General Education Building Courtyard, Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, Kansas

The General Services Building Courtyard at Johnson County Community College was reimagined as a key transitional space that welcomes students and staff as they move between parking areas and the campus core. Functioning as one of the College’s major “portals,” the courtyard provides both access and identity, making it an important first impression for daily users. JBC Landscape Architects was engaged to transform this space into a functional, visually engaging landscape that reflects the College’s commitment to quality and sustainability.

What makes the courtyard particularly unique is its sheltered setting, surrounded by large buildings and oriented to the north. These conditions created a rare opportunity to specify a more diverse and shade-tolerant planting palette than could be used elsewhere on campus. JBC designed a landscape that not only softens the architectural scale of the surrounding buildings but also introduces texture, variety, and seasonal change into the experience of moving through the space.

Beyond aesthetics, the planting design was developed as a learning resource. The wide range of species incorporated into the courtyard provides opportunities for science classes to observe and study plant performance in a microclimate not found in other areas of campus. In this way, the courtyard serves a dual purpose: enhancing daily campus life while also supporting academic engagement.