Golf courses are among the most water-intensive and ecologically destructive landscapes in the world. A typical 150-acre site might exhaust over 200 million gallons annually – demolishing habitat in its wake.
At Exploration Green, SWA partnered with a local water authority to transform a defunct 178-acre course into its opposite: a monumental detention pond capable of storing over half a billion gallons of stormwater, hemmed with 39 acres of constructed wetlands and a meandering trail system.
Since the opening of its first phase, the park has served both as Houston’s critical flood risk reduction infrastructure and a popular nature destination where visitors can watch migratory warblers dart through an emerging canopy of bald cypress, sweet gum, and other native trees.
During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the site prevented floodwaters from reaching over 150 homes in the adjacent communities of Clear Lake and Bay Knoll; once all phases are complete, it will protect an estimated 3,000.
A range of seasonal programs like prairie planting, sunset yoga, light shows, educational tours, and more have also made it a civic centerpiece for Southeast Harris County, drawing a dedicated body of regular volunteers and patrons year-round, from local Cub Scouts troops to Texas Master Naturalists.
Learn more about how Exploration Green doubles as flood infrastructure in this Houston Public Media podcast
Changsha Baxizhou Island
Over many decades, public agencies in China have sought to solve growing flooding issues in a defensive way: fortifying and hardening river edges, raising levee heights, and ultimately separating the people from historical connections to the water. With an understanding of river flow processes and volumes and of wetland and native forest ecology, this separati...
Guthrie Green Park
Guthrie Green transforms a 2.6-acre truck yard into a lively urban park in the heart of downtown Tulsa’s emerging arts district. Opened in September 2012, Guthrie Green has become the area’s leading destination, drawing 3,000 plus people weekly to activities that have enriched the urban experience and spurred district-wide revitalization. The high-performance ...
Shenzhen Bay
Situated just across the bay from Hong Kong, the city of Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing town of 30,000 to a booming city of over 10 million people in 40 years – and has grown over 200 times its original size since 1980. Along the way, the character of Shenzhen’s bayfront was radically altered. Over 65 km2 of marsh and shallow bay were filled to ...
Long Beach Shoreline
SWA prepared a land use and urban design plan for six miles of waterfront adjacent to downtown Long Beach. Through a series of meetings with local community stakeholders, we were able to determine the different needs of each district in the plan: of critical importance was the need to preserve valuable open space inland, and to maintain an ecological corridor ...