Here at WPL, we are constantly working on an exciting portfolio of projects. With our combined experience spanning all over Coastal Virginia, our work can be constantly spotted wherever you go.
We are beyond excited to showcase a few of the projects that we are currently working on, and we cannot wait until our clients and friends get to experience these projects firsthand.
Coming up in Virginia Beach…
1. The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium
Since adding The Adventure Park to the Virginia Aquarium in 2014, many families have come to experience all the educational and fun components of these sites. The park features more than 258 challenges, 17 treetop trails, 30 ziplines, and fun for all ages. The park is situated perfectly beside (and above) the Owl Creek Inlets, so adventurers can check out all that nature has to offer. There is also an educational component of this park where adventurers can explore STEAM topics. This original site plan was done by landscape architects at WPL and now the park is being expanded upon. The new plans include a tower and canopy walk, various amenity areas for families, water attractions, nature play spaces, a bicycle pump track, and a children’s traffic park. WPL is working to create the conceptual designs, surveying, site designs, stormwater engineering, landscape architecture, and wetlands delineation. These new elements will bring another level of engagement to the park and will attract nature lovers alike.
2. Marine Animal Conservation Center (MACC) at Virginia Aquarium
The Marine Animal Conservation Center at the Virginia Aquarium project has included stabilizing a fragile ecosystem and securing a shoreline that can withstand a constantly changing environment. The MACC will replace part of the previous Marine Science Center. It will have 18,000 square feet of amenities where visitors can learn about animal sciences, rehabilitation of animals, and watch as animals are nursed back to the proper health. WPL has worked to place this site in an area with the least minimal impact on the surrounding vegetation of the Owl Creek Inlets and to conceptually design a functional site. The MACC site will include seawater access, animal care areas, educational outreach, support areas, laboratory spaces, and office areas. The site, when finished, will enhance the educational component of the Virginia Aquarium, and will preserve an influential ecosystem that leads to the Chesapeake Bay.
3. Westminster Canterbury Expansion Projects
With an ever-growing community of residents, Westminster Canterbury needs to accommodate for their growing community. WPL has a long history of supporting Westminster Canterbury’s goals. The original site was surveyed by WPL crews as well as the landscape was designed by WPL’s own Billy Almond (while working at Shriver & Holland), and various improvement projects throughout the past two decades to sustain their growth. Now with their planned expansion, WPL is working on their updated landscape plans, master planning for the site, and site design for the new Independent Living and Assisted Living Towers.
Coming up in Portsmouth…
1. Portsmouth City Park
The City of Portsmouth is working to modernize their city park and implement more engaging elements that will bring the people of Portsmouth together. Portsmouth has a few goals for this park, once completed. They are prioritizing the health of their citizens by adding biking and walking trails, to add to the overall aesthetic of the park with improved plant quality, a new playground area for the kids, new amenities that can host a plethora of activities, ability to use the park actively and passively, large open spaces, and for the park to be considered resilient to sea level rise and flooding issues. WPL is working as a sub to create a masterplan for the park that achieves all these goals and squeezes the ultimate use out of this city park.
Coming up in Hampton…
1. Downtown Hampton Amenity Implementation
Downtown Hampton is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the United States and is included in the Hampton Roads area that bares the nickname “America’s First Region.” As Hampton has expanded over its nearly 400 years, its population has expanded exponentially, and its cultural makeup has reached new populations. In the Downtown Master Plan that was last updated in 2017, Hampton aims to create new waterfront connections throughout the area. The key elements include strengthened housing, mixed-use commercial development, waterfront enhancement, traditional Hampton architecture, streetway improvements, improved neighborhoods with new parks and infill development, and sufficient critical mass. They believe that by including all these elements into their new plan implementations they can preserve the history of Hampton while also embracing the new urban lifestyle of a vibrant downtown.
These are just a few of the many projects that WPL is taking on, in addition to the many residential projects and special projects that we cannot tell you about…. yet. Stay tuned to our social media to watch these projects and all our other projects come to fruition!