The Joan Mitchell Foundation Center is a small campus consisting of several buildings, located on approximately two areas in the historic Esplanade Ridge neighborhood of New Orleans. Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture was asked by the Architecture and Development team, Lee Ledbetter and Associates, and the Office of Johnathan Tate, to design an integrated landscape and stormwater plan for the site with a focus on wetlands, habitat, stormwater management, native species, while providing the opportunity for visitors and artists to engage in the installation. Evans + Lighter developed a storm water system of catchment areas at the back and front of the building consisting of large bioswales and infiltration cell walking paths that collect stormwater from the roof of the new studios and direct it into a large 2500 square foot constructed wetland, designed to inundate during heavy storm events, but that infiltrates and or discharges within two days. The design features a ten foot (550 gallon) cylindrical, steel reflecting pool, custom fabricated and installed by Evans+Lighter, which serves as the anchor installation of the landscape. Placed at the terminus of a jutting angular roof, water falls from a scupper into the raised pond creating a spectacle during and following storms. It is situated the pond's steel edge sits just above the inundated wetland during heavy rains.

The pond is situated in an existing 'natural' landscape and has become a prominent feature in the small yard.  Designed to attract frogs and other wildlife, the pond has an inner area which holds water continuously with and outer wetland shelf that collects run-off from the yard. The wetland area overflows into an existing in the ground cistern and is an intermittent water feature in itself.  The circulation feature is an old Yaupon tree stump which was dug up in the yard and is very sculptural in its nature.

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Administration Building: Stormwater Green Roof Project 625 St. Joseph Street. Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture, working with Hanging Gardens LLC, designed and installed one of the largest state-of-the-art green roofs in the southeastern United States on the downtown administration building of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. The living roof features four unique zones of vegetation and engineered soils including a biomimetic wetland roof, Cajun prairie, and traditional sedum roof. The roof was designed to enhance habitat, disperse native seed, and provide ecological services to the building, including stormwater mitigation in excess of 15,000 gal per rain event.

In design: Project in cooperation with the Land Trust for Louisiana and funded by the Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans. Located in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans, the site is prone to flooding, our planned interventions involve the establishment of constructed wetlands and the establishment of a pocket forest.

The design features a zero storm water footprint with a biocell around the entire perimeter of the property. The site is heavily and tropically planted and includes a pool, pond, custom designed steel arbor, pervious paving, and extensive edible landscape plants.

The W Hotel was interested in renovating the existing pool deck and adding a vertical element to the rooftop pool garden. The addition of segmented walls helped separate the circulation route from the pool area and provided semi private spaces for the user. The patterned use of beach pebbles and verde gravel create intricate patterns on the ground plane, which is accented with additional planting of horsetail.

The total renovation of the yard included the addition of a linear water feature at the intersection of the L-shaped yard and ties the two parts of the yard together. At one end of the fountain is an open flagstone patio for outdoor dining and on the other end and along most of the side of the fountain, is a gravel walk enclosing two important plots of vegetation. One is grass and the other is ground covers with a featured japanese maple tree. The circulation path is decomposed granite gravel which encompasses the water feature but is connected through the water feature with flagstone stepping pads through the water on either end. Off center and in the water feature is a thick concrete stained wall with stainless steel, scalloped end pipes on either side of the wall which provide the streams of water and sound.

Fence and edible front yard design and installation.  Includes blueberries, sugarcane, heirloom corn, squash, herbs / greens, black berries, mayhaw, paw paw, Chickasaw plum, and many flowering plants. 

Stormwater mitigation. Constructed wetlands. Native Gardens.  Landscape Structures.

Master plan and landscape design of wetlands nursery and education center in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. 

Design of urban farm in the heart of St. Bernard Parish.  Project made use of extensive concrete on site by cutting a grid and planting fruit orchard.  Wide diversity of plantings, utilizing stacked functions and guilds. Organic.

Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture has partnered with the Urban Conservancy to provide consulting, design, and construction services in support of their Front Yard Initiative. This program seeks to address the issue of excessive paving in New Orleans and it's detrimental impact to the city's stormwater management goals. The focus is simple: remove impermeable surfaces and replace them with landscaping designed to absorb stormwater, thereby diminishing incidences of localized flash flooding.

Press Coverage:

http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/features/12783911-171/concrete-lawns-cause-flooding-but

http://www.nola.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2015/03/is_your_front_yard_contributin.html