CRJA is thinking outside.

Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:56:00 -0500

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Over time, the site of Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium had matured into a worn, confused space where the quality of daily student life became secondary to the functional needs surrounding the programming and activity of seven home football games each year. Pedestrian routes through the site became circuitous and marginalized by the competing loading, staging and parking of vehicles. Areas for congregating did not exist for those attending nearby classes and events most of the year, and on game day, patrons found the space severely overcrowded and unsafe. Gate 21 was entirely a pass-through space incapable of carrying the capacity it needed and lacking the sense of place and identity it deserved as a campus landmark.

As subconsultants to McCarty Holsaple McCarty, a Knoxville architectural firm who had worked with University planners and athletic department representatives to identify phased improvements for Neyland Stadium, CRJA’s Knoxville office collaborated with design team members and project stakeholders to conceptualize a new plaza and amphitheater outside Gate 21. The design of these two spaces successfully balances the activities of tens of thousands of game-day patrons with the needs and comfort of daily student life, including dozens of bus transfers each day. From initial site programming to final construction documentation, CRJA also found ways to embrace innovative technologies that would help the larger campus objective of developing sustainable sites. For example, in order to promote a healthy viable tree canopy of shade for the plaza over time, large volumes of planting soil were contained in structural cells that also support the pavement and vehicular loading above. To improve the quality of run-off exiting the site, permeable pavement was also installed in intercepting bands to slow and cool stormwater, while reducing the pollutants typically found in total suspended solids.

In 2011, the project received an Honor Award from Tennessee’s Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, as well as a Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award from the State’s Department of Environment & Conservation.

Here are some additional before, during construction, and after photos:

Amphitheater & Plaza

Plaza

Amphitheater

Public comment sessions to improve the SITES and LEED v4 guidelines

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 13:14:00 -0500

A new year is quickly approaching, and with it comes the rollout of the updated (and hopefully, improved) LEED v4 and the first official guidelines for SITES (Sustainable Site Systems), following the revisions resulting from comments by…YOU! It’s nearing the end of the public comment period for both LEED and SITES, but there is still time for your voice to be heard, and it’s much easier than one would anticipate.

SITES public commenting period ends on November 26^th. Start here.

LEED v4 public comment period ends December 10^th. Go here.

To illustrate, I will admit that the e-mail for the extension of the public comment period for SITES sat flagged in my e-mail box for nearly three weeks. It seemed too daunting. However, like many of my peers, I have complained about the flaws in the Sites portion of LEED and SITES offers landscape architects the unique opportunity to have a rating system specifically designed to reflect and reward the efforts we put forth in designing sustainable landscapes. With that in mind, I bit the bullet this past week and downloaded the commenting packet.

It was straightforward and simple! In 15 minutes, I had commented on three credits. If I wanted to comment on all of them, I could have. If I wanted to comment on only one, I could have. That is the beauty of this process – the professional can comment on the credits they feel the mostly strongly about in terms of needed revisions and/or the ones they feel their expertise can help lead to a stronger credit. You don’t have to do it all in one sitting, either. Your account saves what you have entered and you can go back as often as you want to edit until the public commenting period has ended on November 26^th.

For those of us familiar with LEED, you will also notice much of the language is pulled directly from LEED guidelines (and in many of the footnotes, it even refers to the specific LEED credits it is sourced from). This was by design; we will continue to see these systems intertwine, but the availability of SITES will allow projects without buildings, or where buildings are secondary, to have a strong stand alone rating system – but only if we help make it a worthwhile system with our professional feedback. That being said, due to the similar language and ideology, why not also participate in the LEED commenting period, while you are already in the mood – you will find that if you already have your USGBC login, it is extremely straightforward and you can selectively comment.

We have a professional obligation to participate in these commenting periods; to help hold each other accountable for creating designs that will improve the quality of life on a larger, interconnected scale. These rating systems may not be the measuring stick that we use for sustainability, often wishing to go above and beyond, but they are a good starting point and a great way to help educated our clients about why some of our design decisions are worthwhile investments.

What are you waiting for? Both systems are aiming to have revised guidelines out mid-2013.

SITES public commenting period ends on November 26^th. Start here.

