Designing For LEED Silver (Oakley)

AFTER: A low-maintenance native landscape design requires no supplemental watering. The view of the parking lot next door is buffered by Staghorn sumac.

John and his crew have done multiple projects for us, most recently landscape design and implementation for a newly constructed retail/office building in Oakley. The new-construction was going for LEED Silver, and needed to meet specific landscaping goals. John was able to design a landscape plan using native plants and that did not need supplemental irrigation, meeting the LEED Silver requirements, and staying on budget. He and his crew were very professional, communicative, and helpful throughout the whole process.
— Blythe, BAM Realty Group, Cincinnati, OH

The Challenge

The BAM realty group needed a landscape design that would meet the LEED Silver rating—one of the highest building standards for sustainability and environmental performance—for their newly constructed retail/office building in Oakley.

Part of meeting LEED Silver is having a landscape composed of plants that do not require any supplemental watering after its first year of planting. Irrigation for perennial plants is a waste of water, a precious resource.

The planting also needed to be inviting and complementary to the building as well as low-maintenance.

New LEED Silver construction with native plant landscape in Cincinnati

BEFORE & AFTER: A newly constructed building gets a cheerful entryway garden that improves sustainability while supporting pollinators.

The Transformation

We designed and installed a unique entrance landscape that will be filled with lush blooms and foliage throughout the growing season. Once established, the low-maintenance native garden won’t require any supplemental watering.

We also incorporated “living mulch” into the design. After a few seasons of growth, the amount of mulch necessary will become less and less. The design incorporates plants that will develop and grow with each other, forming a “living mulch” that will reduce evaporation, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weeds.

native plant landscape with year-round color in Cincinnati

AFTER: Low-maintenance native plantings provide year-round color to welcome employees and other visitors to this building.

The Takeaway

Native plants play a pivotal role in sustainable designs of all kinds, including landscapes and architecture. By combining environmentally conscious construction with native landscapes, we greatly improve the resilience and the ecological impact of our built environment.