Patrice Hanulak, ASLA and David Malcolm, ASLA, of Wood+Partners Inc, gave a graphic presentation of Earth Day and explained the history and importance of this environmental holiday.

An article in Sustainable Cities Collective has identified the new Fourth Ward Park, in Atlanta, a project by Wood+Partners Inc, as a major Green Infrastructure. Green Infrastructure is a concept originating in the United States in the mid-1990s that highlights the importance of the natural environment in decisions about land use planning.

Harbour Town Marina Dreding Project

Harbour Town Marina

Harbour Town Marina is economically important to the marine, sport, fishing, tourism, and golf industries of Hilton Head, particularly for the Heritage Golf Tournament. It is imperative that state and federal agencies support the Harbour Town Marina. Dredging Harbour Town is essential to allow this key destination to maintain its role as HHI’s primary destination.

Another round of major renovations is in store for Sea Pines Resort, including another new clubhouse.

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/03/18/2426136/25m-sea-pines-renovation-plan.html#storylink=cpy

Thank you to the Island Packet for their excellent coverage of several WPi projects happening at Sea Pines Resort. Click HERE to read the full article.

WPI Lands Cover of Landscape Architect

We are thrilled one of our projects, Atlanta's Historic Fourth Ward Park, is the cover story in the current issue of Landscape Architect! Read more at the following link: http://landscapearchitect.epubxp.com/i/114761/51

Shelter Cove Mall Revived

In June of 2012, the Town of Hilton Head unanimously backed the plan presented by Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial Real Estate to redevelop the Shelter Cove Mall into Shelter Cove Towne Centre - a vibrant part of the Hilton Head Island economy and community culture. Demolition of the existing building began in January 2013 and by February 12^th; the Town of Hilton Head Island gave final approval to Wood+Partners, Inc. and architectural firms MSTSD, Lee & Parker, Tom Crews Architects on their design for the mixed use project. Boasting 295,000 SF of retail and restaurant space anchored by Kroger and Belk, 210 luxury apartments, and  a 5-acre linear waterfront park,  the rejuvenated area will provide both residents and vacationers with a unique outdoor shopping and residential experience in a park-like atmosphere.  

 Unlike the mall structure, which had turned its back on the Broad Creek, the transfigured land use moves the River Street off the marsh, making way for Hilton Head’s first public Waterfront Park. The planned Main Street runs perpendicular to 278, subdivides the property into a walk-able, pedestrian scale shopping center, and provides views to the marshes of Broad Creek from the Highway 278.  Because Shelter Cove Towne Centre is centrally located on the island, new civic open spaces will serve as prime locations for community events such as concerts, festivals, and firework displays.  Other than providing enjoyment of the Broad Creek and ideal waterfront event space, a new waterfront park will offer residents and visitors walking and biking trails which connect Broad Creek to Burke’s Beach and other existing trail systems on the island.

Phase one of the development is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2013. 

 

Sustainable Seafood

Weighing the shrimp off the boat.

To say the Lowcountry of South Carolina is famous for its Southern and Gullah inspired cuisine is nothing short of an understatement. Open the pages of any gourmand magazine or flip to the cooking channel and you are likely to see a segment on the gastrointestinal delights to be had in our coastal home.  We are very fortunate to have an abundance of locally caught seafood available to our restaurants and home chefs alike. There is simply nothing like eating oysters and shrimp fresh off the boat, and if you haven't experienced a Lowcountry Boil or an Oyster Roast yet, well... you just haven't lived!

So we were especially happy to hear that the Waddell Mariculture Center, which serves as a a field experiment station for marine chemistry, fisheries management and supports recreational and commercial fishing and the local seafood industry, is headed toward a record year in funding. One of Waddell’s key concerns is how to encourage more sustainable production as a way to reduce the nation’s dependency on imported seafood.

Hot Oysters!

The facility, which sits on 1,200 acres at Victoria Bluff and welcomes more than 3,000 visitors a year in addition to its operational duties, is badly in need of repair. Intricate systems of tanks, pumps, ponds and drains are ailing, as are skylights, walls and ceilings.The facility’s large garage doors also need to be replaced.

State budget writers are on track to send the research facility $1.2 million, a $903,000 emergency jolt to fix the most severe structural problems, and a recurring $353,000 for operations.

To us, that sounds like a tasty investment in our local & national economies, as well as sustainability.