LEED v4 public comment period ends December 10^th. Go here.

by Lauren DuCharme, ASLA, LEED AP

West End Longfellow Place Improvements

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:22:00 -0400

The existing conditions at the Longfellow Towers apartment complex in Boston’s West End neighborhood expressed failing site and structure conditions, including water leaking and penetration to parking and office structures below the on-structure deck and mezzanine. The pre-existing auto court and colonnade presented a cold, poorly illuminated, and generally inhospitable environment for pedestrians and visitors alike. The mezzanine level pool deck, which provided bathing and gathering for residents of the West End housing system, also expressed a vast, barren, and stark open space. Support structures including an odd pool storage house along with an insecure open stairway to the lower level maintenance also posed a safety concern and were an eyesore to the residents of the space. Large, overbearing yet necessary vent shaft structures also inhabited the space. In all, the client’s desire to reposition the property in order to stay competitive with the current and emerging housing market in downtown Boston served as the catalyst for this redevelopment.

Project design philosophy

The design approach for the Longfellow Towers Improvement project sought to provide warmth, clarity, proportion and continuity to a seemingly forgotten and underutilized space. The existing residential towers, with their striking shadow-play created by the strong fenestrations in the concrete, served to inform the design and proportions of the new spaces and the elements within those spaces. Understanding the movement through and views of the space, CRJA chose to use warm materials such as tan and brown stones and colored concretes throughout the design to offset the once cold nature of the environment.

The auto court, with its asphalt pavement and tall curbs, and which was once dominated by cars, has been returned to the pedestrian – shifting the access and comfort of the space to its primary user. A hard, cold center island was transformed into a planted centerpiece and textural forecourt for the urban residences, featuring custom designed granite and teak seating elements. An underlying function of “3” provides a simple rhythm within the space as well as a graphic tie to the “W” and “E” associated with the West End. The unit stone color aids in identifying movement zones from drop-off areas, with the colors associated with drop-off zones blending into the colonnade. Cutting back the pre-existing overhang of the mezzanine level allowed for increased light to make its way into the covered walkway zone.

The design philosophy of warmth, clarity and proportion continues in the pool deck, grounding the space on the rectangular pool form and extruding a “bar” in plan on the space. A shifting circular cabana seating zone anchors one end of this “bar”, while a new pool house finds a prominent and clear home at the other end. The surface shifts between concrete unit paver, Trex decking, and granite, with a custom reflecting paving pattern of unit stone occurring within the bar adjacent to the pool. The pre-existing concrete vent shaft was repositioned into a “lantern” art piece with a custom, backlit, Trespa lattice screen wrapping the circular form, which was designed by CRJA. Surrounding the pool area are a custom aluminum fence and concrete wall which also draw inspiration from the linear shifting shadow-play of the tower elevation.

Project Significance

To create a truly integrated design, CRJA worked collaboratively with Elkus Manfredi Architects to develop a strong relationship between architecture and landscape. Often, design creativity is tempered or hindered by a site’s context or construction limitations. The Longfellow Place Improvement Project chose to draw from what many consider a “Brutalist” architectural expression the essence and unique moments of shadow and repetition in the site design and detailing. Working within the very strict, tight spatial and weight limitations of the on-deck condition, the design team finely detailed and executed a rich and complementary pallet of materials. By employing lightweight structural fills, CRJA achieved the desired pavements and surfaces within the pool deck area. Reuse and repositioning of existing site elements which many would have chosen to demolish or ignore, such as the Vent Shaft Lantern, and turning them into fitting focal elements within the space further helped to express a truly creative landscape design approach. The transformation succeeds in creating a true urban oasis for the users of the space, providing unique and identifiable pedestrian level spaces as well as graphically contextual overhead views of the property for all of the inhabitants of the towers and adjacent structures.

Here are some additional photos of the completed auto court and pool deck:

All finished site photos by Chuck Choi Photography

From the CRJA design team’s statement about the highly...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:35:00 -0400

The Stoneman Healing Garden, DFCI

Soaring ceiling, dramatic windows

Garden plan

The bamboo canopy will reach 16’

“Hope” inscribed on rounded stone

Changing displays of low pollen plants

The rotation in March was pink cyclamen

In May, blue hydrangea

View from glass-walled conservatory

Air plants on a stainless steel cable

From the CRJA design team’s statement about the highly collaborative endeavor that generated the design of this healing garden:

Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) supports the active involvement of their Patient and Family Advisory Councils, an international model for patient- and family-centered care. The Healing Garden Working Group that oversaw the design was co-chaired by two DFCI patients. The Group included representatives from the Patient and Family Advisory Council, pediatric and adult nursing, safety and infection control, research management, physicians, members of the Arts and Environment Committee, DFCI Facilities and Project Management staff, architects and landscape architects. A garden was envisioned that would provide a warm and inviting space within the new outpatient clinical setting: an area of quiet respite in a natural environment for patients, families, and staff with adequate space for reflection and healing amid nature’s beauty.

