mall Drive obstructs the view of oncoming traffic from pedestrians. To make matters
worse, there is no dedicated bike lane on the site. This creates many challenges for the mall's visitors,
requiring that they keep an eye out for oncoming vehicles, bikes, joggers, or fellow visitors at all
times.
Strengths: Some of the only strengths Agriculture Mall offers are in its location on campus. The site is
surrounded by educational and research buildings, as well as apartments for student living. The open
lawn panel in the center of the current site provides a space for the College of Agriculture Olympic
games annual hog roast. This lawn also serves as an informal recreation space for students living
in the nearby apartments to use as a community backyard space. It is a prime location for students
to play with their pets, throw a frisbee, or enjoy a game of Spikeball with friends (Figures 5 and 6).
The proximity of this site to Purdue's vet school means that there are frequent dog walkers that pass
through the space daily. Pedestrian flow on the site is optimized for efficiency, allowing students and
faculty to easily move through the site to and from classes.
Figures 5 and 6: Photos of Agriculture Mall's Existing Lawn Pannel
Weaknesses: The existing site conditions present both a number of problems, as well as a number of
opportunities for great improvement. The problems lie in the way stormwater is handled, as well as
major issues with the overall current design of Agriculture Mall. These stormwater challenges can be
described in three key terms: invisibility, underutilization, and lack of identity. The existing conditions
of Ag Mall, as far as green infrastructure goes, is miniscule. The only examples being some poorly
maintained pervious pavers in front of a couple of the buildings and one system of rills and swales
around the Horticulture Building which lead to a small, insignificant rain garden. Other than those
meager green systems, the 7.8-acre site is filled with three core materials: impervious hardscapes,
lawn panels, and small areas of planted vegetation constricted to the areas immediately around
some buildings.
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Engineered Invisibility: The current stormwater management
system that Purdue uses is a massive network of pipes that
directs stormwater immediately into drain inlets, leaving
the water to be dealt with out of sight (Figure 7). Much of
Agriculture Mall contributes to this network of underground
pipes. The mall, along with much of Purdue's campus, is almost
completely devoid of any visual or physical acknowledgement
of the nearly 40 inches of average annual precipitation in
northern indiana (EPA). The only interactions a visitor may have
with stormwater management are the unsightly drain inlets,
piping much of the mall's contaminated and largely untreated
water into the Wabash River.
Figure 7: Photo of an Agriculture Mall drain
inlet that leads to the combined sewer
system
Underutilization: Agriculture Mall is an area of Purdue's
campus that is severely underutilized. The overall design of the
mall creates many pedestrian conflict points, especially with
the vehicles largely dominating the site. This negative effect the
vehicles have on the site is compounded by street side parking.
It creates a site that reads as a network of roads, dividing the
site into two island lawn panels that feel dead, uninviting, and
unprogramed. The design of the current site caters heavily
toward the convenience of vehicular travel, making Agriculture
Mall extremely unattractive to any user or passer-by. The mall
also feels disconnected from the greater campus due to its
placement on the far south side of campus. The mall's lack of
visual attractiveness, coupled with its lack of programed spaces
or supporting elements create a space that is void of students
or faculty to populate the site to draw people in and make them
want to stay.
Lack of Identity: Agriculture Mall's weaknesses provided A Visible Solution with a blank slate in which
to design a space that transforms Ag Mall into a campus open space that connects the south side
of Purdue's campus to the other existing beloved outdoor malls and gathering spaces on campus.
Whether harnmocking in the cool mist of Engineering Fountain during the warmer months (Figure
10), or studying in the outdoor plaza in front of Purdue's Wilmeth Active Learning Center (Figure 11),
Purdue has a number of large outdoor spaces that have been given an identity on campus. Using
these existing spaces on campus as inspiration we set out to design a site that has a unique identity
and provides beautiful gathering areas in the previously barren mall. A Visible Solution brings people
closer to a sustainable stormwater management system and educates the visitors on the importance
of local water treatment through green infrastructures.
Figures 8 and 9: Photos of open,
underutilized spaces in Agriculture Mall
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Figure 10: Image shows existing opportunities	Figure 11: Photo of WALC's outdoor seating and studying
