Eberly & Associates has been recently acquired by Pape-Dawson Engineers, LLC, allowing Pape-Dawson to expand its resources crafting innovative designs for commercial projects in the Atlanta and greater Georgia market. This article explores some recent thoughts published by Pape-Dawson. To read the full article at Pape-Dawson’s website, click here.
Sustainability is a major focus for land planning projects today, with engineers recognizing the impact that their developments will have on communities for generations to come. A recent article by Pape-Dawson explores the role that civil engineers play in land development, and how important it is for them to prioritize sustainability throughout the process.
Hallmarks of sustainable land development
Pape-Dawson’s piece highlights the importance of integrating eco-friendly “green infrastructure” with traditional systems to help promote sustainability in modern land development projects. Green infrastructure elements like green roofs or rain gardens help bring aesthetic appeal and sustainability to more traditional stormwater management systems, for example, while also supporting local ecosystems.
The article also touches on Low Impact Development (LID) techniques, sharing that by working with the natural landscape instead of dramatically changing it, projects can help to preserve natural ecosystems while still meeting infrastructural needs.
Pape-Dawson’s focus on sustainability with land planning projects in Texas and Tennessee
The Oxbow Building
One example of sustainable land planning includes Pape-Dawson’s recent project in San Antonio providing master planning, LID design, platting, and traffic impact studies for the Oxbow building home to Credit Human headquarters. According to the article, the 12-story, 200,000-square-foot building was designed “to increase energy efficiency, reduce water demand, and reduce carbon production. It features a one-megawatt solar array, geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater storage tanks to reduce irrigation demand, and low-impact development features to manage stormwater runoff.”
To accomplish this sustainably-focused design, Pape-Dawson successfully addressed several challenges including relocating utilities, rebuilding the street to accommodate bicyclist safety, and improving traffic signals.
Historic Pearl Brewery and Museum Reach River Walk
Another example cited in the article includes a sustainable urban renewal project redeveloping San Antonio’s Historic Pearl Brewery, transforming a previously industrial site into a thriving mixed-use development. The development includes the 211-unit Can Plant and Townhomes and the Museum Reach portion of the San Antonio River Walk, both requiring extensive planning, permitting, and other land planning services such as feasibility studies, utility plans, traffic impact analyses, and site master planning.
The Bend Mixed-Use urban community in Chattanooga
Pape-Dawson has also helped showcase how land development can help to connect communities through transportation infrastructure with their work on The Bend, described as “a 115-acre mixed-use urban community that will forever revitalize Chattanooga’s urban core.” With a combination of retained industrial use, mixed-use, and a dynamic riverfront park, this development focuses on the pedestrian experience through elements like designated bike lanes, walkable urban streetscapes, and designated open spaces.
To design and execute such an elaborate project requires significant planning and expertise. Pape-Dawson’s team has been involved in designing utilities and roadways, hardscape design, landscape design, planting in the open spaces, and more.
You can read more about the importance of sustainability in land planning and deeper details about Pape-Dawson’s involvement in the aforementioned projects in their full article here.
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Sustainable Land Planning Solutions the Eberly (& Pape-Dawson) Way
Eberly & Associates, Inc. has proudly joined forces with Pape-Dawson to provide innovative, sustainable, responsive and purposeful solutions to diverse development challenges that help shape the future of Georgia and beyond. Learn more about who we are and what we do, or contact us directly to discuss your vision for an upcoming project to see how we can help make your vision a reality.