Read more in the Island Packet HERE

Top photo by Doug DuCap Food and Travel via Flickr Creative Commons.

Bottom photo by thelxepeiakat via Flickr Creative Commons.

Experience Green to Benchmark and Ensure HHI's Natural Resources

Photo of Hilton Head at Sunset by Flickr user Lee Edwin Coursey, Flickr Creative Commons

Experience Green and the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC), a sub-committee of the Greater Island Council Vision Committee, are partnering to formally launch Hilton Head Island’s journey to sustainability! A Baseline Sustainability Assessment will measure and benchmark where the Island is as a community, and will determine how to ensure resource availability, decrease environmental impact, and enhance the Island’s legacy.

The Baseline Sustainability Assessment will identify opportunities for improvement and also highlight successes that can contribute to enhanced image, value, marketing efforts and more. The results will help with thinking, planning, and acting in a more sustainable way; address root causes and provide criteria for evaluating long-term outcomes rather than short-term decisions.

Indicators relevant to the Island’s sustainability proposed for the assessment include water issues, waste, energy, transportation and mobility, labor and food sourcing, urban forestry management, community education/awareness level, and position in the marketplace. The assessment will be conducted by a third party sustainability consultant to ensure authenticity and standards. 

The project cost an estimated $75,000, which will include the Baseline Sustainability Assessment and a communications/engagement program to share the results and seek input from the community. 

Experience Green seeks organizations and individuals to donate and support this project. Your contribution demonstrates leadership, community citizenship, supports sustainability, and includes marketing benefits.

To make a donation or receive more info, contact Boyd McCleary at 843.422.4780 or kailuaboyd@gmail.com. Your investment reduces the potential cost of inaction, and will support Experience Green and our community’s next steps on the journey to sustainability.

A steering committee will oversee the procurement and implementation processes, and is made up of members from the Experience Green Board of Directors and the GIC Sustainability Advisory Council, including Wood+Partner’s very own Mark Baker.

Shelter Cove Mall Revitalization Sparks Press Interest

On February 12^th, the Town of Hilton Head Island gave final approval to architectural firms MSTSD, Lee & Parker, Tom Crews Architects, and Wood+Partners, Inc., on their design for the revitalization of the Shelter Cove Mall into Shelter Cove Towne Centre. The new design will make the mixed use project a vibrant part of the Hilton Head Island economy and community culture. 

The project has received quite a bit of buzz and the press has taken note. Check out the following articles by The Island Packet and by Southeast Discovery on the new plans. We look forward to sharing more with you as the project progresses!
 
More about The Island Packet:  News, sports, entertainment, information and advertising for the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton area of South Carolina's Lowcountry.

More about Southeast Discovery: Southeast Discovery has become recognized as a leader in providing quality information that is timely as well as trusted consult for real estate buyers who are looking to relocate to the Southeast at retirement, or for those looking for a second home and/or a vacation property.  

WPi Provides Master Planning to TCL

The grounds offer gorgeous live oak specimens and water views.

One of sixteen colleges comprising the South Carolina Technical College System, the Technical College of the Lowcountry traces its origin to the Mather School founded in 1868. The college is a comprehensive, public, two-year college dedicated to serving the diverse educational needs of the rural counties of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper. The College annually serves approximately 10,000 credit and continuing education students, a mix of traditional, non-traditional, full-time, and part-time.

The current grounds of the Beaufort campus.

With a 90% employment rate for its graduates, the TCL enrollment numbers are healthy and steadily growing each year.  The College is in position to become the region’s premier academic institution and a leading partner in the region’s economic development.  In order to create the most vibrant learning environment possible, TCL hired WPi to update their campus Master Plans, and to craft a method for optimizing current and future land resources available to the Institution. 

Along with team members WTS Architects,  WPi analyzed and evaluated the proficiencies and deficiencies of the College’s main campus in Beaufort,  SC and secondary campus in Bluffton, SC. Academic, support and housing facilities along with infrastructure, utilities and transportation needs were all considered when crafting the plan to prepare the campus for future growth. 

 

The team coordinated with College leadership to fully understand their vision for the campus and possible land purchases, composing a stratagem to guide the development of an environment attractive to educators, students and community members. Multiple meetings with the College staff, adjacent land owners, local and state government entities and the general public were held, resulting in a consensus plan which fortifies TCL’s role in the region.

1st and 2nd photos provided by The Technical College of the Lowcountry.