Low Impact Design Competition LID

[GuerrillaLandscape]

FYI there is currently a LID Competition under way in our City. Currently the firms chosen have been shorten down to three firms for each project. The first project is to design LID requirements into a Houston subdivision. The second project is using LID practices and applying them to major thoroughfare conditions. And third project is architecture design, based on proper LID practices.

LID -

• Conserve natural resources that provide natural functions associated with controlling and filtering storm water.
• Use decentralized, small-scale landscape features and LID Integrated Management Practices (IMP) to work as a system to:
  • Reduce the amount of runoff by mimicking the natural hydrologic function of the site and matching pre-development hydrology.
  • Minimize the use of and/or reduce the size of pipe and other centralized control and treatment infrastructure.
  • Lower the total cost of development when compared to traditional infrastructure design.

  [*]Minimize and disconnect impervious surfaces, lengthen time of concentration and promote bio-filtration of runoff to improve the quality of storm water leaving the site.[*]Minimize or eliminate the use of potable water resources needed for irrigation and where practical provide for the reuse of rain water.[*]Use enhanced quality of life values and reduced maintenance costs inherent in LID practices to increase marketability of the development and long term property values.

http://www.houstonlw...html#Objectives

These style competitions are exactly what our city needs to prove to Developers it is possible to design LEED and LID techniques all while saving them money and creating better quality of life developments for the residents and our CITY!

[Original Timmy Chan's]

The Low Impact Design competition made the Chronicle today. The article focused on only one of the three competitions, but the one that may have the biggest impact on development in our area.

I am looking forward to the awards ceremony next week to see some of the ideas that come out.

Also interesting to see the final panel of judges in the Chronicle: "Judges include: Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, developers Ed Wulfe of Wulfe & Co.,Bill Huntsinger of MetroNational and Frank Liu of Lovett Homes, and legendary Houston conservationist Terry Hershey representing the Bayou Preservation Association."

Design contest may steer Katy Prairie development

By NANCY SARNOFF and MIKE SNYDER Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

Jan. 19, 2010, 10:23PM

A Houston developer is putting up $15,000 in a sustainable design competition for a new master-planned community the company intends to build on the environmentally sensitive Katy Prairie.

The goal of the competition is to encourage designs that don't worsen problems such as flooding, carbon emissions or loss of wildlife habitat. It is unclear, though, to what extent the winning designs will contribute to the development of the Katy Prairie project or those in two other categories in the contest.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6825416.html

[GuerrillaLandscape]

The Low Impact Design competition made the Chronicle today. The article focused on only one of the three competitions, but the one that may have the biggest impact on development in our area.

I am looking forward to the awards ceremony next week to see some of the ideas that come out.

Also interesting to see the final panel of judges in the Chronicle: "Judges include: Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, developers Ed Wulfe of Wulfe & Co.,Bill Huntsinger of MetroNational and Frank Liu of Lovett Homes, and legendary Houston conservationist Terry Hershey representing the Bayou Preservation Association."

Design contest may steer Katy Prairie development

By NANCY SARNOFF and MIKE SNYDER Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

Jan. 19, 2010, 10:23PM

A Houston developer is putting up $15,000 in a sustainable design competition for a new master-planned community the company intends to build on the environmentally sensitive Katy Prairie.

The goal of the competition is to encourage designs that don't worsen problems such as flooding, carbon emissions or loss of wildlife habitat. It is unclear, though, to what extent the winning designs will contribute to the development of the Katy Prairie project or those in two other categories in the contest.

http://www.chron.com...ss/6825416.html

The competition went over extremely well. I was impressed with the overall quality of all the presenters and their design solutions. I was ecstatic they displayed all the boards for viewing to see how everyone tackled the project. Some serious time and effort was put forth in all the designs and calculations. My hat goes off to the group called Edminister Hinshaw Russ and Associates (EHRA ?) I believe their firm is the cutting edge of proper design and water management for the Houston area. All of their projects in all three categories were VERY impressive as well as AECOM's roadway project, LLewelyn-Davies Sahni's urban design solutions (eventhough they didn't win), and Walter P. Moore for their win in the urban design category. I think the promoters/organizers of the LID competition can be nothing but satisfied with the results of this event. Way to go Houston firms for stepping up to the task!!!!!!!