for hammocking on Purdue's campus (Purdue	opportunities with a cafe area inside (Purdue University Website)
University Website)
Inspiration and Idea Evolvement:
Our design was influenced by the transition that has been so dramatic in much of Indiana. The state
has transitioned from a land that grew primarily old growth deciduous forests, to a land that has been
almost entirely dedicated to large scale production agriculture. Five of the state's counties have more
than 90% of their land area in crop fields. Nearly two-thirds of Indiana 23 million acres is farmland
(Indiana Division of Forestry). We thought it was critical to design Agriculture Mall to acknowledge
what the state has become, while also barkening back to how this land was used historically.
Within our design, there is a stark contrast between the rigid geometries that make up the plaza
spaces within the mall These plazas are formed by rectangular geometries, reinforced by rectangular
planters and thin lawn panels. These spaces are designed to represent the long linear rows of corn
and soybean fields that sprawl across much of the state. These plaza spaces therefore represent what
the landscape within Indiana has become.
The main pedestrian pathway that cuts through the mall in a curved diagonal serves as the dividing
line, drawing the boundary between the modern agricultural Indiana landscape and the historical
natural forest landscape. The rain gardens within the mall were designed to show the historic Indiana
landscape with prairies, wetlands, and dense forest. The curvilinear forms that make up the rain
gardens' boundaries and paths within the mall, minimic forms that can be found in nature. Visitors
are meant to interact with both design languages within the site and become better educated on
how they juxtapose each other. More importantly, visitors will be educated on how both disparate
landscapes can and should coexist with one another (Figure 12).
Figure 12: These are some early studies to develop a form and concept for the Agriculture Mall design
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Community Engagement:
"The viewpoints of stormwater have changed a lot over the last 100 years, through an evolution we
reach to modern day where there is much more a green infrastructure approach."
- Adam Keyster, Lead Purdue Civil Engineer
"Peel back the infrastructure, show people how water flows downhill, anything that you can do to
turn it into a living laboratory. Reach into some of these other surrounding programs and pull some
learning exhibits into the space."
- Aaron W. Tompson, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Community engagement is an important piece of the development and overall implementation of
the proposed design. Our team found it very valuable to reach out to students and faculty within the
College of Agriculture and beyond that regularly use the space, asking for their input. The idea of
an outdoor living lab, designed with the intent of education and beautification of the mall was the
resounding comment from both groups. Our team reached out in the early stages of our conceptual
design process, to ensure we incorporated their ideas into our final design.
This project is designed to celebrate and utilize the many benefits of stormwater treatment through
green infrastructure. The academic setting manifests itself into a project goal of turning Agricultural
Mall into a living laboratory for the diversity of academic programs within the College of Agriculture.
We envision this redesign as a space for Purdue students and researchers. In addition, the design
will engage community members from the surrounding Lafayette and West Lafayette towns with the
mall's green infrastructure and become better informed about the health of local ecology and the
importance of treating stormwater with green infrastructure intervention locally.
Students from Purdue's Urban Forestry program can conduct performance monitoring and testing of
tree species on the site. Horticulture and Landscape Architecture students could perform vital water
quality testing of the green infrastructure design and aid in the maintenance process, crucial to the
long-term health of each technology, which is often overlooked and under budgeted. Yearly plant
and wildlife surveys can be conducted by Purdue's biology and environmental science students,
monitoring the health of the plants and studying the importance of these habitat benefits in an urban
setting. Researchers from the Turf Management program will have the opportunity to study the
effectiveness of different kinds of turf and turf substrate on water quality and drainage in the linear
planter, like those in the plaza. Photo monitoring signage can be set up with QR codes linked to a
social media account. Students, researchers, and community members would easily be able to track
the progression of the site and its general health from season to season or over years. The installation
of educational signage, with the addition of QR code animation, will inform visitors from the larger
