RHI

Looking for a fun way to cool off during these hot summer days? We’ve got the place! Reservoir Park Recreation Center, opened in June, is Washington, D.C.’s newest city park, complete with an indoor pool, playground, a restored fountain, and splash pads! Reservoir Park is an exceptional example of the creative reuse of municipal infrastructure. The development of this community amenity involved the complex transformation of the early 20th-century McMillan Sand Filtration Site, a historic public works landmark. The facility filtered Potomac River water for D.C. households until 1986, when operations ceased. Preservationists fought to save the site as open space and a community park. After years of discussion and planning, the 6.2-acre park now welcomes the community as a recreational space while honoring the site’s industrial heritage. We are proud to have contributed to the landscape architectural design and construction of this unique public space, collaborating with Gilbane Building Company and Quinn Evans to realize the Master Plan and concept design developed by Perkins Eastman DC and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects. Visitors to the park can cool off at the multiple splash pads, picnic, swim, and enjoy the amenities, all while learning about the history of the former filtration site. The park preserves the iconic silos, and views into the original sand bins, filtration cells, and other structures have been retained. Future development surrounding the park will include new housing and retail. Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser praised the new park: “For the first time in decades, this site is not only back to productive use, but open to the public. Today, we are celebrating the transformation of underutilized land into a beautiful new recreation center and play space for the community.”

As part of the ASLA 2024 conference, RHI’s Elliot Rhodeside, FASLA was joined by industry leaders Roger Courtenay, FASLA (EDAW/AECOM), Suzette Goldstein, AICP LEED AP (HOK), Xingye Pan, PLA, LEED GA, WELL AP (HOK), Sean Kennealy (NPS), Ryan McEnroe, FAIA (Quinn Evans) and Lauren Brandes (Smithsonian Gardens) for a field session on memorialization on the National Mall. We delved into four key areas: the rich history of the National Mall, the revitalization of the greensward, the beautiful gardens surrounding the Smithsonian Institution's Castle, and the new National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian. The group also stopped at the Hirshhorn Museum to see the progress on the RHI-led renovation of its sculpture garden and the National Air and Space Museum. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended for your engagement and insightful conversations! Together, we’re shaping the future of these meaningful spaces. #ASLA2024 #Memorialization #NationalMall #LandscapeArchitecture

We hope everyone has been enjoying the #ASLA2024 conference in our nation’s capital! With the convention center a quick metro ride away from our Alexandria office, RHI staff is taking full advantage of this year’s conference, both contributing and attending. A few of our team members met at the Potomac Chapter ASLA booth for a quick photo in between a busy day of panels and field sessions. Over the weekend, Principal Sukirti Ghosh and Senior Associate Rachel Schneider led college students from across the country on sketch walks throughout downtown DC, stopping at iconic locations like the National Portrait Gallery atrium and notable new projects such as CityCenterDC. It was a day of sunny weather, quality landscapes, and great drawings. 

🌍 Happy World Tourism Day! At RHI, we've had the incredible opportunity to explore diverse cultures and stunning landscapes around the globe. Today, we want to celebrate the amazing countries our team has visited! Share your travel experiences with us—what destinations have left a mark on your heart? Comment below! ✈️ #WorldTourismDay #TravelDiaries #ExploreWithRHI

Construction is underway at the new Ashburn Recreation Center in Loudoun County, Virginia! In collaboration with architects Page/MJMA, RHI is transforming the landscape to promote play for everyone. RHI's design for the central courtyard features an inclusive outdoor water/spray play area, accessible to the community center and open to the public. A recent site visit gave our team the opportunity to see how the stunning sculptural cantilever water feature is coming along! You can find out more about the project by visiting the county’s page at the link in the comments.

Today marks the Autumn Equinox! Aside from it being Pumpkin Spice season, it's also the time of year we get to enjoy the lovely fall leaves and crisper air. Here are some photos from the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, which chronicles the American Civil War and spans from Pennsylvania to Virginia. 🍂 🍁 🎃 #LandscapeArchitecture #UrbanPlanning #LandscapeDesign #UrbanDesign #SitePlanning #SustainableDesign #LandscapeArchitectureDesign #ProjectShowcase

