Heartwood Master Plan Rendering
This 500-acre site lies within a watershed ravaged by storms — an increasingly common weather pattern that has recently cost the Omaha community a billion dollars in damages. Meyer Studio’s goal was to go beyond managing stormwater and bring natural phenomena forward to encourage people to be more conscious observers of their precious and dynamic environment.
Through a series of 14 limestone-clad vessels that flow sinuously across 100 Nebraska acres, MSLA is hoping to raise ecological awareness by visibly marking time and place. Whether full of water, dry, marshy, or frozen solid, the site-specific vessels and their surroundings provide a range of experiences.
Dodge Threshold marks the northern most vehicular entry to the greenway system, located at N 144th Street and W Dodge Road. The Dodge Threshold Vessel (1a) retains grade against the road to the north, the first of the 14 limestone-clad stormwater retention basins. A mound dotted with significant red oaks sits opposite the vessel, sculpted from the ‘cut’ of the basin. Towering above the oaks and adjacent quaking aspen grove, the historic silo, now refurbished, welcomes users to the greenways.
0.1 Dodge Threshold
The expansive Greenway A forms the heart of the public trail system, featuring seven distinctive retention basins nestled within an expansive parkland. At the northernmost entrance, the Gateway Vessel (2a) beckons pedestrians into the site, its entry trail punctuated with a flagstone overlook celebrating a solitary cottonwood tree. Moving along the Linear Basin (2b), significant walls of monolithic stacked stone slowly fall back to grade, continuously flanked by an allee of columnar oaks, now red will fall color. Two sculptural totems crafted from reclaimed dead trees stand marking the threshold at the end of the elongated allee. Next in sequence, the Radial Vessel (2c), coaxes users still further south. Iconic to Heartwood in form, the vessel features a stone band that marks the 5-year storm waterline, a recurring design element that underscores the site’s acknowledgment of visualizing climate change.
Dominating the greenway, the symmetrical Axial Vessel (2d) aligns directly with Heartwood Park to the far East, creating an unyielding axis that terminates into a pedestrian overlook – the first moment of encounter for many parkgoers.
0.2 Greenway A
Leaving the formality of the Axial Vessel, the Elliptical Vessel (2e), a low, sprawling basin, weaves a sinuous stone band through tall prairie grasses and quaking aspens, offering a moment of tranquil immersion.
Nearby the neighboring residential development lies the Park of Parks (2f), a collection of interactive features, including a sculpted mound, a stone bowl honoring a willow tree, a sand court framed by an amphitheater, a gathering area near a landmark shelter cairn, a terrace with fire pits and specimen oaks, and an overlook to the Cosmic Bowl, housing a historic refurbished windmill. The Cosmic Bowl (2g) itself is the largest vessel, a pure circular form rimmed with red oaks, disrupted momentarily by a stone chute. Departing from the Cosmic Bowl, the Southern Vessel (2h) concludes the first segment of the greenways, located just north of Pacific Street. A future pedestrian bridge will connect this vessel to the Orchard Vessels, linking the two greenway systems.
0.2 Greenway A
The Row serves as a connective thoroughfare, composed of green spaces with small-scale commercial areas, adjacent to mixed-use residential buildings. It links Heartwood Park directly to the greenway entrance at the Axial Vessel through an unbroken allee of substantial street trees.
0.3 The Row
Heartwood Park is a privately-owned public park that serves as an amenity-driven anchor to the overall 500-acre development. Its eastern edge contains the Park Vessel (4a), a retention basin sculpted directly out of the surrounding grade. The Central Plaza (4b), a versatile gathering space, hosts a variety of events, including ice skating, farmers markets, concerts, and movie nights. The historic Heartwood Barn (4c) is undergoing a refurbishment effort led by Holland Basham Architects to become a formal event space, preserving its character while meeting contemporary needs. The southernmost edge of the park will house a greenhouse and community gardens (4d), both growing plant material for the park and serving as an educational resource.
0.4 Heartwood Park
South of Heartwood Park, the Broadmoor Residences Basin provides scenic views for the new adjacent residential development. Its centerpiece, the Broadmoor Vessel, is a circular basin framed by a wall that spirals into the basin center, leading the eye to a stand of weeping willows — a serene focal point for residents.
0.5 Broadmoor Residences Basin
The Heartwood Arbour Neighborhood, under development by Applied Underwriters, will be a mix of single family homes and row houses. Within the neighborhood, a series of Arbour Greenspaces (6a) invite residents to gather, relax, and engage with their surroundings.
0.6 Heartwood Arbour Neighborhood
South of Greenway A, occupying the land between the AUW Campus and Pacific Street, sits Greenway B. This section is home to the Orchard Vessels (7a), the first retention basins to be completed. An orchard of fruit trees flows between the basins, paying homage to Omaha’s Arbor Day heritage. To the east, a series of tall, sinuous walls gracefully cut through the earth, retaining the grade of the road while protecting adjacent wetlands.
0.7 Greenway B
The adjacent Heartwood Estates Neighborhood welcomes residents with two Vessels (8a) flanking the southwest entrance. This single-family-home neighborhood is similarly being developed by Applied Underwriters, and connects directly to the AUW Campus landscape to the east.
0.8 Heartwood Estates Neighborhood
The Applied Underwriters (AUW) Campus is intentioned to be a home for employees that stands as a physical symbol of AUW’s values and aspirations, embodying the belief that “beautiful, purposeful spaces can inspire great work.” The Applied Underwriters Operational Headquarters (9a) building occupies the site’s high point, revealed through a three-part entry sequence. The sequence begins by crossing the sculpted Pond and Entry Bridge (4b) at the northeast of the site. The view to the building is then momentarily obscured when a Sculptural Mound (4c) rises opposite to pond, then giving way to a dramatic reveal. To the south of the building, the Great Lawn (4d) extends from the central atrium, offering sweeping views of the horizon.
At the south of the expansive campus landscape lie two sprawling vessels that collect stormwater for the extents of the site and nearby neighborhoods. The Overlook Vessel (4e) and Willow Stand Vessel (4f) are the largest within the Heartwood development, each formed by bands that sinuously splay through tall prairie grasses. A trail system circulating through the site allows for moments to pause, reflect, and overlook the basins, a final opportunity for contemplation.
0.9 AUW Campus