Mt. Rainier, Maryland
Joe’s, a cultural arts and performance hub, is a staple of the Mt. Rainier community. During the COVID outbreak, they were driven to move their programs, performances, and meeting areas to their outside parking lot. The current parking lot is a gravelly uneven lot with bad soils that don’t allow the water to percolate properly. The overall challenge is to get the water to filter and move in the right direction, while creating attractive and functional outdoor spaces.
The result is a cohesive master plan that showcases an outdoor performance stage with a backdrop made of upcycled doors from a reuse/salvage non-profit. The newly surfaced and organized performance lot will be properly graded, sending most of the water towards the street curb. A designated ADA path, play space, and cascading rain garden feature wall are the other main components of the newly organized outdoor space. Gathering decks are anchored around a shade tree and surrounded by beautiful plantings. Located at the lowest part of the site, the plants in this area will help absorb the storm water runoff.
The roof of the main building will feature an approximately 6,000 sf green roof and solar panels. This will further beautify the space, slow storm water and reduce heat island effect.