Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

HEARTWOOD GREENWAYS AND STORMWATER MASTERPLAN

MSLA

ARCHITECTS
MSLA

PHOTOS
MSLA (12)

STATUS
Under Construction

BUDGET
$10M - 50M

SIZE
1,000,000 +

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Omaha, NE, United States

CATEGORY
Landscape + Planning › Masterplan

In 2017, Heartwood was the largest undeveloped parcel within Omaha, Nebraska – 500 acres of farmland which had slowly been surrounded by suburban sprawl.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

Applied Underwriters, the current owners, planned to develop the site as an anchor for their corporate campus, and create a new model of development for the region.

The land lies within a watershed recently ravaged by unprecedented floods, a weather pattern that is becoming more ubiquitous with climate change.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

The Omaha community suffered over 1.3 billion dollars in damages over the past two years; farms have been shuttered, families have lost their homes.

Addressing the watershed for flood control was essential for the site development.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan


Beyond the campus, the overall site had also been programmed to include housing, a 25-acre central park and retail, all framed by the Greenway system.

The backbone of the Greenways is a progression of sculpted water vessels that display and cleanse 170 acre-feet of stormwater and mitigate flooding.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

The Greenways, comprised of 130 acres of native prairie and forest, include more than 14 miles of trails that meander through 13 stormwater detention vessels, linking the entire development with connections to Omaha’s larger trail network.

Over 10,000 trees will be planted throughout the development, intended to honor the agrarian history of the site while giving a nod to Arbor Day, which originated in Nebraska.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

Trees that had to be removed to create the clearings will find new homes throughout the park as totems and as they decay, provide habitat for native woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees.

Studded within the clearings are amenities like council rings, fire pits, small amphitheaters, and stone cairns that provide shelter and become park follies.

Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan

Our design expresses stormwater infrastructure as an ecological art form and will serve both the community and the land.


Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan
Heartwood Greenways and Stormwater Masterplan