community about the benefits provided by the site's green infrastructure technologies, even when the
site is dry.
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Design Goals:
This elegant design for Agriculture Mall combines the importance of showing users the impact
stormwater treatment can have on the ecology and how that same green infrastructure can serve as
a treatment buffer for Indiana's harsh agricultural runoff. The space that Ag Mall fills now is perfect to
create a unique character for the agricultural part of campus that fills up most of the southern campus.
The identity we designed is one that deviates away from the highly engineered water system and
instead spotlights the stormwater flowing through the site and how it can be treated. The mall will
be utilized as a learning experience by using the green infrastructure to show how the treatment of
the monoculture's runoff can lead to a cleaner, more natural solution by treating water locally with
green technologies. The large paths and plaza spaces create a clear flow for pedestrians, bikers,
and maintenance vehicles, while still allowing the users to feel immersed in the site. By focusing all
the water onto the site during a storm event, we limit the amount of water that goes to the combined
sewer system, leading to less overflow occurrences and improving the water quality locally as well.
Spotlighting the Stormwater: Carrying water from the two main transportation ways, University
and Marsteller Streets, the system of rills and swales directs all of the roads' runoff onto the site to
be treated. The detention pond serves as a permanent water feature, drawing people in, as well as
providing a large-scale retention area for overflow stormwater. A system of rain gardens and basins
take water from all other parts of the site,using dense plantings to treat and recharge the water table.
Creating Identity Through Program: A Visible Solution provides spaces for people to relax and
enjoy the natural and open outdoor spaces created while accommodating the newly built cafes
with outdoor seating opportunities as well. Separating the main pedestrian and bike paths from
the more secluded paths allows for heavy pedestrian traffic to flow without conflicting with those
in more secluded spaces. By creating a permanent water feature in the mall, the design allows for
an enjoyable microclimate and connects Agriculture Mall with the other landmarks of Purdue's
campus, specifically the existing water features and fountains. Easily accessible green infrastructure
technologies give opportunity for living laboratories and other learning spaces, to educate the public
and students on the importance and construction of technologies like bioswales and rain gardens.
The designed open green spaces are meant to serve the existing demographic that uses the lawn to
gather, play, and relax. The eastern-most lawn serves as a large detention basin that can hold excess
water from the forested infrastructures during particularly heavy rain events.
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Design Solution:
The primary goal in populating Agricultural Mall with so much green infrastructure was to eliminate
the stormwater runoff that flows into the combined sewer. The technologies also daylight stormwater
to create a visual and interactive outdoor laboratory, while also reducing runoff pollutants that flow
from Ag Mall into the Wabash River. The system of green infrastructure technologies work together to
collect stormwater runoff, bring it onto the site, and treat it with green processes. This yields a design
that maximizes a variety of ecosystem services, including improved habitats for birds, and pollinators;
increased native plant biodiversity and carbon sequestration; reduced energy usage and air
pollution; while expanding the opportunities for outdoor recreation and education. All of this provides
the mall with an identity that it so desperately needs to secure its title as one of Purdue's many great
outdoor plazas and recreation areas. This project incorporates a variety of green infrastructure
interventions including: green roof, rain garden, detention basin, bioswales, curb cuts and permeable
pavement. Each element of the design was intentionally selected and used to manage stormwater,
as well as providing learning opportunities for students and the surrounding community. The mall
allows for the public to engage with a diversity of stormwater management technologies and gain
an appreciation for the variety of benefits that these natural systems can provide when designed with
alternative and sustainable stormwater management as the focus.
Figure 13: Diagrams show the before and after flow maps for stormwater runoff for the greater Agriculture Mall area
Figure 14: Diagrams show the before and after flow maps for pedestrican and vehicular traffic for the greater
Agriculture Mall area
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Green Infrastructure and Green Design Solutions:
