Philadelphia Forensic Science Center

Photo credit: Croxton Collaborative Architects, P.C.

Site Description

Before this renovation, the site was entirely impervious, contributing to the 42 annual discharge events carrying stormwater and sewage into the Delaware River rather than onward for treatment at the Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Growing Greener grant was a key funding source for sitework, including a system of vegetated swales, “rain gardens,” and stone-reinforced water pathways.

Indigenous trees, shrubs, and grasses were selected for plantings.

• Lot size: 214,700 ft2
• Previously developed land

Water Conservation and Use

The previously impervious site now includes large areas of vegetated swales and buffer vegetation, improving water catchment by roughly 33%, while still meeting the Center’s demanding parking and servicing requirements. Linear vegetated swales paralleling the parking rows filter stormwater and allow it to evaporate or infiltrate the ground before it enters storm drains. Site plantings are drought-resistant, requiring less watering and maintenance than conventional landscaping.

Waterless urinals reduce water consumption by approximately 176,000 gallons per year (one urinal is included in each of the four bathrooms). Low-flow fixtures were used for all plumbing fixtures.

Green Strategies

• Ecosystem Restoration
  • Replant damaged sites with native vegetation
• Waterless Fixtures
  • Specify waterless urinals
• Runoff Reduction
  • Use planted swales instead of curbs and gutters
• Landscape Plantings
  • Landscape with indigenous vegetation
• Demand for Irrigation
  • Select plants for drought tolerance
• Low-Impact Siting
  • Select building sites that make use of existing infrastructure

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Our thanks to the ENERGY STAR program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to the U.S. Department of Energy, and to BuildingGreen, Inc. for hosting the submission and judging forms.

For more information about the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, contact AIA/COTE. For help on how to use this Web site, contact .