With August marking her 12th anniversary at RHI, we’re taking a moment to celebrate principal and landscape architect Rebecca (Becky) May. Becky’s design philosophy has shaped countless projects across her time here; she aims to improve the physical world and people’s experience of it – to create places that are functional, comfortable, beautiful, and delightful, preserving and telling the story of both natural and human histories. Some of Becky’s favorite work has been on diplomatic facilities around the world, bringing with it opportunities for integrating local materials, culture, design practices, and plant communities from diverse regions. While she can’t usually share details about these sensitive projects, a current highlight is a facility in Europe where the team had access to historic photographs and maps of the site, allowing her to develop a design that incorporates “existing physical remnants of the site’s past along with reinterpretations of the prior landform.” As she looks to the future, she’s excited about the growing dialogue around climate resiliency, biodiversity, and sustainable design. While the concepts aren’t new to the discipline, “there’s now more access to case studies, webinars, and other data to guide decision making.”  Congratulations Becky on this milestone and many more to come!” #RHI #RhodesideHarwell #DMV #LandscapeArchitect #WorkAnniversary #LandscapeArchitecture #WomenInLandscapeArchitecture #LandscapeDesign #SustainableDesign #LandscapeArchitectureLife #LandscapeArchitectureCommunity #NatureInDesign

Rounding out our Back to School Week, we're highlighting Alexandria Country Day School, a co-educational institution in Alexandria, Virginia. Emphasizing social-emotional programs and a commitment to community, the school has set up its 200 students for academic and personal success for over 50 years. RHI worked in close collaboration with school administrators and a teacher focus group to better understand how the children currently use existing spaces, and what improvements they would like to see. Building on this critical feedback and underpinned by studies which have shown the positive impacts on children to time spent outdoors, the result is a comprehensive Master Plan that strengthens the circulation and connections through campus, establishes a unifying family of architectural elements, and provides a plethora of spaces for children to run, explore, build, learn, and gather throughout the campus. Connecting these spaces on campus to outdoor play time and exercise help students create memories and establish relationships that will last a lifetime!

In 2023, RHI completed a new comprehensive plan for City of Morgantown, West Virginia: 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟯. Community engagement is a vital component of updating any comprehensive plan, as it embodies the vision and goals of its residents. Engaging student communities in planning efforts requires intentionality and thought, but is necessary to create a truly inclusive process. 🏫 As part of a series of stakeholder interviews, the project team met with the West Virginia University Student Government and the Morgantown High School Student Council to discuss their perspectives and priorities as well as held a pop-up engagement opportunity on the WVU campus. Public meetings drew students of all ages to listen and share. The final plan reflects a student body that is passionate about a more collaborative relationship between the City and school systems. 📖 The plan spans seven chapter elements, and includes strategies for expanding the range of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities making life in Morgantown post-graduation more accessible, incentivizing new housing supply to lower housing costs and reduce school commute times, creating a more convenient and connected public transit, and the promotion of town-gown arts programming.

The Grounds of the University of Virginia are a place revered by generations of students, alumni, and faculty, and humanity as a whole – Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village at the heart of campus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. RHI’s team has been privileged to engage UVA’s history and contemporary academic energy on projects, and uphold the ideals that guide the University forward. Check out a few of our highlights below. ♿𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗽 - RHI was hired by the University to make the historic UVA Lawn accessible to all students, staff, and visitors; helping the university achieve its goal of increased inclusivity. RHI purposefully designed two discrete ramps at the lawn terrace with the same materials and designs as the existing buildings to preserve the rich history and visual appeal, balancing the accessibility and heritage needs of the World Heritage Site. 🏅2020 Potomac Chapter ASLA Merit Award Winner 🍃𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 - A group of student representatives who recognized the need for a place on campus where UVA Students can gather to honor and leave tokens of remembrance for fellow classmates initiated this project. RHI engaged students in a series of design charrettes and workshops, listening to and drawing out ideas to understand the feelings of loss and memory for lost friends and how to express these emotions within the garden. The design culminates in a remembrance garden incorporating a stone memorial wall, seating, lighting and plantings. 🏅2020 Virginia Chapter - American Society of Landscape Architects Commendation 🏢𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗰𝗵/𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 – RHI’s landscape design transforms a previously inaccessible, densely wooded landscape into an active, pedestrian-friendly residential environment that celebrates the site’s natural and outdoor amenities. By creating new outdoor spaces of varying scales, residents and their guests now enjoy a variety of activities from playing soccer, to enjoying a quiet moment on the porch, to taking part in an outdoor cookout or fireside chat.