Lamar Dodd School of Art - University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Transforming stormwater into a visual and functional amenity was the primary theme for the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art site design. Pond created a plan that engages students, faculty and staff in the natural processes of storm events.

Stormwater begins its journey from the curvilinear roof on the building’s primary façade. Rainwater falls to the ground, temporarily disappearing from view behind low granite walls that protrude from the structure’s foundation. Openings in the wall allow the water to visibly spill out and flow into a series of bio-retention areas. When several existing large pipes were removed to daylight stormwater from the upper sub-watershed, a swale was excavated to highlight the flow of water across the site. The water, slowed by a stone level spreader, flows along the swale below a pedestrian bridge, then tumbles across velocity-reducing granite stones to the creek below. The removal of a large storm pipe and the dramatic topography provided an opportunity to create two distinct landscapes along the Art School pedestrian corridor. The mesic uplands and seasonally flooded stream banks are dominated by installations of native grasses, trees and wildflowers.