Location

Morgantown, Ohio

IMPACT

Features include a 22-foot-wide “estate-like” entry drive, a large water feature, cascading a 10-foot-wide sheet of water down the face of a bluestone veneered wall, an expansive courtyard, a series of quiet courtyard spaces, a 186-car parking lot, arching pedestrian bridges spanning waterways, and a network of walking trails, sidewalks and sitting areas throughout the site.

West Virginia University Alumni Center

Alumni association representatives and the architect drew design inspiration from the historic section of West Virginia University’s downtown campus. The 11-acre site, with its steeply sloped grades and existing hydrology, created design and engineering challenges to be studied early in the design process. Initial steps in the site design included study and evaluation of Popenoe Run.

Working with the Architect, IKM, Inc., the Environmental Design Group team was responsible for site design and master planning for the new Alumni Center located near the Evensdale campus. The team worked in conjunction with Alpha Engineering to study existing conditions and develop a site design which minimized stormwater runoff and allowed for required stormwater detention. The proposed improvements included extending an existing 7-foot by 10-foot box culvert 250 LF along the Popenoe Run; porous asphalt paving, bio retention areas and a unique irrigation system that utilized collected rainwater to reduce run-off; and a series of three, tiered retention ponds designed to allow for 10.5-acre feet of stormwater storage.