Canopy Plantings: Trees provide a multitude of benefits including precipitation interception, carbon
sequestration, air pollution reduction, and energy savings. Shaded spaces within our design are
crucial for continued use of the site on hot summer days. Large canopy trees, noted in our plant
palette table, help create a microclimate, decreasing the heat island effect on campus.
Green Roof: As per Purdue's 50-year master plan (Purdue University Website, 2020), the forestry
building will be completely redesigned as LEED certified. As a part of this rebuild, the building will
incorporate a green roof capable of reducing runoff from the building to near zero.
Lawn Space/Detention Basins: Some of the largest open spaces of the newly designed Agriculture
Mall are the two lawn features that each serve different purposes in both green infrastructure and
in the program they serve. The largest lawn area in the design serves as both a green infrastructure
stormwater management facility and an open recreation area. This space is designed to
accommodate larger gatherings and informal recreation. This new lawn space also doubles as an
overflow detention basin, capable of holding a ten year storm event.
Permeable Paving/Curb Cuts: By replacing the current impervious asphalt with permeable pavers,
the water will be able to slowly infiltrate into the ground or transition into one of the swales on either
side of the roadway during a larger storm event. Curb cuts along S. University Street will allow for
storm water to drain into bioswales on the roadside, directing the runoff into Ag Mall.
Permeable Walkways/Plazas: Areas of intense use from heavy vehicular traffic such as S. University
Street will remain impervious asphalt. However, plaza spaces and walking paths within our design
will utilize permeable paving systems to further decrease runoff, lowering the total impervious surface
area by 43 percent (ESRL and NCDC).
Retention Pond: The retention pond is located outside of Hansen Life Sciences Building on the
western most part of Ag Mall. During a storm event, all the stormwater runoff west of S. University
Street flows into the pond, raising the water level up into the wet rooted vegetation where it is treated
and allowed to infiltrate the ground until the pond returns to pre-storm levels. This focal point acts as a
connection to Purdue's popular water features such as the Engineering and Loeb Fountains.
Swales: The swale system that our design employs is the first step in daylighting the process of
stormwater runoff treatment. Students and other visitors are able to see the journey the stormwater
takes before infiltration. Swales on either side of the vehicular and pedestrian streets, S. University
and Marstellar Streets respectively, designed with a 2 percent grade, concentrate and direct runoff
that then flows through a system of bioswales into Ag Mall where it is held and treated before
infiltration.
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Terraced Floodable Garden: The terraced floodable gardens are some of the most important pieces
of the green infrastructure technologies in our design. With the average depth of the terraced rain
gardens being around 12 inches and a total volume of 51,415 cubic feet of floodable gardens,
these large gardens serve as major stormwater detention and treatment areas. These gardens were
designed to capture 100 percent of 1 inch of stormwater runoff from the entire site and could catch
196,690 gallons (ESRL and NCDC). The immersive design allows for students and other visitors to
be surrounded by natural processes and become better educated on the importance of sustainable
design in every aspect of their lives. Each garden terrace is designed to fill up and spill over into the
next terrace through an interactive walkway weir system. This demonstrates how natural systems can
be beautifully mimicked in design to create functional, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing spaces
that support a rich teachable setting for all disciplines of study in the College of Agriculture and
beyond. The elevation change between each of the four garden terraces educate the visitors on the
level of storm events based on how many of the terraces were utilized during and after a storm event,
for up to 48 hours. The highest garden terrace is designed for the smallest rain event and is the first to
fill. The lowest garden, nearest to Marstellar Street, is the last terrace to be filled. Elevation changes
between each terraced garden are further reinforced by a change in both intensity and type of
vegetation. Each garden terrace increases in density of vegetation from solely grasses and perennials
in the highest terrace, designed to minimic Indians native primary style wetlands, to a dense forest
planting within the lowest terrace, mimicking Indiana's native deciduous forests. These rain gardens
will also serve as a key piece in the overall design aesthetic to show the contrast and connection
between Indiana's woodlands and its intense production of agricultural land.
Proposed Plant Palette:

Common Name
Latin Name
Native/Non-Native
Rain Garden Zone
Trees
River Birch
Betula nigra
Native
Zone 1 (Wet Zone)

American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Non-Native
Zone 2 (Middle Zone)

Shadblow Serviceberry
Amelanchier
canadensis
Native
Zone 2 (Middle Zone)

Pin Oak
Quercus palustris
Native
General Use (Any
Zone)
Shrubs
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Native
Zone 1 (Wet Zone)

Inkberry
Ilex glabra
Native
Zone 2 (Middle Zone)

Redosier Dogwood
Corn us sericea
Non-Native
Zone 2 (Middle Zone)

Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Non-Native
Zone 3 (Transition
Zone)
Perennials/
Grasses
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Non-Native
Zone 1 (Wet Zone)

Tussock Sedge
Carex stricta
Non-Native
Zone 1 (Wet Zone)

Boltonia
Boltonia asteroides
Non-Native
Zone 2 (Middle Zone)

Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Native
Zone 3 (Transition
Zone)
Figure 15: Proposed native plant selection curated with reference to the Indiana Wildlife Federation
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Design Preformance:
The required volume capture from 1 inch of runoff from the entire site's area is 28,216 cubic feet.
This 1 inch rainfall depth is often used to calculate the recommended sizing of green infrastructure
technologies to treat around 90 percent of all rainfall runoff that occurs during a year of average
precipitation. In the case of A Visible Solution, the green infrastructure used allows for 58,397 cubic
feet of runoff capture. This means that at maximum performance, A Visible Solution can capture and
treat 100 percent of 2.07 inches of runoff before it has to start draining off-site to the Harrison Pond
detention infrastructure, where it is treated naturally. Along with the amount of water the site can
capture, the amount of runoff from the site has been reduced with a 43 percent decrease in the total
impervious surfaces area. The amount that each of the green infrastructure technologies can seize
and treat is shown in the table below (Figure 16).
Types of Green Infrastructure
Volume (cubic feet)
New Green Roof for Forestry Building
1,647
Tree Boxes Filter
448
Terraced Floodable Rain Gardens
51,415
Roadside Swales
2,220
Permeable Pavement on Plaza and Sidewalks
2,667
Figure 16: This table shows the relationship between the types of green infrastructure technologies and the
amount of water they can capture and treat (ESRL and NCDC)
Maintenance:
*Maintenance of all aspects of design will be performed by Purdue Grounds Department,
supplemented by Purdue Arboretum staff and volunteers, as well as by students in the Horticulture
and Landscape Architecture programs. In order to optimize the operation and maintenance planning
for A Visible Solution's design, a schedule was made to map out the times for needed maintenance
(Figure 17).

Activity
Schedule
Vegetation
Weed/Pest Control, Dead Headings
Monthly

Plant Replacement, Tree Pruning, Shrub Pruning
As Needed
Irrigation
Emitter Head Adjustments
Monthly

Leak Tests
Semi-Annual

Tree Emitter Adjustments
Yearly
Grounds
Debris Removal
Monthly

Fine Grade Adjustments (ensure proper deainage), Sediment Removal
As-Needed
(After Storms)
Permeable Paving
Sediment Removal, Preformance Test, Durability Test
Semi-Annual
Figure 17: This diagram shows the maintenance schedule from the inital construction of A Visible Solution's design,
deturmining whether it should be managed monthly, yearly, semi-annually, or as-needed in some cases
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Cost Estimates and Calculations:
Construction Costs: The estimated construction cost of A Visible Solution, calculated and researched
extensively from numerous different sources, is $ 1,267,841. This breaks down to approximately
$3.98 per square foot of designed installations, the specific cost analysis breakdown of each feature
can be seen in the table below (Figure 18).
Item
Qty.
Unit
Unit Cost ($)
Total($)
Site Prep and Tree Protection




