“由私人运营的伯恩海姆植物园和研究林地自1929年成立起便一直是肯塔基州最受欢迎的自然宝地之一。具有创新性的总体规划以伯恩海姆植物园和Olmsted兄弟的原始设计概念为基础，旨在帮助15,000英亩的场地讲述一个完整的故事，以践行“连接人与自然”的长期使命。在景观设计师的带领下，跨学科的团队为伯恩海姆制定了整体计划，包括新增和改建的设施、得到扩展和重新阐释的树种展示区、步行路径以及多处以“水的故事”为主题的绿色基础设施——它们反映了森林与不断变化的世界之间的重要关联。”
– 2019年评审委员会
“Since 1929, the privately owned Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest has been one of Kentucky’s most popular natural treasures. This creative master plan builds on the Bernheim’s history and the original Olmsted Brothers concept, to help its 15,000 acres tell a fresh story that fulfills its long-standing mission of connecting people to nature. Led by the landscape architect, an interdisciplinary team has developed a plan that includes new and repurposed facilities, expanded and reinterpreted tree collections, walking trails, and green infrastructure practices that reinforce the “story of water” that is a central message of both the forest and its relevance in a changing world.” – 2019 Awards Jury
在伯恩海姆植物园建立近100年之际，景观设计师受命为其制定新的总体规划方案，意在加强植物园的影响力，使其战略规划得到进一步完善，同时确保财政上的可持续性。伯恩海姆植物园和研究林地的总体规划将使游客沉浸在丰富多彩的自然环境和精心布局的园林景观当中，以重新讲述和呈现场地的历史。新的功能区域和设施不仅令生态系统变得更加完善，还为场地注入了与当今时代紧密相连的新内涵。规划的实现巩固了伯恩海姆植物园在土地管理和栖息地恢复领域的先锋地位，使“连接人与自然”的使命得以继续传承。
As Bernheim nears its centennial, the Landscape Architects were commissioned to develop a master plan to strengthen the impact of Bernheim’s mission and to further their strategic plan while ensuring financial sustainability. The master plan for Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest sets a vision of “re-storying” the site by immersing visitors in diverse natural systems and curated horticultural experiences. New programs and facilities improve ecological systems and interpret a layered landscape story for a new generation. Realization of this plan will allow Bernheim to further its mission of “connecting people to nature” by continuing to be an innovator in land stewardship and habitat restoration.
▲伯恩海姆总体规划创造了连贯且直观的游览体验，以展示和强调伯恩海姆的使命。为了加强伯恩海姆与游客之间的联系，入口处建造了一座新的游客中心。Arboretum Master Plan: The Master Plan creates a coherent and intuitive guest experience that demonstrates and promotes Bernheim’s mission. To strengthen the connection between Bernheim and visitors, a new Visitor Center will be located near the entrance.
