Sustainable Design | Equinox Environmental

Successful sustainable design is the harmonious mix of science, technology, and creativity. Since our beginnings in 1998, it has been at the core of what we do. The interdisciplinary Equinox team blends expertise in landscape architecture, ecology, horticulture, plant and soil science, and natural resources. The result is a broad range of unique and inspiring spaces for living, playing, and working.

• Site Analysis & Assessment
• Residential, Institutional & Commercial Sites, Campuses
• Urban Corridors & Streetscapes
• Sediment, Drainage & Erosion Control Plans
• Campus Planning & Design
• Regenerative Design
• LEED Applications

See examples of our work in sustainable design.

It’s not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it’s about celebrating water. Equinox is a regional leader in designing innovative stormwater control measures (SCMs), Low Impact Development (LID) and green infrastructure, which help reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff and associated pollution issues. We create functional and aesthetic stormwater BMP designs for specific sites as well as for entire developments and watersheds. We also assist clients in finding funding to subsidize better stormwater management planning and design. Our clients include residential, commercial, institutional, academic, non-profit, and government entities.

• Stormwater SCM Design
• Plant & Soil Media Selection
• Site Suitability Evaluations for BMP Types
• Stormwater Inspections
• Maintenance Plans

See examples of stormwater design.

Greenways are healthy all the way around—they stimulate a healthy community, healthy environment, and healthy economy. The Equinox team has the tools and experience to take a project from feasibility studies and the conceptual stage to site-specific design, and construction documents. Trails, parks and open spaces are where people and nature come together. With our extensive experience working in a variety of scales, from culturally and historically significant sites to nature based parks and recreation facilities including natural playgrounds, and passive parks. Through creative placemaking, wayfinding, and interpretive signage we help create a unique experience for our projects. And of course, whether it’s a greenway or a park, our projects are designed upon ecological principles and are engineered to last.

• Urban and Rural Greenways & Trails
• Natural Surface Trails
• Rails-to-Trails
• Rails-with-Trails
• Multimodal Transportation
• Complete Streets
• Nature Based Parks
• Recreation Master Plans

See our greenway /park planning & design projects.

A beautiful landscape is a daily joy. Combining our expertise in landscape architecture and ecology we provide our clients with functional, desirable outdoor spaces. We are known for tackling typical landscape problems, such as erosion and drainage issues, and turning them into celebrated features that seamlessly contribute to an inspired space. One of our secrets to our success is that we know how to work with landforms and the contours of a landscape to properly and sensitively site buildings or home and assocaited features on a property. Our landscape architects have the technical capabilities to design spaces that benefit people, animals, plants, water, soil, insects, and wildlife.

See examples of our landscape architecture projects.

Restoring precious ecosystems requires an understanding of the natural sciences and the art of design, as well as the ability to work with diverse community stakeholders. Equinox provides restoration services for a variety of habitats and ecosystems, including rivers, streams, woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. This often means native plant revegetation, soil improvements, grading, erosion control, and invasive plant control. We know from firsthand experience which plant species are most likely to respond well. When possible, we also include recreational, aesthetic, and educational features in these projects.

• Stream & Wetland Restoration
• Habitat Restoration & Enhancement
• Revegetation Projects (Forest, Meadow, Riparian)

See examples of ecological restoration.

The harmonious integration of the landscape with people providing their food, energy, and shelter needs in a sustainable and restorative way is the foundation of permaculture. The interdisciplinary Equinox team blends expertise in landscape architecture, ecology, permaculture, horticulture, plant and soil science, and natural resources. The result is a broad range of unique and inspiring spaces for living while restoring the landscape.

• Permaculture Master Planst
• Residential Permaculture Designs
• LEED Applications

See examples of our work in sustainable site planning and design.

Equinox provides interpretive, graphic design, and wayfinding signage. We specialize in environmental and heritage interpretation and “placemaking” signage. This service includes research and content development in collaboration with the client and/or stakeholders. We utilize our interdisciplinary team to develop content that is rooted in research and expert knowledge while displayed in a way that is visually rich and interesting to all age groups.
We skillfully work with manufactures on custom signs or installations that include specialized detailed design, construction documents, and construction administration.

See examples of our Environmental & Interpretive Graphics.

This is where horticulture meets ecology. Designing with nature means our planting designs are dynamic and based on nature’s cues and patterns, reflecting the region’s vast diversity of native flora and natural plant communities. Reclaiming degraded landscapes devoid of native plantings is a goal of many of our clients, replacing or creating new landscapes with ecology-based landscapes that benefit both people and the planet. Whether it’s a wildflower meadow the restores ecosystem function or a planting carpeting the groundlayer with wildflowers below a woodland canopy; building landscapes that last, means building resilient landscapes.

See examples of our work in ecological planting design.