Some landscapes solve problems. The best ones teach us something along the way.
Blue Earth and OLA are continuing their partnership with A-B Tech, Buncombe County, and RiverLink to transform an existing parking lot into a high-performing constructed wetland system that delivers measurable ecological benefits for both the campus and the French Broad River watershed.
Currently under construction with Phase One completed, the project converts a formerly impervious parking surface into a living system designed to slow, filter, and absorb stormwater. The wetland improves water quality, reduces flood risk, and restores ecological function while demonstrating how institutional landscapes can actively contribute to watershed resilience.
Phase One establishes the first segment of a larger wetland complex that will continue to evolve over time. Beyond its environmental performance, the project is envisioned as a living laboratory where students, researchers, and the broader community can engage directly with green infrastructure, ecological restoration, and applied environmental science.
The result is infrastructure that works harder, teaches more, and reconnects people to the systems that sustain healthy communities.
