About the Project

     Michigan State University's East Lansing campus consists of impervious pavements, open lawns, and outdated infrastructure. Due to weather conditions becoming increasingly more severe each year, flooding occurs and rainwater runoff does not easily go away. We plan to inspire future generations of Spartan students with green infrastructure and soft engineering in order to combat the climate crisis. The objective of this project is to develop an innovative and sustainable stormwater management plan for Michigan State University's East Neighborhood while inspiring future generations of spartans to implement green infrastructure.

     Unfortunately, Michigan State’s campus is too large of a project to take on in its entirety. The design team decided to focus specifically on the southern section of East Campus. This includes IM East, the corresponding IM field, the VetMed facility and field, Conrad Hall, West Fee Hall, Hubbard Hall, Akers Hall, Spartans Greens, Lot 91, and all green space contained by these buildings and areas. These spaces account for a combined 102 acres of space on Michigan State's beautiful campus. Within these 102 acres the design team plans to implement various green infrastructure tactics including green roofs, green walls, implementing a new marsh, including new bioswales, replanting old growth forests, minimizing impervious pavement uses, and a handful of other green tactics. In order to properly implement these green infrastructure tactics each implementation was cross referenced with MDOT standard constructions guidelines and plans in addition to MSU planning and construction standards. 

     Within East Campus, and more specifically on the project site, there is a large lack of existing biodiversity. Most beds are monoculture plantings and there are large fields of non-native grasses. There is nearly no shrubbery and an excessive amount of individually planted trees that are not the same species as what was existing there before the site was developed. This absence of diverse plant species East Campus raises questions about the resilience of the ecosystem to environmental stressors. It is well known that monoculture plantings are often more susceptible to pests and diseases. The lack of shrubbery deprives the area of important microhabitats that support various species, including small mammals, insects, and birds, essential for the overall health of the ecosystem

     Given that the site’s existing conditions leave it susceptible to harsh weather, plant disease, and low ecological diversity the design group’s goals directly correspond to this. The design group aims to enhance the site's rain management by minimizing rainfall runoff and maximizing rainfall interception. This involves the strategic integration of green infrastructure elements that can effectively capture and manage rainwater. By reducing runoff, the project seeks to mitigate soil erosion, prevent flooding, and minimize the potential for waterborne pollutants to negatively impact the surrounding ecosystem. The group also aims to create a water storage system that can manage a one hundred year storm event and educate the surrounding community on better water management practices. This resilient infrastructural implementation will not only safeguards the site against extreme weather conditions, but will also contribute to the broader objective of creating a sustainable water management solution. The additional incorporation of innovative stormwater management techniques, such as permeable surfaces, rain gardens, and retention basins, will also play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. In order to accomplish this goal the team will implement diverse native planting groups and various grade changes.

     The improved site design will have an immediate impact on the local environment and its users. The design will allow for an overall increase in the local environment's health and create a better connected ecosystem. The design team proposed changes that would increase the amount of water infiltration into the subterranean aquifers and the nearby Red Cedar River. Wildlife will benefit from the new habitat that will be created in the natural forest and marshland. These expanded habitats will allow for greater biodiversity in the site year-round, as this was a concern of the design team pre-development. Being located near the Red Cedar, the design team knew that restoring the hydrological cycle to its pre-development form would be key for maximum impact. The site faced many challenges that would have to be overcome in order to create a balanced and environmentally beneficial design. Lack of organic matter was a factor that contributed to poor soil health. The design plan proposes a dramatic increase in plants that will actively contribute to soil health, as well as amending the soil to restore it to pre-development conditions. Polluted runoff from railroads that cross the site was a concern that needed to be addressed. The design team created detention ponds that filter out pollutants through vegetation before connecting to the marsh and eventually the Red Cedar.

     The core design team consists of three Landscape Architecture students. The team received support and inspiration from professors and faculty members throughout the design. Collaboration between all involved parties was necessary in order to create a design plan that could handle the needs and requirements of the site and its users. IPF (Infrastructure, Planning, and Facilities) was involved with the initial site inventory inorder for the design team to understand the functionality of the site that students could not. The design team consulted with MSU’s campus planner, Steve Troost, as well as MSU landscape architect Dave Wilbur to discuss problems that were a focus for the university. This collaboration allowed for the design team to properly address relevant issues that presented real problems to campus.

     This campus redevelopment is focused on creating a space that will allow for users to enjoy, learn, and interact with. Doing this for users is one of the prominent goals for the design team, but also creating a space that would return the soil structures and hydrological systems back to their pre-development conditions. The design team was assisted in planning and site conditions by MSU faculty and online resources.