The answer lay underground. Working with Dana Brown Associates and RCI, Citygreen introduced a system that would make the site both beautiful and functional.

Beneath the hotel’s motor court and plazas, nearly 1,000 Stratavault™ soil cells were installed between four and six feet deep. These modular vaults, made from 100% recycled polymer, created vast, uncompacted soil zones capable of supporting mature canopy trees while also bearing the weight of delivery trucks and guest vehicles.

Integrated into the system was Strataflow™ stormwater design, which captures and stores runoff from half of the tower’s roof. Instead of overwhelming city drains, water is detained, filtered, and slowly released, and aeration/irrigation inlets bring air and moisture deep into the soil, ensuring that trees can flourish despite the paved surface above.

As landscape architect Chris Africh explained, “Below the entire paved space are Stratavaults to handle roof runoff from half of the building. They’re controlled by a weir to release water at a desired rate to meet the city’s
stormwater code.”

The installation of this hidden infrastructure was anything but simple. Crews had to coordinate vault placement with concrete pours, underground utilities, and other construction trades. On top of this, global supply chain delays loomed large, and midway through construction Hurricane Ida struck New Orleans directly.

Despite these challenges, the project remained on track. Citygreen engineers were on-site, helping adapt the design to the realities of construction. John Tipton of RCI reflected, “As at the Four Seasons, a majority of our work is underground. Early collaboration with Citygreen allowed us to align technical design with construction realities and deliver successfully under tough conditions.”

Today, guests arriving at the Four Seasons are welcomed into a shaded, green motor court framed by Creole Queen elms, camellias, magnolias, and hedges. The space feels effortless, with cooling canopies softening the Louisiana sun and lush plantings creating a tranquil foreground to the hotel’s grandeur.

What they don’t see is just as important. Beneath their feet, tens of thousands of gallons of stormwater are detained during every major storm, filtered through engineered soils before being released into the city’s drainage network. Tree roots stretch wide in uncompacted sandy loam, irrigated passively by the very runoff that once threatened to flood the site. Pavements remain level, protected from root heave, and the entire system operates quietly without pumps or mechanical intervention.

As one project partner put it: “When hotel guests look out over the Mississippi with a cocktail in hand, they have no idea what lies beneath—a sophisticated green infrastructure system ensuring both comfort and climate
resilience.” And after just 4 year’s growth, the trees are an impressive - a picture of health and significant shade
cover canopy.

The Four Seasons New Orleans proves that luxury hospitality and climate resilience can share the same ground. By embedding Stratavault soil cells and a closed-loop stormwater management system beneath its plazas, the development not only complies with stringent city codes but also creates an inviting, climate-smart landscape for generations to come.

In a city where rising seas and intense storms are part of daily life, the project demonstrates what is possible when green infrastructure is planned from the start. The result is a precedent setting model: a hotel landscape
that looks effortless above ground, but beneath the surface, quietly safeguards the future.

During site excavation, remnants of long forgotten subdivisions surfaced: old roadbeds, building foundations, utilities. This urban archaeology required adaptive engineering on the fly.

Working collaboratively, the landscape architects, engineers, and contractors modified layouts to account for these subsurface barriers without sacrificing green infrastructure goals or delaying project delivery, with Stratavault’s modularity playing a key role in delivering the construction flexibility required.

Klondike Park’s redesign elevates green infrastructure from a hidden layer to a hero feature. Beneath the central plaza, a Stratavault soil vault matrix supports large tree
growth under permeable paving and timber decking. The permeable surface is designed to function like healthy soils in nature allowing rainfall to pass through the pavers, infiltrate directly into the tree pits, and sustain the trees from below rather than shedding water into drains. In doing so, the system re-establishes natural hydrologic pathways within the built environment.