伯恩海姆植物园和研究林地坐落在肯塔基州路易斯维尔市以南30英里处，成立于1929年，其使命是在人与自然之间建立深厚的连接。植物园所在的场地最初由Olmsted兄弟担任规划，对遭到铁矿工业破坏的景观进行了长时间的修复并获得成功。占地15000英亩的植物园容纳了各类功能空间和景观元素，包括远足路径、教学设施、树种展示区和大型雕塑，以及占地14000英亩、由恢复后的山丘森林和溪流构成的生态系统。
层级鲜明的沉浸式环境
新的伯恩海姆植物园在优美的自然环境中为游客提供了舒适且层次丰富的游览和休闲体验，并始终不忘强调其自身在生态保护方面的意识和使命。从精准布局的森林漫步路线，到山丘森林带来的沉浸式体验，多向的叙事促使游客深入场地，与生态环境进行亲密接触。植物园、林地和森林共同创造出一段令人流连忘返的旅程，鼓励游客们多次且深入地探索自然：
植物园 – 包括树种展示区、大草坪、内文湖、家庭花园、伯恩海姆游客中心、自然探索中心和山顶活动中心。 林地 – 包括由步道和野餐设施构成的被动式休闲区，以及由艺术家专门设计的两年一度的“花园节”场地。 森林 – 包括恢复后的山丘生态系统、沉浸式的徒步路线以及可供研究的不断变化的景观带。
一系列美观且具实用价值的策略性空间得以在这一宏观的框架内同步实现。
直观的游览体验
新的到达路径使伯恩海姆成为Bourbon Trail上的一个显著的目的地，并且与Jim Beam酿酒厂隔街相望。基于“将外部的人引入内部的自然”这一愿景，场地中主要设置了三个关键的建筑锚点：
新修建的伯恩海姆游客中心使游客能够在到达的一瞬间便置身于绝美的景观之中。在穿越湿地草原之后，游客们可以一边欣赏内文湖的景色，一边决定接下来的参观路线。作为植物园的门户，游客中心提供了电车、自行车租赁服务，以及通往游览环线和各层级景点的入口步道。 原先的游客中心被重新设计为自然探索中心，为各种实践性的教学计划提供了场地，游客们可以与附近的池塘和森林亲密互动。 原先的教育大楼被改造为山顶活动中心，为伯恩海姆的各类事件和节庆（如会议、座谈会和婚礼等）提供了多功能的场地。
此外，主车辆环线被反向连接至一条单向道路，在深入广阔场地的途中为游客带来清晰而优美的视野。功能空间和基础设施的转变带来了更加直观的游览体验，加强了工作人员与游客的联系，并通过对既有建筑群的再利用减少了对生态环境的破坏。
水的故事
尽管伯恩海姆的研究林地大部分不向公众开放，但它对于其所在的土地而言有着重要的生态意义。研究林地为7条溪流的源头提供了保护，同时为原先被农业和工业用地所分割的区域景观带来了一整片连续的森林。
伯恩海姆对研究林地中的溪流进行了积极修复，以改善下游的水质和滨水栖息地环境。在规划的过程中，景观团队意识到了林地的溪流恢复与植物园的水道管理之间存在脱节问题，因而，“讲述水的故事”就成为了用于组织和诠释场地的主要框架。
植物园内的湖泊拥有多样化的边界形态，原先的瓷砖排水沟被移除，并通过修建绿色基础设施来维护场地水文的健康状态。游客们可以伴随着“一滴水”的故事，从最高处的山丘森林到达修复后的Olmsted池塘。游客中心停车场也讲述了类似的故事：一滴水是如何落入土地，通过生态湿地清除污染物，然后过滤至湿草原，最终流入内文湖中。植物园中的每一条步道都将带来一次独特的讲解，它们共同讲述了伯恩海姆通过创新性的修复让景观重获新生的故事。
体验式树种展示区
树种展示区内包含8000多种植物，是伯恩海姆丰富遗产中不可或缺的一部分。总体规划提出对树种的构成进行全面的修改，而不是简单地将它们“集合”起来。后期的完善和扩展也将有助于维持四季美景，同时为林区赋予新的可能性。这种体验式的方法将使珍贵的资源得到激活，并为长期的测试和研究提供样本基础，从而为当地景观挑选出最佳的种植品种。总体规划的完成将使现有的树木与路径更加接近，使游客更方便地获得与这些植物有关的信息。随着树木的老化，植物园的各个区域也会得到重构。新的树种展示区将创造出有意义的审美体验，以前所未有的方式加强游客对于树木品种的认知。新品种的种植还将为伯恩海姆提供更多的试验机会，良好的韧性使其更容易适应肯塔基州的气候变化。
体验式森林
景观介入和栖息地管理试图让林地和草坪的边界“横穿”历史悠久的环路，以模糊“植物园”和“林地”之间的界限，为驾车、骑行和步行旅程带来更具深度的体验。除了这一概括性的框架，规划中还增设了一系列新场地来丰富伯恩海姆的游览体验：
家庭花园 食材花园 住宿区 音乐会场地 花园节 带顶步道
规划的实现
项目团队以景观设计师为主导，包括来自建筑、环境、园艺、金融以及管理运营等多个领域的顾问成员，在团队的通力协作下，一系列评估、设计、场地策略和总体规划得到了一体化的实施。
总体规划的实现将进一步巩固伯恩海姆植物园在土地管理和栖息地恢复领域的先锋地位，使“连接人与自然”的使命得以继续传承。这些用于恢复和重构场地的策略为伯恩海姆吸引了更多的受众，让肯塔基州传承了数代的珍贵场地能够以更好的面貌迎接未来。
▲区域背景：伯恩海姆植物园和研究林地是美国规模最大的植物园，它位于肯塔基州的Knobs地区、路易斯维尔以30英里处，是Outer Bluegrass和Mitchell平原之间的过渡地带。Regional Context: Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest is the largest Arboretum in the United States. Located in the Knobs Region of Kentucky, 30 miles south of Louisville, Bernheim is situated in the transition between the Outer Bluegrass and the Mitchell Plain.
