Maple Hill Residence Hall at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR / Under Construction

The +/-1.9 acre designed landscape, site amenities, and associated site improvements surrounding the proposed Maple Hill Central Housing Community will be an appropriately welcoming and inclusive landscape setting, integrating this new facility into the existing Maple Hill district and campus environment. The site design provides a pedestrian focused environment that takes advantage of the topographical challenges of the site. The intent is to provide engaging outdoor spaces, that successfully navigate the existing site topography to foster a sense of community and increase opportunity for engagement between students. The design creates intuitive and accessible points of entry, seamlessly stitching the new community into the fabric of Maple Hill, while taking advantage of views and vistas to the arboretum and cam-pus beyond. Canopy trees and landscaped areas will help dissipate rainfall, encourage infiltration, and slow stormwater runoff from the site. In coordination with McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc. site stormwater will be managed through a combination of bioretention areas, rain gardens, pervious paving, and bioswales providing green infrastructure.

The Hilltop Grove, located at the northeast edge of the project, is imagined as a student gathering space that seamlessly connects the new community to Maple Hill South, Clark, and Hotz Hall communities. The space consists of concrete and stone fines paving with movable dining tables and chairs, and canopy trees that pro-vide shade within the grove encouraging impromptu use by students and guests. The Hilltop Groves transitions the existing grade at 1456’ to 1454’, providing accessible connections to the north wing and classroom at Level 2. Lighting will consist of campus standard pole lights and festoon lighting. A welcoming planted landscape consisting of native shrubs, groundcovers, and ornamental grasses wraps the grove, paths, and entry areas, grounding the architecture and framing building entries. The sloped hillside, located just south of the Hilltop Grove, transitions the 14’ grade change from Level 2 to Level 1, with a south facing sloped lawn space flanked by shrub and planting beds adjacent to the architecture. A site stair, constructed of Washburn granite with handrails, connects the two levels on the western edge of the sloped lawn.

The Eastern Entry provides the primary access to the new community from the east and Northwest Quad. A series of steps and sloped walk provide connection to the main entry at elevation 1444’ and Confluence at elevation 1440’. The Confluence is envisioned as a mid-level plaza that provides a central gathering space for the new Maple Hill community. The space will be furnished with movable dining tables and chairs. The plaza seamlessly stitches together the Central Lawn and Sloped Hillside. Stairs with handrails are proposed as Washburn granite with asphalt pavers at landings and entries. The pavement within the Confluence is proposed as asphalt pavers. Lush planting beds at the periphery of the space include perennials and groundcovers, shrubs, and shade and flowering trees, providing visual interest throughout the year.

The Central Lawn, located at the southwest corner of the project, is envisioned as a south-facing flexible lawn space that celebrates the visual and physical connections to the Maple Hill Arboretum and incredible views to the southwest. The northern reaches of the lawn connect The Confluence and Level 1 entries to the space at grade. The Central Lawn will be planted with native oak plantings and populated with movable Adirondack chairs and movable dining tables and chairs offering versatile opportunities for seating configurations and vantage points from which to take in the views. Opportunities for tented events and other programmed activities are envisioned for this space. As the lawn transitions south, the grade falls away ~14 feet to connect to the access road to the south. Several large south-facing oaks are planned to be protected and preserved. Tree protection fence consisting of t-posts and orange safety fencing at a height of 4’ above ground level shall be installed prior to commencement of work around the critical root zone or at a minimum of 1’ per tree diameter inch away from the tree, whichever is greater, and maintained throughout the duration of work. Heavy machinery, soil disturbance or compaction, staging or material storage, vehicular traffic, and land disturbing actively is not permitted in tree protection zones. Stepped seating blocks, quarried of Arkansas Sandstone, integrated into the slope provide additional opportunities for gathering. An asphalt unit paver band across the access road provides visual and physical connection to a ’Trailhead’ to the Maple Hill Arboretum. The trailhead and arboretum improvements consist of the addition of new sidewalks, seatwalls, and planting in areas of disturbance from site development and realignment of the access drive along the south and west of the site.

Client | University of Arkansas

Design Architect | Henning Larsen & SCM Architects