project spotlights

The Site:  

The National Zoo is one of the oldest Zoos in the country.  Active since 1889, the Smithsonian Institution manages the site.  

The Challenge:  

IRD was awarded the task of designing the irrigation for the animal exhibits as well as for the landscaping along the walkways used by the public.  We worked with Zoo staff to become familiar with the animals, their needs, and any potential risks to having equipment in their pens.    Irrigation in the public areas needed to be tamper proof yet efficient due to the high number of visitors to the site each year.  

The Site:

"The Lawn" at the University of Virginia was Thomas Jefferson's creation in 1817.  With such significance the university takes pride in maintaining its historical beauty as well as making sure it's a place for students and historical enthusiasts to enjoy.  The lawn itself is approximately fours acres of turf including trees that are over 200 years old.  

The Challenge:

The lawn is similar to many historical sites that handle large amounts of traffic except that it also takes on the additional demands of being in the middle of an active college campus.  Graduations and special events require the site to be in top shape but are also very tough on the turf.  We had to minimize direct spray onto building columns and trees to reduce their deterioration.  Due to the high student traffic flow practically around the clock our watering window was only three hours per day.  

The Site:

The 2003 U.S. Capitol Project included the immediate grounds and surrounding capitol buildings on the main campus.  The project area was approximately 40 city blocks of existing historical and highly secure parks and buildings.

The Challenge:

Our first task was to audit the existing systems, some of which originated in 1931.  It was highly important for the new design to be durable, safe and water efficient.  The grounds crew was relatively small considering the size of the site so with the help of efficient design and technology they were able to manage it easily.  The final design implemented 26 point of connections and 140 irrigation satellites.  

Here are just a few of our projects in public spaces around the city!