Highbank: The Restoration of a Lost Prairie

Context

Overlooking pristine waters of a glacially-formed lake, the 1.7-acre property sustained decades of intense human intervention, diminishing its ecological value and denuding the native landscape. Multiple structures, large expanses of lawn, and tree-girdling asphalt extents combined with unstable and eroded shoreline comprised of non-native species, demonstrated the need for a renewed commitment to proper land management. A dense and competing canopy of non-native trees overwhelmed visible signs of understory growth, allowing sediment and chemicals from adjacent properties to drain directly into the lake. Degraded conditions aside, stands of burr oaks punctuate the land, recalling the once dominant oak savannas that proliferated across the region, but are rarely seen today.

Vision

With a desire to recreate a summer lake house tradition, our clients sought to create a transferable model for stewardship through restoration and environmentally progressive practices.

Process

Understanding that a savanna possesses a wide range of habitats and canopy coverage, the team created a transect of the property, analyzing canopy closure and drainage patterns to define three distinct landscapes: prairie, open woodland, and woodland. Next, the design removed all non-native species, reduced vehicular paved areas by 40%, and replaced 35,000 square feet of lawn with over twenty varieties of grasses and sedges, and ninety species of wildflowers. Lakeside, native plants with root systems predisposed to providing natural erosion control stabilized the extreme 1.5:1 slope while wetland plugs offer a riparian buffer, improving water quality and biodiversity. This approach challenged existing regulations that proposed masonry-based solutions – a common approach that had armored and individualized the once-natural bank.

Combatting Effects of Climate Change

In a region where climate change and human land use has been at the center of shifting forest compositions, temperature swings, lake level fluctuations, and other habitat irregularities, the decline and fragmentation of native plant communities and protective growth habits is obvious, particularly in the deterioration of habitat. To prevent further homogeneity in tree species composition, the team implemented a succession plan with a diversity of species that protects the existing forest and counteracts the susceptibilities introduced by insects, disease, soil compaction, drought, and flooding. Native prairie species help buffer soil and nutrient loss, absorb rainwater while filtering toxins, and attract a wide variety of pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

Commune with Nature

The splayed, L-shaped footprint of the home parallels the lake and northern boundary, while a reconfigured driveway skirts the property’s eastern edge. By gravitating the program to the perimeter, the plan reestablishes an expansive prairie landscape and its historic drainage-ways, elevating scenic quality from public rights-of-way and creating an immersive entry experience. Nestled within sculptural oaks, the home emerges from a gently sloping landform when viewed from the road, while reading as a single-story structure from the lake. A 6,000 square foot green roof appears as a lifted extension of the prairie. Shared outdoor spaces unite generations for recreation and communion with nature. Low, freestanding walls denote thresholds while permeable pathways sinuously link amenities and emphasize the dynamism of the landscape.