We're excited to share that our design for the Fairleigh Dickinson University Spirit Footbridge has been recognized by the Society for College and University Planning with a Merit Award for Excellence in Landscape Design.
From the jury's comments:
“. . . loved the concept of taking a connector/infrastructure element and converting it to a destination . . . beautiful and thoughtful . . . shows how good design can transform spaces and doesn’t require an entirely new structure . . .”
This project began as a bridge restoration. After initial discussions, the facilities department and designers quickly recognized the potential for the bridge to reflect, via a holistic replacement strategy, the university’s commitment to ecological health and social wellness. The densely planted garden path replaces a crumbling concrete-and-chain-link walkway to connect FDU’s split campuses. The bridge is designed to reflect and restore the native ecosystem. It affirms the university’s commitment to stewardship of the river and embodies the ongoing transformation of the campus into a sustainable eco-park for increasing landscape resiliency and human well-being. It has become the heart of the campus—a learning landscape delivering a place for formal education, university events, and the chance encounters so important to academic life.
View the full award listing here and a more extensive coverage of the project over at The Field, the ASLA's professional practice blog.