In a highly collaborative endeavor, working under the direction of the project architects, the landscape architects developed conceptual alternatives for review by the Healing Garden Working Group. A detailed preferred Schematic Design was refined to facilitate cost estimating and allow the architects and engineers to plan for the required infrastructure, as the building itself was already well into construction during Schematic Design for the garden. The landscape architects provided visual examples of garden character and materials, and illustrative plans and sections which led the Working Group to express a clear preference for natural materials and a warm, naturalistic feel to the garden. A generous donation from Thea and James Stoneman later made possible the final design, construction and support for the maintenance of the garden.

This 2400 SF garden is part of a new, 275,000 SF state-of-the-art outpatient treatment and research facility of DFCI which is expected to receive LEED Silver certification for sustainability.

We welcome your comments about the process or final constructed design.

CRJA is excited to share an update on the North Bank Bridge...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:39:00 -0400

Rendered view of the bridge looking east

Piecing the structure together

A view of the underside of the bridge

A view from on top of the bridge deck

Twisting and arcing

Looking toward the center curve

Concrete bridge columns already in place

CRJA is excited to share an update on the North Bank Bridge Project currently under construction in Cambridge, downtown Boston, and Charlestown. Commuters and office workers have surely noticed the spate of construction activity on the banks of the Charles River beneath the span of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. Although there is not yet much finished landscape work to show, the heart of the project is taking shape: fabrication has begun on the 700’ long North Bank Pedestrian Bridge. When complete, the bridge, originally conceptualized by bridge engineers Buro Happold, will span from North Point Park in the west over the MBTA railroad tracks and Miller’s River to Paul Revere Park in the east. Representatives from bridge designers Ammann & Whitney, along with members of the Joint Venture construction team, recently visited Newport Industrial Fabrication in Maine to witness the bridge fabrication progress.

As seen in these photos, the bridge structure begins below the bridge deck and quickly arches overhead through the center span as the bridge passes over the MBTA tracks and Miller’s River. The twelve-foot-wide bridge deck will allow pedestrians and bikers to stroll or ride over the bridge, thereby connecting North Point Park in Cambridge to Paul Revere Park in Charlestown.

Click through these images of the bridge, which is due to arrive on site in Boston later this summer, and post a comment to tell us what you think.

The North Bank Bridge and Park is designed by the Joint Venture of Greenman-Pedersen, Carol R. Johnson Associates, Stantec Consulting, and Ammann & Whitney for MassDOT. Barletta Heavy Division is the general contractor.

by Tom Hand

A Closer Look: URI’s Rain Garden Working as a...

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:32:00 -0400

Diagram of collection and treatment

A natural-looking system

A lower pond during a rain event

Runnel in use during a storm event

A check dam flows into the end wall.

CRJA also designed the pedestrian plaza.

A view of plantings in summer

Before: abandoned hardscape

After: sustainable courtyard & building

A Closer Look: URI’s Rain Garden

Working as a subconsultant to the project architects, CRJA provided full site design services for a new LEED Gold Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences in URI’s North Campus sustainable development zone.

The landscape design needed to address the University’s ability to maintain a natural system and its appearance in periods of drought. The landscape design responds to these concerns by providing a structure of river stone stream beds, granite weir walls, stainless steel runnels and boulders harvested from on-site that create a sculptural feature in periods of drought and during the winter months. Areas planted with native grasses and perennials are supported by hearty deciduous and evergreen woodland shrubs and swaths of perennials and ornamental grasses. A band of flush stone pavement surrounds the feature to give maintenance crews a distinct mowing boundary in order to conserve the biodiversity of the new plantings. Detailing of the installations of all hardscape and planting was designed to ensure minimal maintenance over the lifetime of the feature. The result is a biologically diverse landscape, vibrant with native plant species, some of which were not previously found on campus and provide new habitat for insects and wildlife.

