2007 VA ASLA Awards

Analysis and Planning Professional - Virginia Commonwealth University Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences

Honor Award 

Project: Virginia Commonwealth University Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences
Landscape architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
Architect:  Train & Partners, Architects
Client: Virginia Commonwealth University
Environmental consultant: Biohabitats 

In the fall of 2000, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) received a gift of 343 acres of land and lake on the James River just south of Richmond and began plans for the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, a research and education center focused on the study of large river ecology with aspirations for international recognition. The Center will also be the headquarters of the Virginia Rivers Initiative, a newly formed consortium devoted to the study of ecology, conservation, and public policy related to large riverine ecosystems. This project is a master plan that will serve as a guide for future development of the Rice Center property in accordance with its mission as well as a tool for fundraising. At the outset of the design process, several goals were established in collaboration with VCU's Steering Committee to guide the development of the plan. Primary among these were:

• Establish the focus of the Center on the bluff overlooking the James River, emphasizing the philosophical and physical importance of the river to the Center.
• Form the built environment to respond to, and complement, the mission of the Rice Center by incorporating sustainable construction practices and materials. Use the site and built environment as a teacher to connect scientists, students, and citizens to the land and water.
• Use the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design program (LEEDTM) as a guide for the development of the site.
• Preserve as much of the land as possible for field research and education programs.

The program for the master plan responds to the three parts of the Center's mission - education, research, and outreach. The major components of the building program are:

• State of the art research and education facilities for scientists and students including shared wet and dry laboratories, a resource library, individual laboratories for six resident scientists, a river pier, a lake dock, a conference room and auditorium for 90-100 people, overnight accommodations for up to 30 people, and an office for the headquarters of the Virginia Rivers Initiative.
• Classrooms and laboratories to support academic programs at VCU.
• Outreach program facilities and interpretive experiences, including a trail system, for the community at large.