Height Stormwater and Nature Center

The Dorothy Height Charter School Stormwater & Nature Center is the third project Spackman Mossop Michaels has worked on to complete with the school that originated from the 2017 Master Plan. The site consists of a rainwater detention pond, rain gardens, boardwalk, and native trees and plantings, all of which will help mitigate the flooding that historically has occurred when heavy rains fall on the site. SMM worked with the school to tie in grade-level learning objectives to the signage created for the Center so that students can use the Stormwater and Nature Center to increase their knowledge and understanding of various subjects. Educational opportunities are built into every aspect of the Stormwater and Nature Center. Scholars will learn how the detention pond, native plantings, and varying elevations not only create a natural outdoor amphitheater but also how green infrastructure benefits the city as a whole. For older students, there are signs that provide information about stormwater from a national perspective, as well as at regional, city, and site levels. For younger scholars, SMM designed and inserted playful metal creatures throughout the space as part of a scavenger hunt game.