Two WRT projects, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation headquarters and North Camden Waterfront Park Plan, were given New Jersey Smart Growth Awards from New Jersey Future, a statewide research and policy group. The Dodge Foundation was awarded in the Sustainable Design and Implementation category, and the North Camden Waterfront Park Plan was awarded in the Participatory Neighborhood Plan category.
WRT designed the 14,000-square-foot interior for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation's headquarters in Morristown, NJ. A central feature of WRT's design is a biowall, a system which has been implemented in only six other locations in the United States. The hydroponic system, with plants rooted in fabric which hangs three stories, creates a feature that is at once an environmental enhancement to occupants as well as a functional benefit for the building. By filtering and cleaning the air, the biowall reduces the amount of unconditioned outside air that needs to be introduced to the space, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs for the building. WRT also designed a green roof for the building, which will reduce rainfall runoff up to 80 to 90 percent, mitigate heat island effects, and create habitats for butterflies and birds. Both Dodge's interior space and rooftop terrace, through their ambitious environmental agenda, speak emphatically to the mission of the organization. The building is pursuing a LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) rating of Gold, possibly Platinum.
WRT created a conceptual design for a new contiguous waterfront park along North Camden, NJ that will extend Wiggins Waterfront Promenade under the Ben Franklin Bridge, continuing along the Delaware River and around the back channel to the Cooper River, connecting with the city's greenways. The waterfront was central to Camden's establishment and early development, as the city's strategic location along the Delaware River attracted settlers and supported industry. The plan identifies four principal park zones: the Urban Waterfront Park, the Bend, the Backchannel Waterfront Park, and Pyne Poynt. Each of these zones has its own unique character, but all serve the purpose of reconnecting the core neighborhood to the waterfront, and providing a local and regional recreation destination. Furthermore, the park will be critical to the environmental health of the North Camden waterfront and the Delaware River and backchannel. The plan's sustainability guidelines outline this potential of the park to achieve economic, equity, and environmental benefits. The comprehensive phasing plan and cost estimate identifies opportunities for public and private investment, visualizing how a world-class waterfront park plan can be made real.
