The Kleingers Group recently completed work for Phase 1 of the Campus-Wide Geothermal Distribution project at Antioch College. This small, innovative, liberal arts college provides graduate programs that mix traditional class time with full-time work and community engagement. The noteworthy geothermal project does much of the same.

The project design elements included a large well field with 300 wells; a new entrance; sidewalks and curb; pervious patio; educational rain gardens and vegetable gardens; and a new grand entrance and drop-off area for students. The survey, civil engineering, and landscape architecture designs were completed by The Kleingers Group. While professionals drilled the geothermal wells and set the previous pavers, most construction was carried out by students on campus as part of their education/studio requirements.

The geothermal plant in combination with an existing solar array provides the College an opportunity to expand its sustainability efforts while reducing its overall power usage. Sources state that this package will help cut campus energy costs by nearly $400,000 annually, once completed.

The Kleingers Group’s commitment to site accessibility goes beyond the design. The Kleingers designers take unique measures to get a better understanding of how the end-user benefits from their design.

Recently, members of The Kleingers Group transportation team spent an afternoon with visually impaired residents and their guide dogs in the Columbus area. The team was split into two groups and paired with a blind individual, their sight dog, a cane, and blindfolds. Team members were then given the opportunity to experience the end-user. Members were blindfolded and given simple instructions to utilize their given tools (guide dog or cane) to navigate around a city block. Through the experience, team members were able to gain a new perspective about how end-users experience their design in real life and how everything in the design from curb ramps to accessible pedestrian signals to street conditions is important. This experience has helped our transportation engineers become more mindful of their design and how it impacts daily users.

For the Leblond Regional RecPlex project, our engineers were given the opportunity to design a recreation facility for individuals with and without disabilities. The team looked for opportunities to exceed ADA requirements for the project. The end result was a facility with accessibility to nearly everything from nearly everywhere in the parking lot. Designers found the solution by removing the reveal at the curb/pavement connection, this, in turn, saved money on the curb, bringing the cost in line with the budget, all while creating a ‘flush’ connection to all sides of the site.

“We put in extra ADA spaces, but it’s as if the whole lot is ADA accessible because people can spread out and park wherever they want and cross the lot and access everything without a ramp. With the baseball field on one side, the basketball court and playground on the other side, and the building on a separate side of the lot, [users] can park wherever and get to all three easily. Good call.” – Doug (Cincinnati Recreation Commission)

The Kleingers Group is proud to look beyond the ADA requirements on projects. Ultimately, it is about the end-users experience in our designs, why not make it a stress-free encounter.