Ravinia Festival Site Improvements
Ravinia, the oldest outdoor music venue in North America, approached SmithGroup to prepare a Master Landscape Plan. The resulting design work solved major flooding and pedestrian access problems while enhancing Ravinia's aesthetic character and sustainability.
Client
Ravinia Festival Association
Location
Highland Park, Illinois
Markets/Services
Civil Engineering, Green Infrastructure, Landscape Architecture, Parks & Open Spaces
Size
34 acres
To address frequent flooding in the south parking lot, SmithGroup provided a green design solution using flow-through pavers and an underground detention vault. This increased permeable area on site from 38% to 81%, and its success spurred similar renovations for the north lot.
We couldn’t be more satisfied with the results we’ve seen thus far.
James Schmitz, Chief of Park Operations
An at-grade commuter rail crossing between the west parking lot and entrance had caused long waits and safety concerns for 35 years. The design team made Ravinia's dream of a pedestrian underpass a reality in a remarkable 20 months from start to completion. The team modeled pedestrian flows and came up with an optimum solution for moving 8,000 people to the entrance – while also extending the artistic quality of the Ravinia experience to the venue's edges.