The Village of Oak Park’s Public Work Center, a LEED Gold facility that opened in 2008, regularly experienced backyard flooding due to the massive amount of stormwater generated from its 12,000-square-foot green roof. To remedy the issue, the Village secured funding through MWRD’s Green Infrastructure Program to design and install a 5,000-square-foot native garden space behind the building that includes two rain gardens where the green roof downspouts discharge.

TERRA provided water resources, site/civil engineering and landscape architecture services to design, permit, and manage the construction of the green infrastructure to reduce the roof’s stormwater runoff that impacts the Public Works Center and its adjacent buildings. In addition, the rain gardens will improve the site’s overall aesthetics. Since the site is publicly accessible, the improvements will showcase the potential of small-scale green infrastructure on private property. The gardens will include interpretive signs at the entrance and key locations throughout the site that discuss the importance and benefits of native landscape, pollinators, and natural stormwater management.

LOCATION: Oak Park, Illinois

CLIENT: Village of Oak Park

SERVICES: Landscape Architecture, Site Development, and Water Resources