▲重塑绵延的林地：伯恩海姆的森林之所以能够一直保持欣欣向荣的状态，要得益于过去90年间的悉心修复（始于Olmsted兄弟提出的景观规划）。Re-Storying the Contiguous Canopy: It is easy to imagine that Bernheim has always been a thriving forest, but it exists today because it has been intentionally restored over the last ninety years—beginning with a landscape plan by the Olmsted Brothers.
▲水的故事：伯恩海姆致力于恢复研究林地中的溪流，以改善下游水质与滨水栖息地的环境。该方法与植物园中现存的暗沟系统以及瓷砖排水道形成了鲜明的对比。The Story of Water: Bernheim is committed to restoring the streams in its Research Forest to improve downstream water quality and riparian habitat. This approach is in stark contrast with the system of culverts and tile drains that currently manage water in the Arboretum.
▲创建连接：游客们可以通过多样的体验与自然建立深层连接。三个“区域”为游客们带来了不同类型的体验，每个区域都以其独特的方式鼓励着人与自然的互动。Creating Connections: People find deep connections to nature through diverse experiences. As a way of guiding visitors to different experiences, three “regions” within Bernheim are defined. Each region engages visitors with nature in a distinct way.
▲入口区在肯塔基州245号公路（Bourbon Trail的一部分）和植物园之间创造了一个舒适宜人的过渡地带。入口车道将游客们引入伯恩海姆的各个景点。Entry Landscape: The entry landscape will provide a chance to decompress after exiting Kentucky Route 245—a part of the Bourbon Trail—and before entering the arboretum. The entry drive presents an introduction to the different landscapes at Bernheim.
▲内文湖滨岸的目标：规划团队将内文湖选作伯恩海姆新游客中心的场地，并对其现有条件进行了深入分析，为水质、休闲空间、野生动植物、水生植物以及外来物种的管理确立了目标。Goals for the Shoreline of Lake Nevin: When Lake Nevin was selected as the site of Bernheim’s new Visitor Center, existing conditions were deeply analyzed, and goals were established to manage water quality, recreation, wildlife, aquatic vegetation, and exotic species.
▲内文湖边的游客中心：拟建的游客中心将提供展厅、画廊、多功能集会空间、洗手间和咖啡馆，意在向游客们介绍伯恩海姆的历史，同时创造多样的使用机会。Proposed Visitor Center on Lake Nevin: With exhibits, galleries, multi-purpose gathering space, restrooms and a café, the Visitor Center will introduce guests to their Bernheim experience and provide an opportunity for a variety of engaging uses.
▲游客中心的入口路径：游客们将沿着湿草原上的木栈道进入游客中心。这一多样化的生态系统能够过滤从停车场捕获的雨水以及大草坪的现有径流。Entry to the Visitor Center: Guests enter the Visitor Center by following a boardwalk over a wet prairie. This diverse ecosystem filters stormwater captured from the parking lots, and existing runoff from the Big Prairie.
