Rosetta Helps Turn Brownfield Into Award-Winning Green Space
City park uses Rosetta as sustainable solution for retaining, freestanding, and seat walls.
"Using Rosetta Outcropping was a nice way to provide some seating without having to provide a whole lot of extra benches for people to be able to watch their kids playing or friends climbing," said Andia Sangale.
The goal of this project was "to remediate, reclaim, and revitalize this blighted and industrial brownfield site," said landscape architect Mark Kline. Other products shown: Outcropping
"Using Rosetta Outcropping was a nice way to provide some seating without having to provide a whole lot of extra benches for people to be able to watch their kids playing or friends climbing," said Andia Sangale.
The goal of this project was "to remediate, reclaim, and revitalize this blighted and industrial brownfield site," said landscape architect Mark Kline. Other products shown: Outcropping
THE CHALLENGE
The site of the 94-acre Scioto Audubon Metro Park was not a family-friendly destination until recently. Before the site on the edge of the Columbus, Ohio, business district became a park, it was home to a landfill, industrial park, and rail yard.
In 2004-2005, plans to transform the site began taking shape. Principal Mark Kline of landscape architecture firm Kinzelman Kline Gossman explained that the goal was "to remediate, reclaim, and revitalize this blighted and industrial brownfield site" to create an expansive park that would include wetlands, trails, a large outdoor climbing wall, a playground, and a bird sanctuary.
THE SOLUTION
To help the park achieve its goal as construction got underway in 2009, the park planners chose Rosetta Hardscapes for the retaining and freestanding walls required in the heart of the park. The natural colors and textures of Rosetta blended well with the theme of the park, and since Rosetta is made of architectural-grade, wetcast concrete, Rosetta provided several sustainable advantages including:
Durability Because wetcast concrete is durable in the elements, including freeze-thaw cycles, designers knew that it would stand the test of time.
"It has been exceptionally functional; we have had no problems with it since we installed it. Some of the other products we used at the park have had to be repaired already, but we haven't had any issues like that with Rosetta," explained Andia Sangale, Project Manager for Policy and Partnership Development with Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Parks District.
Abundant, local materials The aggregate and sand used to make the Rosetta blocks were mined locally which reduced freight cost and carbon emissions.
"The whole park is an environmental remediation project. Any way and any time that we could include a product that had less of an impact, we tried to incorporate them," Sangale said.
Versatility and Adaptability The project incorporated a total of 243 square feet (23 square meters) of Rosetta Belvedere freestanding walls that acted as barrier walls to direct pedestrians and also provided seating. Belvedere is a handset line that features 64 unique stone textures on both sides of each block, making it a great choice for two-sided freestanding walls.
Surrounding the playground and climbing wall area, 324 square feet (30 square meters) of Rosetta Outcropping retaining walls also acted as seat walls. Outcropping is a larger scale wall system that features 12 unique unit sizes and 24 unique stone textures. Dimensions of Outcropping blocks vary from 24 to 72-inches (610 to 1,829-millimeters) wide and from 6 to 24-inches (152 to 610-millimeters) tall.
"We get a lot of traffic through that playground because it's right next to the climbing wall. Using Rosetta was a nice way to provide some seating without having to provide a whole lot of extra benches for people to be able to watch their kids playing or friends climbing," Sangale said.
The walls were installed by Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Parks District's own crews and stood 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) tall. Rosetta is much faster and easier to install than natural stone because the dimensions are consistent, which minimizes the sorting and cutting required. "Once the crew understood how the blocks fit together, it installed very quickly," explained Sangale.
THE OUTCOME
The park has been recognized for excellence in design and engineering from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Council of Engineering Companies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Ohio EPA.
Rosetta has a proven track record for providing aesthetic, durable solutions for public and private spaces across North America, Europe, and Asia. With Rosetta, you can create stunning, functional hardscapes that capture the look and feel of nature.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project: Scioto Audubon Metro Park Customer: Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Parks District, The City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, and Audubon Ohio Design / Specifying Engineer: Mark A. Kline, Kinzelman Kline Gossman Location: Columbus, Ohio Manufacturer: Oberfields LLC. Installer: Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Parks District Year: 2009 Case: 24 - Scioto Audobon Metro Park