A natural challenge: sustainable design made for a successful, beautiful park at Saluda Shoals.

Traversing an uncommonly high number of utility right-of-ways, preserving hundreds of trees in a mature soft pine forest and skirting right-to-flood restrictions from a dam were major challenges in designing Saluda Shoals Park in Columbia, S.C. A 274-acre tract of land on the shore of the Saluda River, the park is just downstream from a dam operated by South Carolina Electric and Gas (SCE&G), which owns the park acreage. One of the SCE&G permitting requirements involves providing recreational space along the Saluda River, a cold-water trout stream that's also a popular canoe and kayak area. To accomplish this, the utility leased the majority of the $3 million park acreage to the Irmo-Chapin Recreation Commission.

Supporting the corporate owner's vision, the project's purpose is to present environmental interpretation and the natural history of the area, as well as ecosystem education. It also should provide a retreat for business conferences and a place for corporate and community receptions and social events.

A Multiphase Project

In 1997, during phase one of the project, Woolpert LLP implemented a renovated boat launch, observation deck and an innovative canoe launch, which is an interior rather than exterior design. In response to quickly rising and ebbing levels of the Saluda river--which can change abruptly from seven feet to 11 feet within an hour based on power demands at the dam--a unique U-shaped docking area was designed with numerous levels to accommodate the rapidly changing water elevations. It can serve up to 30 people for canoeing/kayaking instruction.

An environmental center, launched in phase two, was the first of three buildings to be planned. Situated in close proximity to Rawls Creek ecosystem, the structure was designed by the architect to minimize impact to the topography while highlighting the real showcase--the natural habitat.

Inside, the flow and function dictated the design. First, visitors tour through a lecture/presentation auditorium for orientation. It's equipped with a roll-down projection screen, fixed lecture hall seating with writing desk arms and "smart" classroom features, such as overhead and computer projection.

The center is planned so that a group of 90, such as students, can smoothly rotate through three separate, yet connected areas. One-third of each group can break out into three separate areas--small environmental classrooms, an environmental museum/exhibition space with an aquarium for native fish, and the outdoor site and nature trails--and flow easily back to a central congregation area.

The objective of a second main building, the meeting facility, is to support the regional business and social community. Called the River Center, the facility can accommodate up to 500 people for meetings, handling multiple groups of varying sizes, as well as 250 people for a sit-down banquet. Two on-site catering spaces are available for simultaneous events.

Maintaining a Natural Balance

Situating the facilities was a vital part of maintaining the delicate balance of various ecosystems formed by the cold-water Saluda River, Rawls Creek, a warm-water runoff stream, side channels, two additional ponds that are in the planning stages and existing woodlands. Sustainable design was used to take advantage of the natural topography by placing the buildings close to the river and creek and nature trails, while minimizing damage.

First, clear-cutting was held to an absolute minimum. Tree surveys completed early in the process identified for preservation more than 200 individual trees with trunk diameters of six inches or more. One area of the site contains a mature soft pine forest, which had been logged at one time. Over the past 50 years, this area had recovered, with some of the pines reaching four feet in diameter. These areas have been preserved, with contractors taking care to circumvent designated trees in construction areas.

Working with topographical contours dictated a curved form to the meeting facility. Situated on a hill, excavation was minimized by allowing one side of the structure to hang over a slope and working the other side into the slopes using tight borrow fill.

Of particular advantage in this case, the owner had an unusually clear vision for the facility and needs of the community. This helped the designers develop a plan that flowed and related to the shape of the spaces.

In fact, compromise and consensus between the owner and the architect led to a more progressive design than generally possible, maximizing function and minimizing the footprint needed for a structure. The design incorporated creative reverse curves and upheld existing grades. The overall design of the buildings incorporated an upbeat, contemporary scheme and, at the same time, a rustic feel. Materials of masonry and wood, natural in tone and texture, were chosen for their durability, compatibility with the surroundings and warmth. Exposed steel was painted in soft tones to exude a warmer, subtler hue. Concrete masonry units placed at the base of the interior walls, reduced handprints and wear and tear, while retaining its aesthetic appearance.

Buildings were designed to provide an enticing hint from the roadways, yet were tucked snugly into corners and nestled into the woods, as if they had been there all along. A dozen residential subdivisions, a church and undeveloped private properties surround the park. The acreage consequently was situated to maintain a quiet buffer between the park facilities and the surrounding residences and community activities. As a note of its success, when the environmental center and River Center opened, their existence came as a real surprise to those in the community, because the construction site was completely hidden from the public road access point leading to the park.

The buildings' expanses of glass to allow views of outdoor vistas from the inside were oriented to minimize direct solar gain of the hot South Carolina sun during the day, and energy-efficient window glazing provided an extra layer of protection. Glass was also oriented with sensitivity to reduce glare from windows in the surrounding area. An outdoor performance amphitheater will face the river so that sounds are filtered by the trees. It's also situated so that vegetation isn't in the path of wind blowing upstream on the river.