The goals of the landscape design have been met by removing redundant hardscape surfaces which contributed to the overall impervious surface area of the existing site. The introduction of a green roof and minimizing the extent of hardscape materials contributed to minimizing the volume of stormwater created. The feature works to capture, direct and treat the surface flow that is created by the CBLS building and associated site improvements and has been sized to accommodate existing re-directed drainage lines and the anticipated load of future development in this district.

Roof runoff is internally directed to two stainless steel runnels that daylight on the southwest face of CBLS and runs across a pedestrian path to an elegant rain garden that becomes the first collection area. The water then travels across a terraced weir wall and under a small pedestrian bridge before entering the first of three treatment ponds. These ponds create a larger collection area to store a large amount of water during periods of inundation. They have been designed to allow for sediment and suspended solids to collect behind strategically placed weir walls that also serve to aerate the water. Native and regionally adapted plantings have been selected for their adaptability to each flood zone and contribute to filtering the water within the main collection area, while remaining vibrant during varying periods of drought. The entire system has been created to slow the rate of runoff, infiltrate what volume was possible in an area with a high water table and improve the quality of water through biofiltration.

Click through the slideshow for a closer look.

A Summertime Campus Transformation Recognizing the critical role...

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:27:00 -0400

Stetson heralds the beautification.

Before: overgrowth in need of removal

After: a cohesive Palm Court

Walkway color matched to architecture

Native Florida palms

Mondo grass solution for shady spots

Southern beauty at Stetson

A Summertime Campus Transformation

Recognizing the critical role that an attractive and welcoming campus plays in the decision-making of prospective students, Stetson University hired CRJA to guide a major campus improvement effort that was to be accomplished during the summer months and completed prior to the students’ return to campus for the fall semester. Working closely with the University’s Facilities Department, CRJA reviewed the campus in detail to orchestrate a facelift for the core campus area that would further minimize the impact of the automobile on the campus, improve the pedestrian experience for current and prospective students, eliminate troublesome maintenance areas, rejuvenate and enhance planting beds, create new gathering spaces related to academic, athletic, residential and student life buildings, and celebrate the quintessential campus space—the Palm Court.

In a few short months the core campus was transformed by the planting of nearly 300 native trees and nearly 50,000 sf of ground cover and shrub beds, the conversion of 14,000 sf of vehicular pavement to planting or lawn, the laying of 15,000 sf of new brick pavement, the installation of a new irrigation system that greatly reduced the campus’s water consumption, and the installation of a new palette of campus furniture of benches, trash receptacles, rockers, tables and chairs, and umbrellas to create a rich campus environment for the University community.

A Backstage Pass at the Ground Zero Fountain

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:19:00 -0400

Set within the footprints of the former Twin Towers at Ground Zero, the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States will be a site to be both seen and heard. These massive waterfalls and expansive reflecting pools will convey the power and significance of the events of 9/11, yet they will be set in a tranquil surround of stately oaks.

This was my first trip to the site since 2003 and a lot has changed within the physical environment; world perspective on the events of that day has changed as well. For some, the completed memorial will be a welcome milestone reflecting ten long years of healing.

Joe Petry of Delta Fountains, fountain designer and supplier for this project, recently invited Chris Golden, Terry Kinsler and me (all from CRJA) on a tour of the construction site so we could better understand the overall scale, complexity and functionality of the two fountains. We were able to circumnavigate the fountains from the upper level where the public will ultimately view the fountains. We then descended below plaza level to the first of two lower levels within the fountain basin and surrounding pump rooms. Once in the pump rooms, we were able to appreciate the sheer volume of water that is required to operate the fountains and all that goes into keeping them looking good and functioning well above ground.

The approximate overall length of each upper waterfall wall including surrounding weir is 200 feet. There is a +/-28-foot-drop between the public plaza level and the upper pool level and an additional +/- 24-foot-drop to the lower pool level. Each fountain is just shy of one acre in overall size. Surrounding each of the waterfall wall levels are the expansive pump rooms that house the impressive 24-inch (diameter) stainless steel return pipes, display and filter pumps, a multitude of various filters and purifiers, touch screen computers with video display, climactic and system controllers, and other necessary equipment. Each fountain is supported by several pump rooms and can purify and re-circulate several hundred thousand gallons of water a day.

