Grinnell College Kington Plaza wins SCUP 2023 Excellence in Landscape Architecture Award

The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) recently honored the Grinnell College Kington Plaza and Christiansen Outdoor Learning Spaces with a 2023 Excellence in Landscape Architecture General Design Merit Award. This award recognizes designs excellence in the planning and design of campus grounds for higher education, specifically sensitive and skillful design of open space and landscape elements. The award considers distinctive use of materials and amenities that enhance the enjoyment of outdoor campus spaces and inherently represent the mission, vision, and values of the institution.

The new landscape celebrates Grinnell’s collaborative campus environment. The landscape is designed to embody the spirit of academic freedom – a hallmark of Grinnell’s culture. A sequence of outdoor classrooms designed in collaboration with students and professors extends the campus learning environment between the new Humanities and Social Studies Center and Noyce Science Center. Experiential nodes support both lively student activity and quiet contemplation to create a supportive student experience. The landscape harnesses the spirit of place drawing inspiration from the plants and materials of Iowa’s tallgrass prairie.