Care was taken not to bulldoze roads straight through the park as if they were truck-access routes. Rather, roads serpentine through the woods, radiating in ambling paths throughout the grounds that emulate looping country roads. Five miles of trails crisscross the site, offering pathways to fishing, picnic and nature study preserves located on the acreage. Picnic shelters that can host up to 140 people and restroom facilities are situated nearby.

Overcoming Obstacles

The biggest challenge in creating the master plan, though, was overcoming the tremendous number of requisite utility right-of-ways. Gas, sewer and overhead power lines fleck the landscape, and the design scheme needed to bypass them as much as possible. Taking care not to cross the easement areas, the final plan integrated pole and metal tripod placements, as well as underground access points, into the contours of the terrain.

The right to flood was another major concern in the overall landscape design. Of course, the major structures needed to be built outside the flood limits, which resulted in losing about half of the acreage for building. In addition, picnic areas and restroom facilities within the floodable way were designed to withstand nine-feet flood waters. Because most of the elevated water is a result of backup flood waters, not substantial currents, planning for floods in this area didn't have to be extensive. Restrooms have concrete floors and hose bibs to rinse mud and residue. Louvers were placed at the base of walls for drainage and to equalize water pressure. Electrical panels were placed in the attic to reduce damage.

Four wooden bridges (two vehicular and two pedestrian) that traverse the river crossings at the narrowest points were designed with a team of engineers so that they wouldn't impede flooding, though they're above record water levels. One bridge is located in a backwater area of the stream, while another is a floodable bridge, which can withstand headwater conditions. Both are single-span design in that no "pulls" are situated in the center of the structures that could catch debris, in the event of record flooding.

Dual-purpose design is vital to successful sustainable planning. Instead of designing massive parking lots to accommodate a maximum number of vehicles, the architect planned several smaller lots. For instance, one overflow parking lot has high grass; if necessary, the grass can be mowed to accommodate temporary traffic.

Benefits Outweigh Costs

One thing to consider when contemplating sustainable design with parks is cost. The construction price tag for Saluda Shoals will total $9 million, including 10 percent for design.

Initially discussions centered on the development of a public golf course, but these never led to concrete plans. In 1990, the South Carolina Water Resources Commission, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, and the Lower Saluda River Task Force produced a study, "The Lower Saluda River Corridor Plan." It recommended that the present site of Saluda Shoals Park be utilized to create a park master plan that would address the scenic and environmental integrity of the Saluda River. By 1994, the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission was ready to act on the recommendation and made the development of a riverfront park a priority.

By the fall of 1995, a 25-member citizen task force was invited to study the potential of the site and to make recommendations. In July 1996, the master planning process was begun as the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission hired Woolpert to lead the effort. To create an inclusive community planning process, a half-dozen public meetings as well as individual interviews were conducted with key community representatives to gather public input.

The result of the input was a park that invited families, individuals, school children and the business community to come to the river for recreation, education, arts performances and business conferences. A plan for funding the project became the next step.

Early on it was decided that the park was to be a public/private partnership, as it was incepted with land provided through a long-term lease by SCE&G. Construction funding, then, was to be provided through private investment as well as general obligation bonds. Contributions by SCE&G and the Saluda Shoals Foundation have been recognized by the Citizens Board Members Branch of the NRPA with Special Contributors Citations in 1996 and 2001.

In February 1997, the Saluda Shoals Foundation held its first meeting and established its mission to raise support and private funds for the project. A goal of $1.5 million private funding was set by the foundation. In September 1997, Jean Micheal Cousteau, son of Jacques Cousteau and world-renowned environmentalist, was invited by the Saluda Shoals Foundation as a guest speaker. During his visit, Cousteau declared that Saluda Shoals Park was a perfect outdoor laboratory for the school children of South Carolina.

With the speech to bolster support, in October 1997, a $9 million dollar bond referendum was passed in a special election, with $7.5 million of it designated for the construction of Saluda Shoals Park. Phase one was completed in April 1999 and phase two in April of this year, both with strong support from the community. The park is well used; one would like to think that's so because of the tremendous input solicited from the surrounding community in the planning stages.

Because of its sustainable design, the park cost more to design and build than a traditional park. The extensive surveys, conservative building of roads, integration of extensive utility right-of-ways, limited clear cutting and use of natural building materials added substantially to the park's cost. Yet while the up-front costs are high, in the long run the expenditures balance out. Long-term operating and maintenance costs will dip well below normal costs, given the fact that most of Saluda Shoals remains an untouched natural preserve. Further, through conscientious selection of materials, such as durable masonry and earthy stained wood, future maintenance costs will be diminished.

Most important, in creating the master plan, the architect never attempted to force a square peg into a round hole. The result: the park offers a pleasant outdoor sanctuary nestled into an area that could have been overrun with unsightly utility equipment. Through sustainable design, the architect found a natural solution for a set of natural challenges.

Roger Dahnert is a senior project architect and senior project manager with Woolpert LLP. Dan Wells is the executive director of the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission.