The library is the center of the town's intellectual life and the property has come a long way since it was a storefront reading room in 1877. Every nook and cranny, and every space is scaled for learning and appreciation of the outdoors. From spaces dedicated to children to imagination stations and public venue, the library's landscape ties the thinking with the doing, knitting together intellectual pursuits with the emotional need to de-stress in the gardens and public reflection spaces.

The New Canaan Library redevelopment - as illustrated by this photo of The Legacy Building - emphasized 'biophilia', the love of nature, as an amenity and a benefit. Research suggests that exposure to nature-in this case a perennial meadow- improves learning and cognition, reduces stress, improves mood and well-being. If books improve the mind, then nature improves the soul.

The side of the legacy building in prior slide, with a paver patio installed for public events. The submitting contractor installed everything but the sidewalks on the right. This includes all plant material, the decomposed granite (brown seating area for chairs and events).

The submitting contractor landscaped the rear of the building, excavating the site to sit below ground level. This achieved space for a variety of plant media to be installed, including contrast planting along the bridge. The granite benches were made from imported Vermont granite and consist of 6'-9' slabs weighing approximately 3,000-4,000 lbs. each. 22 granite blocks were installed in total, along with a paver patio.

The Children's Garden sits outside the indoor children's book nook and library area. As the plants and trees grow in, the experience will be like watching 'nature TV', with seasons and weather changing, and providing a literal window on the world as part of an interactive learning experience. The submitting contractor installed a stone wall and fence that provides a soft, safe space and welcoming atmosphere for young growing minds.

New buildings, legacy buildings, and outdoor spaces used for a multitude of public events, fundraisers, lectures, receptions, community gatherings. In all, the construction of the landscape called for over 2,500 cubic yards of soil; over 50 varieties of plant materials, over 10,000 sf paver installation, over 45 tons of decomposed granite, and over 35,000 sf of sod.

The Legacy Building was saved during reconstruction by lifting, moving and rotating it to a new site flanking the open space. The contractor installed 14 visible trees on this section of the green, and approximately 30 trees overall.

Hardscape prep and installation.

Sod installation.

Constructing the layers of one of many outdoor landscaped terrace areas.

Landscape professionals are leading change in sustainability not just on large projects but in cozy corners and wraparound decks. This terrace garden is part of the indoor-outdoor children's learning wing.

Plants serve as functional elements, in the improving air quality to anchoring the soil to regulating the climate, and are an indispensable part of the architecture of the Library's landscape and site redesign. Taken as a whole experience, the landscape ends up delivering a leafy, healthy 3-dimensional quality that is not only visually appealing and more sustainable, but a feature that delivers the highest return on value for library guests, and the highest return on investment for the client.