MEDIA, Pa. — Opening a new building takes years of planning, research and attention to detail. At Penn State Brandywine, hundreds of contractors have worked together to make the campus’ two newest buildings — Orchard Hall and the Student Union — just right for incoming students.
One aspect of the construction process that isn’t typically thought about, but is critical to the overall finish and function of a building, is the building’s landscape architecture.
“We started designing the grounds in the fall of 2014. It’s been three years from start to completion,” said Laura Hansplant, who serves as director of design at the landscape architecture firm Roofmeadow.
Hansplant’s team was responsible for turning the dirt surrounding the construction site back into a beautiful, thriving part of the campus landscape. The team chose plants native to the region that would reflect the campus’ natural beauty and require little maintenance over time.
“The new buildings engage two distinct landscapes on campus: the large open green at the high ground, and the lowland woods at the bottom of the slope behind,” she said. “We considered trees and shrubs that are locally native to both, and from that short list, we picked species that were both attractive and long lived.”