Mowing and Cleaning
318,215
sq.ft.
0.005
1,591
Subtotal



1,591





Grading




Fine Grading and Soil Preparation
261,485
sq.ft.
0.05
13,074
Rough Grading
1,618
cu.yd.
7.00
11,326
Subtotal



24,400





Furnishing




Tables and Chair Sets
12
ea.
3,000
36,000
Benches
6
ea.
1,500
9,000
Trash and Recycling Receptacles
8
ea.
1,250
10,000
Subtotal



55,000





Green Infrastructure Components




Permeable Pavement - Porous Concrete
20,393
sq.ft.
6.00
122,358
Terraced Rain Gardens
43,709
sq.ft.
16.00
699,344
Vegetated Area/Meadow
63,543
sq.ft.
0.13
8,261
Lawn
9,631
sq.ft.
0.21
2,023
Water Retention Basin
30,408
cu.ft.
0.60
18,245
Planter Boxes
4,552
sq.ft.
8.00
36,416
Concrete Trail - 5'
22,593
sq.ft.
6.50
146,855
Subtotal



1,033,502





Planting




Structural trees - 100 gal.
4
ea.
950.00
3,800
Structural Trees - 65 gal.
6
ea.
600.00
3,600
Structural trees - 30 gal.
24
ea.
275.00
6,600
Bottomland trees - 15 gal.
16
ea.
175.00
2,800
Shrubs
16
ea.
120.00
1,920
Mixed soil for shrubs, GC, and annuals
32
cu.yd.
55.00
1,760
Ornamental Grasses (24" O.C.)
64
ea.
8.50
544
Annuals
32
ea.
2.50
80
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Item
Qty.
Unit
Unit Cost ($)
Total ($)
Bottomland seed mix
31,900
sq.ft.
0.10
3,190
Wetland Mix @ aquatic shelf
10,136
sq.ft.
1.15
11,656
Sod strip
1,200
sq.ft.
0.45
540
Hydroseeded bermuda grass
32,000
sq.ft.
0.05
1,600
Subtotal



38,090





Total



1,152,583
General Conditios, Bonds, etc.



115,258
Grand Total



1,267,841
Cost Per sq. ft.



