Naming Opportunities You can Make Your Mark
Rain Garden
$100,000
Envisioned as a “green” solution to address the issue of excess storm water runoff, the rain garden is part of HP’s effort to reduce the ecological footprint of all aspects of its programming. Created by landscaping 530 sq. ft. with native plants, the HP2 rain garden will absorb and filter rainwater diverted from the building’s roof and parking area. During most storms, 100% of the water will be captured, keeping pollutants from reaching lakes and streams. Public sculptor and McKnight Distinguished Artist Kinji Akagawa is designing elements within this outdoor space, creating a quiet natural space secluded from busy Lake Street — a rejuvenating and reflective sanctuary for HP artists, visitors and staff.
A Rain Garden in the Land of 10,000 Lakes?
When Highpoint found a location for its permanent home at 912 W. Lake Street, many of the conditions were perfect: the owner agreed to a closing date that would allow us to raise monies for 9 months prior to purchase; the building sits only six blocks from Highpoint’s current location and has a great street presence on a major through fare; it will accommodate an open floor plan; and it offers easy access to public transportation arteries like the Midtown Greenway Bike Trail, which is only ½ block away.
Like many commercial buildings, this property also comes with a common problem: lots of impermeable surfaces, i.e. 10,000 square feet of roof surface and 10,000 square feet of parking surface. What’s wrong with that? Well, the EPA defines storm water runoff as the number one threat to water quality in our lakes and streams. While mature forests sheds less than 10% of the storm water that falls on them (the remainder soaks into the ground or evaporates), developed urban sites shed 100%. At an average of 32 inches of rain per year, Highpoint’s new location sends 400,000 gallons of water into the storm sewers that lead to our lakes and streams, carrying with it pollutants from those surfaces such as exhaust particles, dripped oil, radiator fluid, and tire rubber.
These issues led us to include a rain garden in the project. We are proud the of the wonderful team we have assembled to address this issue at HP2. Its main principals are: Kinji Akagawa, a 2007 McKnight Distinguished Artist award winner and respected public sculptor and teacher who has been creating communal spaces for over four decades; James Dayton, the highly regarded project architect and founding principal of James Dayton Design; and Jason Rathe, co-owner of Field Outdoor Spaces. While the exact size and design of the Rain Garden is not yet finished, our overriding goal is to convert approximately 2,000 square feet of the parking area with amended soils, native plants, and public space in order to manage much of the storm water and provide visitors with a bit of natural respite.
Though renovation of our new building will begin in the fall of 2008, work on the garden will not start until the following spring. We look forward to its completion and to hosting an opening tour for all of you. Highpoint wishes to extend a BIG sincere thanks to Kinji (who has a long relationship with printmaking, having attended Tamarind Institute and taught printmaking at Minneapolis College of Art and Design) for donating his time, considerable energy, humor, and guidance. We also wish to thank James Dayton Design and Field Outdoor Spaces, both of whom are providing their expert professional services at a greatly reduced cost.