by Brianna Crandall — September 21, 2012—The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) has announced eight projects that have achieved certification under what the group says is the nation’s most comprehensive rating system for the sustainable design, construction and maintenance of built landscapes. These projects, as part of a group of 150 projects participating in an extensive, two-year pilot program, have applied the SITES guidelines and met the requirements for certification, paving the way for the program’s open enrollment in 2013.
The newly certified projects include the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden in Duke University, Durham, NC; Cleveland’s Public Garden, Cleveland; Cornell University’s Mann Library Entrance in Ithaca, NY; Hunts Point Landing, an urban park in the Bronx, NY; Meadow Lake and the Main Parking Lot at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle IL; the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido, CA; the commercial SWT Design Campus in St. Louis; and the residential Victoria Garden Mews in Santa Barbara, CA.
SITES is a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden. SITES was created in 2005 to fill a critical need for guidelines and recognition of sustainable landscapes based on their planning, design, construction and maintenance. The voluntary, national rating system and set of performance benchmarks applies to sites with or without buildings.
Since June 2010, pilot projects have been testing the 2009 rating system created by dozens of the country’s leading sustainability experts, scientists and design professionals. The diverse projects represent various types, sizes and locations as well as stages of development. SITES noted that perhaps the greatest impact of the pilot program was the interest it stirred up among those who design, create and maintain all types of landscapes in “creating outdoor spaces that use the benefits of nature—ecosystem services—to benefit people and the environment.”
The eight newly certified projects include two commercial ventures, one residence, one park, three public gardens and one educational institution. Each project incorporates sustainable features and practices that enabled them to achieve a star rating. About 80 of the initial 150 projects in the two-year pilot program have indicated they will continue to pursue certification.
The SITES 2009 rating system includes 15 prerequisites and 51 additional, flexible credits to choose from that add up to 250 points. The credits address areas such as soil restoration, use of recycled materials and land maintenance approaches. One through four stars are obtained for achieving 40, 50, 60 or 80 percent of those 250 points. The draft 2013 credits will be available for public review and comment starting September 26.
“The pilot program has informed and helped us refine the next iteration of the SITES Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks, which will be published in 2013. Many additional projects are continuing to work toward certification while we proceed with our preparations for open enrollment next year,” said ASLA Executive Vice President and CEO Nancy Somerville.
