AWARD:
First Place for Permanent Modular Construction – World of Modular Convention and Tradeshow

MRA’s Landscape Architecture (LA) team developed the Wilmot headquarters’ main plaza and interior sidewalk layout in collaboration with early building renderings prepared by Steam Collaborative. The client’s initial concepts consisted of a circular pedestrian plaza anchored at the corner of a contemporary building stylized from modular sea containers. Our LA team expanded on that vision by designing a plaza that could accommodate outdoor gatherings and events, impress existing and prospective clients, and serve as a lasting amenity for the business and office community.

Our LA team prepared detailed plaza micro grading, hardscape design and detailing, amenity selection, landscape design, and interior sidewalk layout. Faced with on-site challenges such as poor soil conditions requiring improvement, soil sample collection and analysis were facilitated, and an efficient and cost-effective amendment plan was developed, enabling the contractor to use on-site soil along with readily available organic materials and fertilizers. Thus, expensive pre-prepared planting soil was not required, saving the contractor and client tens of thousands of dollars in upfront planting soil cost and potentially hundreds of thousands by preserving the long-term value of their landscape investment.

The landscaping and hardscape were designed to be low-maintenance while providing seasonal color, evergreen screening for privacy, and a sound barrier to buffer the very active adjacent operations building. Key features include an allée of upright European hornbeams to prevent damage from the interior collector road, frequented by large tractor trailers, along with a mix of seasonal perennials that complement the detailed concrete paving and large filtered canopy trees which offer shade and respite during hot summer workdays. The design also incorporates contemporary bench seating, full-bodied evergreens and shrubs for screening, and large, ornamental flowering and specimen trees adjacent to office windows to soften views of the expansive asphalt parking lot and nearby submerged gravel wetland facility.

MRA’s services also included land planning, civil engineering, and surveying.