PHYTO: Principles for Site Remediation & Landscape Design

PHYTO: Principles for Site Remediation & Landscape Design

Book Authored by Kate Kennen & Niall Kirkwood Published: 2015 by Routledge

Kate Kennen has been researching the subject of phytoremediation (the ability of plants to clean up contaminated water, soil, and air) since 2005. She taught a research seminar on the subject at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for three years, and now currently is on the faculty at Northeastern University. The culmination of this research is a book published in 2015 titled ‘PHYTO: Principles and Resources for Site Remediation and Landscape Design’. The publica-tion translates the science of phytotechnology into an easy-to-read, daily desk reference for the professions of landscape architecture, planning, site engineering, real estate development, urban design, horticulture, and ornamental gardening. The intent of the book is to be an illustrated practical design guide to phytotechnology, focusing on planting solutions by site program, decoding the innovative science into ‘how-to’ form.

One of the main focuses of the book is innovative green infrastructure alternatives to cleaning up contaminated stormwater and roadway landscapes. Case studies for contaminate removal using plant-base systems are documented, including cost benefit analysis of economic and ecological concerns. A comprehensive plant guide describing the aesthetic qualities of featured productive vegetation is included. The work at Offshoots strives to integrate this innovative research and cost-effective, passive stormwater design strategies into each project.