To say that the tour by Joe was an eye-opening experience for each of us would be an understatement. When the memorial is finally open to the public, I am sure the overall perception will be that it is a simple and clean memorial, but little will viewers realize that beneath the surface lies a highly complex infrastructure which allows the system to function.

Although it was always a powerful site, since the 9/11 tragedy, the World Trade Center site possesses an even greater power to draw people from all over the world. Hopefully this memorial site and the reconstruction of the surrounding towers will be both an appropriate testament to the lives lost and a signal to move forward.

Here are a few photos showing impressions of our visit:

Ground Zero site, September 2010

Fountain construction

Sense of scale

Not a minor league pump room

The future of Ground Zero emerges

More information on the 9/11 Memorial is available at the official website.

By Rick Williams (all text and photos)

How to create a walkable urban environment

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:32:00 -0500

Lafayette Square, adjacent Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA (A street calming and plaza design project; photo by CRJA)

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From the Archives

While working on visual aids for a project interview recently, I came across a set of guidelines that CRJA developed while working with community groups planning urban public spaces. The document originated with the Pedestrian Issues Forum that was part of the immense Boston Central Artery/Tunnel Project in the 1990s. It was later refined for Walk Boston, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving walking conditions in cities and towns across Massachusetts, and further amended as part of our work for the design of Harvard University/Allston Development Group’s Streetscapes Plan in 2008. See below to read these guidelines.

Concord’s Main Street

We learned soon after the interview that the team we were on won the job! We will be working with Hoyle, Tanner & Associates on concept design for the revitalization of historic Main Street in Concord, New Hampshire. Main Street itself will be narrowed from four to three lanes, and our work will entail streetscape design to develop a “complete street” befitting the state capital for a 10-block stretch centered on the capitol building. Along with the road diet, the sidewalks will be widened to make way for a more distinguished and comfortable pedestrian corridor. Concord 20/20 envisions an elegant and pedestrian-focused street that will serve as New Hampshire’s iconic Main Street. Our hope is that a great concept design resulting from a number of public meetings will lead to design and construction in the very near future.

During the public process, residents and merchants may well want to discuss with us what makes a street pleasantly “walkable.”

The Guidelines

We believe that eight essential factors contribute to a quality pedestrian experience. The “walkability” of a sidewalk, a pedestrian pathway, or a community can be evaluated by the degree to which these factors in the aggregate are achieved.

1. Continuity of pathways occurs when adequate walkways and other pedestrian features are provided in an uninterrupted sequence from one destination to another. Continuous linkages are essential in developing a pedestrian network.

2. Coherence in a pedestrian environment is achieved when adequate orientation, direction, and logical route choices are clearly offered to the pedestrian. The perception of system coherence is also achieved when pedestrian facilities are well integrated with surrounding urban spaces and other transportation modes.

3. Convenience is achieved when pedestrian travel is easy and uncomplicated, with minimal delay. Convenience results primarily from unobstructed pathways of ample width, ramps and signal timing ,which accommodate the mobility needs of all pedestrians, and generous opportunities for pedestrians to link with other modes of transit.

4. Security is a positive perception enhanced by adequate night lighting, open lines of sight for pedestrians and police, and lively street activity. Building uses which generate active use of the sidewalk contribute a large measure to the pedestrian’s feeling of security.

5. Safety can be provided by separating pedestrians from vehicular traffic as much as possible, including cars, bicycles, trucks and buses. Safety can also be promoted by controlling the street environment through “traffic calming” measures such as narrowing or decreasing lanes to slow vehicles, creating shorter intervals of moving traffic, timing traffic signals for pedestrian preference, and using paving materials to accentuate pedestrian zones.

6. Comfort and attractiveness are created in pedestrian ways by features such as weather protection, shade tree planting, smooth-surface paving materials, opportunities to rest, public toilet facilities, and other pedestrian amenities which add a sense of visual excitement and interest to the walking experience.

7. Cleanliness and good physical maintenance are essential trademarks of an inviting pedestrian experience. Walking is always more enjoyable when one senses that someone clearly cares about the condition of the physical environment.