▲与游客中心相连的草坪：游客中心的三座建筑以各不相同的方式融入周围景观，带来湖泊、湿地和草原的独特景观。从东面的入口望去，这几座建筑犹如深嵌在草坪内部。Prairie Connection to the Visitor Center: Each of the three Visitor Center buildings relate to the landscape in different ways, creating unique perspectives of the lake, wetland, and prairie. From the east entry, the buildings appear to be embedded in the prairie.
▲山丘景观图解：植物园中的每条路径都会向游客讲解一个独特的故事。伯恩海姆“重塑”景观的历史将通过创新性的修复工作得以延续。出发点、野外观测站和一系列目的地将为讲解之旅带来更具节奏感的体验。 Interpreting the Knob Landscape: Each trail in the arboretum will tell a distinct interpretive story. Trails will relay Bernheim’s history of “re-storying” the landscape through innovative restoration. A system of launch points, field stations, and destinations will provide a rhythm to the interpretive experience.
▲体验式树种展示区: 总体规划的完成将使现有的树木与路径更加接近，使游客更方便地获得与这些植物有关的信息。充满趣味的新种植区将会以前所未有的方式加强游客对于树木品种的认知。Experiential Collections: The completion of this master plan will make the existing collections more accessible through trails and interpretation—new experiential collections will include playful plantings designed to create meaningful experiences and increase knowledge of tree species in unexpected ways.
▲Olmsted池塘的恢复：通过改变既有的管理方法，历史悠久且备受喜爱的Olmsted池塘将为人们证明天然水系统在人造环境中的重要性。Olmsted Pond Restorations: By altering the management of the Olmsted Ponds, the historically important and much-loved ponds will serve to demonstrate the importance of natural water systems in the built environment.
▲超越边界的举措：伯恩海姆的战略合作关系带来了创造性的、以自然为主题的学习计划，为场地引入了新的植物和更好的用于休闲和锻炼的设施。伯恩海姆总体规划致力于为伯恩海姆带来超出其社区边界的积极影响。Actions Beyond our Borders: Strategic partnerships with Bernheim have led to creative, nature-based learning initiatives, newly planted trees, and better amenities for enjoyment and exercise throughout the region. The Bernheim Master Plan seeks to positively affect Bernheim’s community well beyond their borders.
Located 30 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest was founded in 1929 to create deep connections between people and nature. The site was originally planned by the Olmsted Brothers and has been a successful long-term restoration of a landscape ravaged by the iron ore industry. Within Bernheim’s 15,000 acres, the arboretum provides diverse programs that include hiking trails, educational programs, mature tree collections, and large-scale sculptures – as well as 14,000 acres of restored knob forest and creek ecosystem. Unfortunately, only 30% of Bernheim’s visitors find the current Visitor Center—concealed in the forest a mile from the Arboretum entrance. This limits Bernheim’s ability to further their mission of “Connecting People to Nature.” The organization’s identity is also misunderstood—as many assume that Bernheim is a publicly funded state park since only a per-car “environmental impact fee” is collected on the weekend and admission is otherwise free, per the founding bylaws. This misconception has compromised Bernheim’s ability to fundraise operational revenue as costs have outpaced endowment.
The new Bernheim offers experiences for different levels of visitor comfort in nature across a spectrum of passive recreation options—but always with an emphasis on awareness of Bernheim’s conservation mission. From a fully curated walk in the horticultural collections to a deep immersion in the restored forested knobs, multiple storylines engage visitors with the ecology of the site. Together, the Arboretum, the Woodland, and the Forest encourage return visits and a deeper exploration of nature:
Arboretum – horticultural collections, Big Prairie, Lake Nevin, Family Garden, the Bernheim Visitor Center, the Nature Discovery Center, and the Hilltop Event Center. Woodland – passive recreation zone of trails and picnic facilities that also includes space for a biannual artist-designed garden festival. Forest – the acreage of restored knob ecosystems offers immersive hiking trails and significant areas for research in an evolving landscape.
Within this overall framework, a programming strategy, operational pro forma, and phasing plan for implementation were also developed.
