Dept. is working with Windsor, FL to develop the landscape plan for the new North Village, which is situated along the Indian River Lagoon on a barrier island in South Central Florida. The project connects the new development site to the lagoon, extending the estuary to support habitat for wildlife, increase biodiversity, and provide an adaptive landscape for the barrier island. 

Formerly a  citrus grove, the 54-acre North Village site  is an opportunity to   create an estuarine landscape that  supports the unique ecosystem of the Indian River Lagoon. One of the most biodiverse estuaries in North America, the Indian River Lagoon has suffered from the impacts of development: loss of biodiversity,  pollution, poor water quality, and wetland decline.  Modeling development as a form of stewardship, the North Village  is  dedicated to ecological landscape practices: from the design of littoral edges that support wetland plants and habitat to the establishment of maintenance procedures that reduce irrigation and artificial fertilizers. 

The stormwater  management strategy includes two wetlands; a freshwater wetland that filters run-off and improves water quality through aquatic planting, and a brackish wetland that is connected to the Indian River Lagoon, which  extends the estuarine habitat and supports natural tidal  flushing. Connecting the two wetlands is the "Slough," a coral stone crossing that celebrates the relationship between the two wetland areas.  The overall hydrological approach to the  North Village also anticipates sea-level rise and storm surge impacts by creating a diversity of  salt-tolerant plant communities.

Indian River Lagoon, FL

North Village

Dept. is a landscape architecture and urban design studio that provides creative, useful, and adaptive design responses for the public and the environment.