Meliora Design
In an effort to promote PWD’s program of land based strategies to manage stormwater runoff within the City, Meliora, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, developed a Stormwater Master Plan for the Fairmount Park property around the historic Blue Bell Inn in west Philadelphia. The Master Plan identifies various opportunities to manage stormwater runoff from existing streets, incorporating vegetation based stormwater BMPs while enhancing traffic calming and urban greening. Meliora prepared full engineering construction documents for a priority project that captures street runoff from an adjacent street, conveying the water to new bioswales within the park.
Meliora is incorporating stormwater “Green Infrastructure” BMPs within an ongoing road improvement project at several locations along Passyunk Avenue. Working closely with professionals at PWD and the Philadelphia Streets Department, Meliora has developed designs that achieve PWD stormwater goals and that are compatible with existing city design and maintenance standards. The project will serve as a demonstration of stormwater solutions for volume reduction that can be incorporated along city streets. Additionally, it is hoped that the project will begin to generate standard details that are acceptable to City departments and that can be used throughout the city to achieve stormwater volume reduction requirements.
100 North Bank Street | Phoenixville, PA 19460 | P: 610-933-0123 | F: 610-933-0188
When the Greening Greenfield Committee wanted to implement a greening plan at the Greenfield School in Center City, Philadelphia, Meliora was engaged to provide site and stormwater engineering. The design integrates native landscapes and porous play surfaces to transform an urban space in order to create an outdoor experience that teaches about sustainability through active example. The project meets rigorous Philadelphia Water Department stormwater recapture requirements and serves as a demonstration of stormwater techniques appropriate for an active elementary school play yard.
Meliora is working throughout the City of Philadelphia designing Green Streets, which enhance the aesthetics and stormwater functions of streets with green infrastructure, such as bioretention swales, vegetated curb bump-outs, infiltration planter boxes and tree trenches. Used in lieu of conventional “gray infrastructure,” these measures provide stormwater filtration, alleviate pressure on sewer systems, and provide ancillary benefits for communities, such as beautification and the reduction of urban heat island effects.
Working closely with professionals at PWD and the Philadelphia Streets Department, Meliora has developed designs that achieve PWD stormwater goals. Additionally, three PWD sites have been selected as pilot projects for implementing various green infrastructure BMPS. At PWD’s Bureau of Laboratory Services, tree trenches and planter boxes, both with subsurface infiltration beds, will be placed along three city blocks. The next phase of work will include similar measures at the Queen Lane and Belmont Treatment Plants.
Meliora Environmental Design, with the Delaware Center for Horticulture, has designed an urban retrofit of the existing Acme Parking lot in Wilmington. The project was funded through the Urban Heat Island Grant from the US Forest Service. The design includes several bioretention systems and tree trenches with subsurface infiltration beds to capture roof and parking lot runoff, as well as provide site greening. The full site Concept Plan maximizes stormwater mitigation benefits at the site, and provides a more comprehensive demonstration of urban stormwater techniques.
Meliora is currently engaged in the enhancement of the northern three acres of Clark Park, a popular neighborhood park located in Philadelphia’s University City. With funding from DCNR, the Neighborhood Association is leading efforts to provide renovations and improvements while still maintaining the park’s historical identity. Meliora is designing site elements that incorporate stormwater into the landscape, such as porous pavers with subsurface infiltration in the farmer’s market and rain gardens at wet depressions within the landscape.
Meliora provided site and stormwater engineering services to design sustainable stormwater improvements at the Independence Charter School in Philadelphia. A large portion of conventional pavement was removed and replaced with porous asphalt and a subsurface infiltration bed. This infiltration bed also manages runoff from a large adjacent impervious area, which is conveyed across the surface to the porous asphalt and also enters the bed directly through a modification to an existing inlet. A Riverstone runnet conveys runoff to a rain garden, which both serve to enhance the aesthetics of the play yard and bring attention to stormwater for educational purposes.
With funding from the Philadelphia Water Department, Meliora worked with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to engineer stormwater elements that provide greening at the Waterview Recreation Center and reduce the combined sewer overflow problem in Philadelphia. The design includes Porous Concrete Sidewalks, a Stormwater Tree Trench in coordination with new street trees, and stormwater Planter Boxes to capture roof runoff. The project provides stormwater management for both the site and the urban street area, and is a demonstration project for the Philadelphia Water Department.
