Orchard Design
Workshop West: Ken Smith
Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California
2007

Orange County Great Park will bring over 1,400 acres of urban parkland to the city of Irvine and the surrounding region. The Park is primarily focused on the 21st century concerns with sustainability, demonstrating ecological-savvy design techniques.

The orchard design shown here specifically deals with stormwater management, reducing runoff and harnessing it into vegetated swales to clean the water as it percolated back into the ground or used for irrigation. The entire Park has reduced its hardscapes from over 40% to about 10% impervious. In addition, the plant material will be native or California-friendly, reducing overall water needs.