Kapoor Hall School of Pharmacy,
State University of New York at Buffalo

Project completed while employed as a Senior Landscape Architect with Presley Associates, Inc.

Challenge: To create a cohesive and efficient system of pedestrian walkways that increased usable green space at this dense, urban campus.  The Pressley Associates design team was asked to improve the pedestrian experience by raising the site to eliminate the existing non-ADA-compliant walkways and stairs that served the entrances to the adjacent buildings.

Results: Many notable improvements were made to enhance the site’s topography and create a large, open lawn for events and campus gatherings. Improvements included removing and replacing existing trees and overgrown plantings. The design team paid careful attention to creating pedestrian walkways, plazas, site walls, seating areas, planters, and site furnishings, that enhanced the efficiency of this outdoor space. A sustainable plant pallet of mature deciduous and evergreen trees for year-round interest was incorporated into this space. These plantings also helped crate shaded areas for gathering and reduce the heat-island effect and unsightly exposed building walls throughout the campus.