The Elizabeth River Project Debuts Ryan Resilience Lab in Norfolk’s New EcoDistrict
By Grace Silipigni
June 1, 2024 marked a historic day for the Norfolk community. Residents, business owners and Elizabeth River Project (ERP) supporters not only welcomed the new 6,500-square-foot Pru & Louis Ryan Resilience Lab to Colley Avenue, but also celebrated the establishment of a new EcoDistrict.
Composed of more than 15 businesses, the EcoDistrict is dedicated to restoring Knitting Mill Creek by reducing pollution and increasing public access to water. The Ryan Lab now serves as the cornerstone of the EcoDistrict and demonstrates to visitors a variety of eco practices for living and working in an urban floodplain.
“Looking to the future, one of our biggest challenges is sea level rise. It threatens to drown more than 90% of Coastal Virginia wetlands and brings in unprecedented levels of runoff pollution,” explains ERP Executive Director Marjorie Mayfield Jackson.
“We’ve spent the past 30 years restoring wetlands and oyster reefs, so we wanted [the lab] to be a place where people can gather and get involved with continuing to restore the Elizabeth River and also understand and prepare for climate change.”
During the lab’s planning stages, architecture students from Hampton University tirelessly researched cutting edge examples of structures in floodplains around the world. Their findings were later presented to ERP stakeholders and incorporated into the final design rendered by the Norfolk-based Work Program Architects.
The finished project boasts sustainable building materials and green features such as solar power and rain collection sites. The structure also sits 10-feet above the ground, asserting itself as a safe haven during floods.
The lab serves as the Norfolk campus for ERP’s Administrative and Restoration teams and the venue for immersive experiences in art, history, recreation and ecology. It is the sister site to ERP’s Portsmouth campus and Paradise Creek Nature Park and furthers educational opportunities for students, teachers and river enthusiasts.
Its displays of sustainable solutions (see facing page), however, are central to the Ryan Lab’s mission to educate and inspire. Business owners and homeowners can explore ways to make their spaces more eco-friendly.
“Not every single system is going to be the perfect fit for every single home [or business],” says Luísa Black Ellis, resilience manager, “But, we hope that every person that walks through here sees at least one thing that they can adopt.”
Ryan Resilience Lab Sustainable Solutions
Rain Garden
Scattered throughout the lab’s campus are bountiful rain gardens brimming with native plants and porous soils. These gardens work to reduce flooding and runoff pollution, actively filtering water and returning it to the aquifer.
RAFT
Runoff Attenuation Filtration Technology (RAFT) is a concept engineered to improve stormwater infrastructure, especially in urban areas. The RAFT acts as a mini rain garden, enhancing drainage and eliminating harmful runoff.
Green Roof
Green roofs are water retention sites that help to reduce energy costs as well as the urban heat island effect. By extending roofs with a vegetative layer, high temperatures typically absorbed and radiated by standard roofing materials are reduced.
Cisterns
Beneath the lab are two 5,000-gallon cisterns that recycle rainwater from its green roof. The non-potable water is filtered for sediments and UV-sterilized before being used to fill and flush toilets, a model also adopted by Princess Anne High School.
Floating Sheds
Outdoor sheds are often filled with equipment and landscaping materials laden with harmful chemicals. To prevent leakage during a flood, the lab designed two floating shed solutions. Each preserves the integrity of the storage and prevents unnecessary runoff.
With education and stewardship at the forefront, the EcoDistrict stands as a beacon of hope in the uncertain world of climate change.
“People have a lot of emotions when they think about climate change and resilience. They often tend to be characterized by confusion, disempowerment, despair or this feeling that it’s something far off,” says Ellis. “[One goal of the lab] is to address the impact on our home ecosystem. We have the power here and now as a community to protect the river from it.”
Learn more at elizabethriver.org/ryan-resilience-lab or ecodistrictnfk.com.
Get Involved
Donations. One-time and monthly donations make the creation of innovative spaces like the Ryan Resilience Lab possible. Donate at elizabethriver.org.
Special Events. Seek fellowship at the lab’s social events like Riverside Yoga, Native Floral Arranging, Sunset Sip & Paint, Volunteer Days and more.
River Star Community. River Star Homes, River Star Businesses and River Star Schools are critical to the ERP mission. Join the Pledge to create a cleaner and healthier Elizabeth River.
Otter Spotters. The Elizabeth River is part of the California-based River Otter Ecology Project. Report sightings at elizabethriverotter.fieldscope.org to help experts improve local habitats.
Cruises on the Creek. The EcoDistrict’s Electrified Marina brings electric boat rentals (pictured facing page) to Coastal Virginia, offering a more eco-friendly way to explore local waterways.
Grace Silipigni
Grace Silipigni is an elementary school Spanish immersion teacher based in Virginia Beach and a regular contributor to Coastal Virginia Magazine, covering a wide range of topics such as health and wellness, education and learning, food and drink, happenings and events, travel and getaways and more.
