Children’s Garden Design

Location

Lisle, Illinois

Owner

The Morton Arboretum

Team

Christopher Burke Engineering; Fountain Technologies; Halloran & Yauch,; McCluskey Engineering

Awards

150 Great Places in Illinois, American Institute of Architects, 2007; President’s Award of Excellence in Design, Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects, 2006; Honor Award, Colorado Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects, 2006; Gold Award, Excellence in Landscape, Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, 2006; Merit Award, Site Landscaping, Midwest Construction Magazine, 2005; Decorative Concrete Project of the Year, Concrete Construction Magazine, 2005

Metrics

Since completion in 2006: Yearly attendance is up 60%; Membership has doubled; the Garden has received 1.5 million visitors

The Morton Arboretum

As part of the Morton Arboretum’s “Branching Out!” program, Hitchcock Design Group was selected to develop EDAW’s schematic concepts for the Children’s Adventure Garden, from design development to construction documentation. By engaging children and families in educational and playful interaction with nature, the Garden advances the Arboretum’s mission to help people learn about and appreciate trees. In the Backyard Discovery Gardens, visitors study roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits through interactive exhibits, including larger-than-life models that kids can crawl through and explore, and extensive plantings that showcase common as well as unusual and contorted specimen plants. Outdoor classrooms and hands-on gardening areas provide visitors a variety of environments in which to investigate and celebrate plants. A rotating granite ball fountain in Tree Finder Grove teaches visitors about the unique leaf shapes found in nature. The elevated boardwalk system of Adventure Woods lifts visitors into the boughs of 60-year-old trees at the Evergreen Lookout.

Connect

Let’s build a relationship that helps you reach your planning and landscape architecture goals.

Let’s Talk

Tim Brennan

“What keeps coming back to me is their willingness, their ability, and their responsiveness to help manage the situation at hand.”

Tim Brennan

Senior Associate/Retail Practice Area Leader, Gensler

Patrick Lyons

“They work in a very collaborative manner in discussions and presentations. They make sure you fully understand it. If there are any questions at all, they can help you with it.”

Patrick Lyons

Director of Construction-Advocate Healthcare

Jonathan Kubow

“Hitchcock goes out of their way to make sure they’re responsive, helpful, and doing things that aren’t necessarily their responsibility. They’re just all-around quality. Any project that I do going forward they will always, always be included in my RFP, whether it’s city or suburban.”

Jonathan Kubow

Development Manager, Lennar Multifamily Communities

Steve Gulden

“Some architects will just say ‘how dare you!’ but Hitchcock encourages changes. Relationships and creativity is what it boils down to—it’s why I like them the best and what sets them apart from others.”

Steve Gulden

Village Manager, Village of Romeoville

Craig Phillips

“One of Hitchcock’s strengths is the amount of work they put in when they’re getting to know a community. They show you they really understand the issues your community is considering. They’re very thorough in their approach. It’s clear they’ve done their homework.”

Craig Phillips

Town Manager, City of St. John

Cee Cee Hodgson

“Their work comes with a level of empathy with the user to say ‘it’s more than plants. How can this be an uplifting space? How can this invigorate someone?’ That’s different. That’s unique.”

Cee Cee Hodgson

Lead Architect–C.C. Hodgson Architectural Group

Ann Ziegelmaier

“Communication, creativity, meeting timeliness, meeting institutional expectations; we’re not an easy client. Hitchcock goes out of their way to work with us.”

Ann Ziegelmaier

Landscape Architect-Northwestern University

Jim Basala

“Hitchcock thinks beyond straight lines and 90-degree angles.”

Jim Basala

COO, Lake County Parks & Recreation Dept.

Mike DeRouin

“With Hitchcock, I felt like they really went above and beyond, and they’re extremely responsive. They take more of a leadership role, which is helpful, especially with a complicated project.”

Mike DeRouin

President, FitzGerald Associates