Rainfall from adjacent hardscapes is captured via Strataflow Curb Inlets and redirected into the Stratavault matrix, where it is filtered through the Strataflow assembly and stored in uncompacted, large soil volumes. The drainage network includes both perforated and non perforated pipes wrapped in filter fabric and surrounded by washed rock - a complete low-impact design (LID) solution

that turns runoff into a resource for long-term tree health.

Together, these design layers perform triple duty by:

• Mimicking natural infiltration by allowing rainfall soak into the ground rather than run off
• Supporting resilient tree growth by enabling deep, healthy root systems in shared uncompacted soil
• Reducing load on the municipal stormwater network by treating and retaining water at the source while harvesting additional runoff through curb inlets back to the tree pits.

In colder months, the great lawn transforms into a natural skating rink, leveraging Edmonton’s winter climate and further extending the site’s year-round performance and activation.

The landscape strategy layers both performance and aesthetic.

17 American Elms were chosen not only for their canopy and cooling properties, but also for their resilience in urban settings. These elms will eventually form a shaded alleé along the plaza, offering thermal comfort during summer events while sequestering carbon and improving air quality.

In addition to the tree planting, native and adaptive

species have been included throughout the site to attract pollinators, build biodiversity, and reduce maintenance needs.

This turns what was once an asphalt-heavy void into a living, breathing landscape and the combination of permeable paving, soil vaults, and stormwater harvesting ensures these elms are not only planted but are sustained by a water cycle that mimics nature, securing their growth and resilience for decades.

Public Realm and Cultural Place Making

Beyond its ecological credentials, Klondike Park also reestablishes a sense of place. A heritage-themed “legacy” play zone pays tribute to Edmonton’s gold rush past, while a new boardwalk lined with vendor kiosks and shaded seating creates a pedestrian-friendly promenade.

The boardwalk, equipped for both everyday strolling and festival vending, has been carefully designed to echo the look and feel of a historic main street, helping visitors make cultural connections while enjoying the space informally.

A Park Reinvented for a Future Proofed City

Klondike Park stands as a model for how cities can convert obsolete lands into climate ready, culturally rich public infrastructure.

The design demonstrates how urban landscapes can be re-engineered to restore natural stormwater flows. By designing pavement, soil, and planting systems that mimic natural processes, the park reduces flood risk, sustains its trees, and lightens the load on the municipal storm network—all while creating a vibrant civic space.

By designing for both climate resilience and human experience, the Klondike Park project brings new meaning to the idea of legacy. It doesn’t just honor the past; it builds a healthier, greener future for Edmonton.

storm drain at a metered, much slower rate than traditional curb-and-gutter flow. This attenuation greatly reduces peak discharge pressures on Menlo Park’s drainage infrastructure
during heavy storms.

Stratavault: Engineered for Growth, Built for Performance

At the heart of these green infrastructure improvements is Citygreen’s Stratavault engineered soil vault system.

Stratavault modules are structural cells installed beneath sidewalks, plazas, roads, and other paved areas to hold large volumes of quality soil for trees while supporting the weight of urban loads. Unlike traditional urban tree planting where soil is often heavily compacted (providing as little as 20% of the root volume a tree needs), the Stratavault system keeps the soil loose and aerated, with up to 95% of the soil volume available for root growth. Its interlocking skeletal structure bears the load of surface pavements, providing tremendous vertical and lateral strength to support traffic, all while the soil beneath remains uncompacted and biologically active.In the Menlo Park project, the generous soil volume delivered by the Stratavault matrix, not only promotes healthy tree growth (leading to robust root systems and large shade canopies), but also doubles as an underground stormwater reservoir. The void space within the soil cell matrix effectively acts as a below-grade storage chamber for rainwater, allowing the soil and root network in each vault to function as a “living sponge” that soaks up runoff and promotes filtration at the source.

This dual functionality is a cornerstone of the design’s innovation – the same infrastructure that provides load-bearing support and nutrient rich soil for thriving trees is simultaneously performing as sustainable drainage infrastructure. By integrating the tree pits with the stormwater system, every square foot of streetscape is working both ecologically and structurally to improve performance.