A new arrival sequence secures Bernheim as an anchor destination on the “Bourbon Trail” —directly across the street from the Jim Beam distillery. While Bernheim’s mission is to put people outside in nature, three purposeful building destinations frame the experience:
The new Berheim Visitor Center welcomes visitors upon arrival and immediately engages them in the story of water and landscape that permeates all aspects of the Bernheim experience. Visitors arrive by crossing a restored wet prairie and are provided orientation to plan their visit while enjoying views of Lake Nevin. This new center is the gateway to the arboretum – providing tram service, bike rentals, and walkable access to a hierarchy of trail loops and several destinations. The existing Visitor Center will be repurposed as the Nature Discovery Center to provide a place for hands-on educational programs that include interactions with nearby ponds, forest, and nature play. The existing education building will become the Hilltop Event Center, which will for the first time provide a multi-use space for meetings, symposiums, weddings, and other celebrations at Bernheim.
Importantly, the primary vehicular loop road reverses direction and is converted to a one-way drive for clarity and builds upon the series of viewsheds as the vast site is revealed to the visitor. This shifting of programs and infrastructure provides a more intuitive visitor experience, fosters staff connections with visitors, and reduces further ecological impact by repurposing the existing cluster of buildings.
Although much of Bernheim’s Research Forest is not accessible to the public, the land serves an important ecological function—protecting the headwaters of 7 creeks and providing a large contiguous forest in a regional landscape that is fragmented by farming and industry.
Bernheim has actively restored the streams in its Research Forest to improve downstream water quality and support riparian habitat. During the planning process, the team identified a disconnect between the restoration of streams in the Research Forest and the way water is managed in the Arboretum. Telling “the story of water” throughout Bernheim became the primary framework for organizing and interpreting the site.
In the Arboretum, lake edges will be diversified, tile drains will be removed, and green infrastructure practices will be implemented as ways of demonstrating healthy site hydrology. Visitors will be able to follow the story of a drop of water from the tallest knob in Bernheim, through the forest to the restored Olmsted Ponds. Similar stories will be told of water that drops in the Visitor Center parking lot, is filtered through a series of bioswales that remove contaminants, filter into the wet prairie, and eventually flow into Lake Nevin.
Each walking trail in the arboretum will provide a distinct interpretive story. Together the trails will tell Bernheim’s history of “re-storying” the landscape through innovative restoration.
The Collections, including over 8,000 different species and cultivars of trees, are an integral part of Bernheim’s rich legacy. The master plan proposes extensive revisioning beyond simply a “collection” of species and proposes refinements and expansion to ensure year-round interest and new program opportunities. An experiential approach, rather than simply a cataloging of species, will re-awaken this treasured asset. The Collections provide an important resource that serves as the basis for long-term evaluation and research aimed at identifying the best plants for this region’s landscapes. The completion of this master plan will make the existing collections more accessible through trails and interpretation. As collections age, areas of the arboretum will be rethought. New collections will be designed to create meaningful aesthetic experiences and increase visitor knowledge of tree species in unexpected ways. The planting of new collections also allows Bernheim to experiment with more resilient species that are better equipped to handle changes in Kentucky’s climate.
Landscape interventions and habitat management seek to blur the line between “arboretum” and “forest” by meandering the forest and prairie edge across the historic loop road – adding depth of experience for cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Beyond this broad framework, an array of further destinations build the Bernheim Experience: Family Garden Edible Garden Lodging Concert Venue Garden Festival Canopy Walk
The Landscape Architect was the prime consultant—leading an architectural, environmental, interpretive, horticultural, financial, and operational consultant team through a collaborative process of assessments, programming, site strategies, and master planning.
Realization of this plan will allow Bernheim to further its mission by continuing to be an innovator in land stewardship and habitat restoration while better revealing these stories to visitors. These strategies restore and “re-story” the site and welcome a more diverse audience – all ensuring that the sense of place that Kentuckians have treasured for generations will endure for those to come.
