As it plans a major expansion of its campus in Highland Heights,
Northern Kentucky University is pursuing a makeover that would replace
much of the concrete on campus with grass and trees.
The school's master plan, which envisions adding 2.1
million square feet of space to the existing 1.45 million square feet
on
campus, says expansion efforts should "recognize open space as a
critical element in communicating campus character and achieving
distinctiveness."
"Integrate open space into the campus fabric, particularly
in newer areas of campus, in order to humanize the campus and stimulate
interaction and strengthen the institutional image," the executive
overview of the campus master plan states.
The specifics of the plan call for a transformation of the
concrete-dominated Central Plaza, which is "surrounded by some of the
most important buildings on the university campus," the plan says.
"Such an important campus open space should be a symbol of
the University--alive with student and faculty activity, a place of
beauty featuring carefully detailed design and elements, graceful
trees,
refined plantings, pedestrian friendly amenities, sophisticated site
elements such as benches, lighting, signage, and focal elements such as
sculpture, fountains or a campanile," the plan states. "The existing
NKU
Central Plaza does not meet these expectations....The concrete paving
is
harsh and lacks human scale, there is insufficient landscaping and
plant
material, amenities are lacking and the design treatment in general is
not what one would expect of such an important and symbolic campus open
space."
To bring more green space to the North Area of the Central
Plaza, Northern Kentucky intends to remove substantial amounts of
concrete and plant a large area of lawn and trees.
"The expanded tree and lawn area will provide a less
formal
character to the North Area conducive to more informal activities as
well as enhancing the aesthetic and environmental qualities of the
area," the plan says.
In the South Area of the Central Plaza, the existing south
lawn and large canopy trees will be retained, enhanced and
expanded.
The Tower Area at the center of the Central Plaza is the
crossroad of pedestrian movements through the plaza and will retain a
significant amount of hard surface area. However, the plan states, the
harsh monolithic concrete is to be replaced with more human-scaled and
colorful unit pavers. The Tower Area also will have a bell tower and a
water feature to add beauty, identity and focus to the overall
plaza.
In addition to creating more greenery and open space, the
master plan calls for incorporating sustainability throughout the
campus. Examples include:
- Protect sensitive habitat and environmental areas; use storm-water
management concepts, and environmentally appropriate design and
construction techniques.
- Achieve appropriate development density to use limited land
efficiently and to avoid sprawl.
- Install rain gardens and green roofs, and pursue LEED
certification.
The university has signed on to the American College & University
Presidents Climate Commitment and plans to design and build future
facilities to LEED standards.
- Use natural areas and future ponds as ecology classrooms
- Protect mature trees and promote major natural areas
- Develop walking paths in the woods
- Make the campus more parklike
- Carry out an aggressive recycling program
Read the
executive overview of the university's master plan.