Construction Challenges

Constructibility and proper installation were also key to Stratavault’s success in Menlo Park. An important lesson learned on this project was the need to align the soil cell assemblies with the intended root zone elevation during construction.

In one phase of the build, unforeseen site conflicts required the Stratavault base to be installed slightly deeper than ideal, meaning some tree roots initially had limited access to
the structured soil layer below. As a result, those particular trees could not immediately exploit the full volume of quality soil that was provided for them.

In a subsequent phase, the team adjusted and set the Stratavault system at the proper elevation relative to the tree

planting depth, ensuring the new trees could tap into 100% of the available soil volume from the start.

This adaptability and fine-tuning in the design/install process highlights how small technical calibrations can dramatically influence long-term outcomes.

Where Resilience Meets Community

Beyond the technical achievements in engineering and arboriculture, the Lume development improvements underscore a powerful place making impact. The addition of 6,000 feet of protected bicycle lanes and wide pedestrian walkways, buffered from traffic by rows of trees and rain garden swales, has greatly improved safety and comfort for cyclists and pedestrians.

What was once a car-dominated thoroughfare is now a people-friendly green avenue that encourages walking and biking by providing continuous shade and aesthetic appeal. Commuters heading to nearby business campuses and residents of the new housing can enjoy a pleasant, tree-lined route separated from vehicle lanes, promoting a healthier and more active community lifestyle.

The aesthetic transformation is equally notable. Rows of mature canopy trees, thriving in the Stratavault matrix, are expected to grow to full size and provide extensive shade
over sidewalks and adjacent properties. This will help mitigate urban heat and create inviting outdoor spaces for the public.

Within the Lume development, a publicly accessible, tree-lined paseo running through the site offers residents a dedicated dog park and an open space to gather, relax and exercise. It’s a wonderful example of how to take a

narrow, shaded corridor between two buildings and optimize it for livability. Even in a high-density residential setting, these green amenities ensure a daily connection to nature:
residents and visitors have places to linger, socialize, and seek respite under the trees. The inclusion of the dog park in particular has created a lively community hub where neighbors meet and interact, underscoring the social value of integrating green space into urban design.

The integration of green infrastructure has enhanced the area’s resilience and functionality during weather events. Even in heavy rains, the streetscape remains largely free of
surface water hazards. Instead of large puddles or unsafe runoff, stormwater is mostly invisible as it flows into the soil systems, quietly doing the work of irrigation and cleansing
the water. This means significantly reduced flood risk and the virtual elimination of stormwater as a nuisance on sidewalks or roadways during normal rain events.

By handling water sustainably on-site, the project exemplifies environmental stewardship that can foster community pride. In blending environmental function with civic quality, the Menlo Park project has created a more livable public realm that benefits everyone.

Ultimately, the Menlo Park Lume development demonstrates how landscape infrastructure and livability go hand in hand. The thoughtful deployment of Stratavault soil cells and green
design principles not only solved technical problems (such as providing sufficient soil volume for trees and managing stormwater runoff) but also generated a more enjoyable and
cohesive urban space.

Citygreen’s DESIGN SERVICES team was integrated from the start, and their approach effectively turned standard street trees and planters into high-performance infrastructure, delivering value on multiple levels: ecological, functional, and social. The once-overlooked roadway has been reinvented as a resilient, vibrant public realm that will
serve Menlo Park for decades to come.

Two years since planting, Menlo Park continues to grow, but this project stands as a blueprint for how cities can build resilience into their very fabric. The Lume initiative illustrates what’s possible when engineering innovation, landscape architecture, and sustainable policy converge. With the help of advanced green technologies like Stratavault, a rapidly developing city can deliver best-in-class performance in both ecological function and community benefit. Such achievements in sustainable infrastructure provide a hopeful model for other municipalities seeking climate-ready development that enhances, rather than undermines, quality of life.