Depaving project

This semester I've been taking a class that looked at ways to redesign overpaved areas on grounds to make them more active spaces with healthier plants and greater permeability for rainwater. Our first plans, for an herb garden in the lot behind a dining hall, were rejected, so we regrouped to complete this smaller-scale project.

This small plaza is the main bus stop and entry point to Hereford College at UVA. The plaza has six stunted maples and was entirely paved with a gray-purple brick. We removed the compacted gravel and clay from the maple beds, added new soil from a local compost operation, planted lavender and bright flowers, and broke some of the bricks to make an unusual stripe of "brick mulch." In future years, perhaps the project will continue to make this a more active space with tables and seating.