3.98
Figure 18: This table details the costs of each component that went into making A Visible Solution by calculating the
quantity, unit, unit cost, and total cost toqether to qet the qrand total and cost per sq. ft. of the site's construction
(ESRL and NCDC)
Maintenance Costs: The maintenance costs that were calculated alongside the construction costs
come out to about $30,583 annually. This value was gathered from the Earth System Research
Laboratory and the National Climatic Data Center and can be broken down into individual elements
as seen in the table below (Figure 19).
Item
Annual Maintenance Cost ($)
Curbs and Gutters
174
Green Roof
494
Permeable Pavement
1,900
Lawn
9,257
Native Plants
7,714
Trees
400
Roadside Swales
144
Retention Pond
1,800
Terraced Rain Gardens
8,700
Total
30,583
Figure 19: Table shows the breakdown of some of the site pieces and green infrastructures that need
funding to be maintained
Project Values and Benefits:
Reduced Air Pollution: The annual cost benefits gathered from the amount of air pollutants reduced
is $4 and the life cycle cost benefit amounts to $115 (ESRL and NCDC). A study from Million Trees
NYC showed that just one tree can remove up to 26 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each
year. With the implementation of the proposed 50 new trees in the design, the site will be able
to remove an extra 1,300 pounds of carbon which is a huge benefit to the entire Purdue campus
environment.
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Carbon Dioxide Sequestration: The cost benefits for the amount of C02 sequestration the site
performs is $2 annually and $76 as a life cycle cost benefit with each tree giving back $0.12
annually as well (Syracuse)(ESRL and NCDC).
Tree Value: The annual cost benefits coming from the compensatory value of trees is $5,500 and the
life cycle benefit is around $ 174,282 (ESRL and NCDC).
Groundwater Recharge: The annual and life cycle cost benefits for the replenishment and recharge of
groundwater come out to $75 and $2,366 respectively (ESRL and NCDC). Research from EPA has
shown that the amount of money replenished from groundwater recharge in Indiana is about $90 per
acre-foot of recharge.
Additional cost benefits that were calculated in the sources used include reduced energy cost,
reduced treatment benefits, and others. A rough calculation estimates the annual return in cost
benefits is around $9,180, and when the total is calculated for the life cycle benefits the number
comes out to around $290,884 in return from life cycle green benefits (ESRL and NCDC). These
numbers can be presented and will be important for stakeholders to understand the return in their
investment and encourage potential buy-ins for the project.
Phasing and Funding Opportunities:
There are many extensive and flexible funding opportunities available for funding a project such
as this due to the multifaceted goals and approach of our design. The total cost of our design
implementation on Purdue University's Agricultural Mall campus will be approximately $1.27 million.
In sticking with Purdue's 50-year master plan, renovating the site by removing vehicular traffic, and
transforming Marstellar and S. University Streets to include swales and other green infrastructure
technologies, the first phase of our design would be to implement curb-cuts and bioswales along
these nodes of circulation. This first phase serves as a demonstration project to the university, showing
the importance of sustainable stormwater management on campus. Funding for this initial phase
would most likely be sourced from loan and or grant funding opportunities available through the
school as a part of Purdue's 150 years of Giant Leaps initiative. This program aims at planting 3,738
trees on campus over the next seven years. Grant opportunities are available through this green
initiative to apply for the total, or partial cost of our planting budget. Additional Purdue granted
funding could potentially come from The Student Organization Grant Allocation Board (SOGA),
providing upwards of $ 15,000 for student-driven programs and initiatives that aim to better the
campus experience for every undergraduate student.
The second phase of our design, scheduled to come three to four years after the construction of the
initial phase, would be the implementation of the terraced gardens, complete with weir structures
and lawn detention basin. This being a keystone element of our overall design, the funding will come
from a portion of the adjacent Forestry Building's renovation budget, allocated specifically for the
redesign of the surrounding landscape. Purdue's campus planning department is currently in the
beginning stages of budget talks for the planned renovating of the Forestry Building, positioned in
the northeast corner of Agriculture Mall. These early talks have produced an estimated total budget
of approximately $20 million, $2 million of which will be allocated to improving the surrounding
landscape design within Agriculture Mall. Interviews with Purdue campus planners have confirmed
this proposed budget.
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The third phase of construction, scheduled to come five to six years after the construction of the initial
