The “Green Alley†is the first project of the Boston Architectural College’s (BAC) Urban Sustainability Initiative created to highlight its academic initiatives in sustainable design and landscape architecture. BAC selected a team led by Halvorson Design to develop comprehensive plans for site sustainability improvements at its Back Bay campus and serve as a replicable model for the City of Boston and Back Bay. The initial phase involves Boston’s first sustainable public alley project, which redirects, collects and infiltrates stormwater runoff from adjacent rooftops through permeable paving surfaces. Ecological benefits include:
– Localized filtering of pollutants
– Infiltration of groundwater on site which helps Back Bay’s depleted groundwater table
– Significantly reduces the first flush stormwater pollutants from entering the Charles River.
– To date, the system has successfully infiltrated 100% of the stormwater on the site.
This project includes stormwater monitoring equipment designed and coordinated by Linnean Solutions allowing the BAC to actively monitor the effectiveness and actual benefits of the system.
This Ecological Landscape Alliance Tour takes place Thursday, June 18, from 10 – noon, and participants will learn about the Green Alley permitting and construction process from both the design team and BAC perspectives; the monitoring aspects including process, tools and challenges; and an overview of how the project contributes to the BAC’s LA program.
Registration ($30) is limited. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/the-green-alley-at-boston-architectural-college-urban-solutions-for-the-future/#sthash.kKka7fql.dpuf
