2015

Alexandria Country Day School playground design

December 19, 2015

RHI is working on some ideas for outdoor classrooms and playgrounds to help convert underutilized spaces at Alexandria Country Day School campus.

Washington Post article reviews Thomas Rainer’s new book

December 18, 2015

Thomas Rainer and Claudia West recently co-authored a new book, “Planting in a Post-Wild World,” which looks at how we design plant communities similar to how they occur in nature.  A recent Washington Post article by Adrian Higgins, “Why manicured lawns should become a thing of the past,” takes a look at Thomas and Claudia’s new book and some of … Read more »

Splash park design at a seaside park in New York

December 17, 2015

Seagrass and the windblown patterns of sand are our inspiration for a splash park we are designing for a seaside park in New York.  We wanted to avoid the plastic looking nozzles typical of most splash parks, so we used champagne-colored metallic tubes in the arcing pattern of seagrass. The rubberized surface underneath will have subtle changes in elevation and … Read more »

Virginia Tech Signature Engineering Building Award

December 16, 2015

The Virginia Tech Signature Engineering Building (Goodwin Hall) received the ENR MidAtlantic 2015, Higher Education and Research Best Project Award.  The landscape uses sensitive, sustainable design, creates places for display of student technology projects, and serves as a model for an institution with a history of advanced technology and agriculture at a world-class level.  Congrats to the ZGF team on … Read more »

Sandy Springs work sessions

December 14, 2015

We had great work sessions last week to develop transformative concepts for the City of Sandy Springs, GA. Jim Tolbert, Assistant City Manager of Sandy Springs joined Rhodeside & Harwell and team members Nelson Nygaard, Gensler, RCLCO and Code Studio to evolve ideas for The Next Ten. Stay tuned for upcoming updates!  Check out the project website here for more … Read more »

RHI at 2015 ASLA Chicago

December 4, 2015

Nine of us from the RHI team enjoyed and were greatly inspired at the 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting in Chicago.  Among us, Thomas Rainer presented with Claudia West, his co-author for Planting in a Post-Wild World, and Scott Stewart, Director and Head Horticulturalist for the Lurie Garden, at an education session about designing resilient plant communities.  Thomas also did a … Read more »

Splash play area at Jones Beach

October 16, 2015

A study of dune formations translates into a fun, whimsical surface for this Jones Beach’s splash play area.  This characteristic of the surrounding beaches translates nicely into a space for kids to play with a covered area for parents to sit and watch.  

VCU campus building courtyard

October 16, 2015

RHI’s concept for the VCU School of Allied Health symbolizes Virginia’s Fall Line, creating a bold and simple configuration.  

Q Street Alley installation

October 16, 2015

Rhodeside & Harwell’s design for Q Street Alley, a first generation green alley in DC, is being installed by DDOT. Our LID planters had to accommodate steep grade change (the illustration shows how it works). When finished, the alley will capture stormwater runoff from over 4 acres, filtering 14,000 sf of water each event.        

We recently enjoyed a Friday afternoon at Thomas and Melissa Rainer’s.

October 16, 2015

Continuing our summer garden parties, we were privileged to be welcomed to the Rainer’s home for a drinks, food and fun.  

Announcing Promotions for RHI staff

October 5, 2015

We are very happy to announce promotions for a handful of our staff.  Senior Associates: Megan Mansell, Ron Sessoms, Sukirti Ghosh, Qiaojue Yu, Eric Feldman.  Associates: Bryan Obara, Jenn Bailey, Jon Runge.  See all of our staff here.

PLANTING IN A POST-WILD WORLD by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West

October 5, 2015

We are very proud of our own Thomas Rainer, and Claudia West for their accomplishment in writing ‘Planting in a Post-Wild World.’  This is a fantastic look at the natural qualities of plants and how we can use these to create more resilient and beautiful landscapes. Get your copy here.