phase, would be focused on the retention pond and plaza space located on the west side of S.
University Street, in front of Hansen Life Sciences Research Building. Any additional funding needed
to complete this third and final phase of the project, could come from additional grant opportunities
that include the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation's Five Star Urban Waters Restoration Program,
providing funding for a wide range of projects that provide water quality enhancements, along with
increased species habitat benefits. Due to the educational focus of the design, grant opportunities
exist with other organizations such as the Urban Waters Small Grants, or the U.S. Department of
Transportation's Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program, providing funding to install shade
trees or permeable pavements near roadways and can be used to plan, design, or construct
comprehensive streetscapes that incorporate trees and other plants, to create more pedestrian-
friendly (and cooler) streets if they result in safer streets for non-drivers.
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References:
1.	Charles River Watershed Association, Low Impact Best Management Practice (BMP) Information Sheet, (2008).
https:// nacto.org/docs/usdg/stormwater_planter_crwa.pdf.
2.	Clean Water Act, Impaired Waterways, (2018). Retrieved from Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Website, https://www.in.gov/idem/nps/2647.htm
3.	D.L. Karlen. Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment. (2005). Retrieved from Science Direct Website. https://www.
sciencedirect.com/topics/ agricultural-and-biological-sciences/ mollisol
4.	EPA, Estimating Monetized Benefits of Groundwater Recharge from Stormwater Retention Practices, (2016). https://
www.epa.gov/sites/ production/files/2016-08/documents/ gw_recharge_benefits_final_april_2016-508.pdf
5.	EPA, 2020 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program RFP, (2020). https://www.epa.gov/
urbanwaterspartners/2020-five-star-and-urban-waters-restoration-grant-program-rfp
6.	EPA. (n.d.). National Stormwater Calculator, https://swcweb.epa.gov/stormwatercalculator/
7.	Green Grid Roofs, Green Roof Maintenance Guide, (n.d.). https://www.greengridroofs.com/wp-content/
uploads/2017/11 / GreenGrid_Maintenance_Guide.pdf
8.	IBR, Indiana Business Research Center, (2010). https://www.ibrc.indiana.edu/ibr/2010/summer/articlel.html
9.	Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Native Plant List, (n.d.). https://www.indianawildlife.org/wildlife/native-
plants/
10.	Keyster, A. (2020, October 22). Personal Interview
11.	Million Trees NYC, NYC's Urban Forest, Benefits of NYC's Urban Forest, (n.d.). https://www.milliontreesnyc.org/
html/urban_forest/ urban_forest_benefits.shtml
12.	NCDC. National Climatic Data Center, (n.d.). https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/
13.	Nelson, J. (n.d.). Indiana Division of Forestry, http://woodlandsteward.squarespace.com/storage/past-issues/
indiana%27s%20forest.htm
14.	NOAA, Earth System Research Laboratory, (ESRL), (n.d.). https://www.esrl.noaa.gov
15.	NOAA State Climate Summaries, (2019). Retrieved from NCICS Website, https://statesummaries.ncics.org/
chapter/in/
16.	Nowak, D.J., Heisler, G. m., Air Quality Effects of Urban Trees and Parks, (2010). Retrieved from NRPA Website,
https:// www.nrpa.org/globalassets/ research/nowak-heisler-research-paper.pdf
17.	NRCS. (n.d.). Web Soil Survey. Accessed on November 19, 2020. https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/
WebSoilSurvey.aspx
18.	Rapid Watershed Assessment, (n.d.). Retrieved from Indiana State Department of Agriculture Website, https://www.
in.gov/isda/divisions/soil-conservation/rapid-watershed-assessments/
19.	Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan, (2011). Retrieved from Wabash River
Enhancement Corporation Website, http://www.wabashriver.net/
20.	Tippecanoe County Indiana County Regulated Drains, (2020). Retrieved from Tippecanoe County Website,
https://www.tippecanoe.in.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26565/09-29-2020-County-Regulated-Drain-Map—
24x36
21.	Tompson, A. (2020, October 19). Personal Interview
22.	Uni-Group, Permeable Pavement Maintenance, (n.d.). https://www.uni-groupusa.org/permeablemain.html
23.	University of Purdue Website, 2020. https://www.purdue.edu/research/funding-and-grant-writing/funding/
overview.php
24.	USDA, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Urban Forest Data, (2013). http://www.fs.fed.us/
ne/syracuse/Data/State/data_IL.htm#statesum
25.	USDOT Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program, (n.d.). Retrieved from Adaptation Clearinghouse Website,
https://www.adaptationclearinghouse.org/resources/ usdot-transportation-alternatives-set-aside-program.html
26.	WWF, Adriano Gambarini / WWF-Brazil, Forest Conservation, (n.d.). https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_
focus/forests_practice/deforestation_causes2/forest_conversion/
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A
THANKYOU
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