8. Visual excitement is a quality that great city streets exhibit. This is created by such things as the color of awnings or banners, the movement of tree leaves, changing light and shade, eye-catching store windows or even flower pots and window boxes. All contribute to a rich visual sensation and therefore a vibrant street.

posted by Karen Euler

A campus rain garden through the seasons

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:56:00 -0500

CRJA’s team for projects at the University of Rhode Island designed and oversaw the construction of this rain garden at the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences (CBLS). Since it was constructed, admirers have commented on its success not only as a successful sustainable design feature, but as a commanding visual presence. Here, a look at the rain garden through the seasons:

1. The stone and steel within the rain garden provide visual interest while the landscape hibernates for winter.

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2. Multi-colored astilbes steal the show in springtime, blooming and signaling the awakening of rain garden plantings.

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3. Birds and butterflies arrive in numbers while the foliage of the perennials and ornamental grasses peaks in summer.

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4. Bronze tones of the astilbes create eye-catching contrast with the golden hues of the ornamental grasses in fall.

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by Lisa Esterrich (all text and photos)

Fleeting Art Deco beauty in downtown Boston

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:52:00 -0500

In the shadows…

The building is visible to me as a window-framed sliver from my workspace. A glance to my left provides a peek at one of my favorite buildings in Boston. The Hilton Hotel, once the Wyndham Boston Hotel, known even further back in time as the Batterymarch Building, is quite a special fixture in the area of Broad Street, Franklin Street, Batterymarch Street and Custom House Street.

Glanced at quickly from street level, the building does not seem to offer anything of truly unique interest. Yes, the entrances into the building are very attractive, expressing brick archways and gilded images. The interior was extensively renovated in 1999 when it became the Wyndham Hotel, restoring much of its Art Deco flavor. Deservedly, the building was declared a landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1995.

The quality that initially drew me and continues to draw me to this building can be found as one looks up at the building from street level. Harold Field Kellogg, the architect of the building (built in 1928) chose to use 30 different colors of brick in the façade. The colors are graded from a deep, warm brown at the base of the building up to a light yellow/buff at the top. The original facing of the building forms a somewhat seamless transition from dark to light, which gives the building an ever-present luminance and lightness, both in hue and perceived weight. The thought and craftsmanship expressed in the façade have always impressed me. Through the same narrow aperture allowing the view from my desk, the building shines in the shadows of the surrounding ubiquitous red brick buildings. The quality stands strong in the face of steel and glass faced building fronts across the street, forcing facing neighbors to reflect on this building’s thoughtfulness.

Ultimately, I am saddened and puzzled as to why recent re-pointing, refinishing and replacement of portions of the original façade have crudely ignored the beautiful gradation of the original design. The original blending has been replaced with a lazy stop-line of color change. Sharp shifts from brown, to red, to ocher have replaced subtle blending. Stark and incongruous with the building’s true nature, the amendments are slowly ruining the exterior quality of this building. I could assume that this lack of care could be financially based; that the ability to achieve such quality in today’s market is not fiscally sound. Besides, who looks up anymore while walking outside in the city? Most people are shielded from such views while traveling by car. Others are face down in the glow of their favorite hand-held device. Beautiful details of the upper stories of older buildings have long been forgotten. Long views of the full elevations of these buildings, once skyscrapers, have been crowded out by taller buildings. Why the current owner would choose to spend extra money to faithfully restore something that no one will ever notice is questionable.

Or is it? Take a moment to look up and see what you may be missing.

Clear evidence of failing to maintain original aesthetic quality of building

The dominant, visible corner of the building, where the original graded quality of the brick façade still shows well

Evidence of neglect in blending colors of brick

Sliver view from my workspace

Streetview grade: Subtle and natural shift from dark to light enhanced by the building’s façade

More information on the building’s history is available at the Web site of the Art Deco Society of Boston.

by Steve Woods (all photos and text)

Greenbuild 2009: not as green as it sounds

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:41:00 -0500

Last month’s Greenbuild conference, held in Phoenix, AZ, was disappointing. Although the event brought together over 28,000 designers, builders and vendors to discuss how to continue making the building industry greener and more sustainable in general, overall the event seemed to miss opportunities for pushing the green envelope.

As Dayna Baumeister, John Boecker and Bill Reed reminded us during their session, “Re-Membering the Patterns of Living Systems Design,” we are a part of the living system. Therefore, we must stop considering human habitats as separate from nature, but rather work towards creating truly integrated building and sites. However, besides John, Bill and Dayna’s session, I felt like this point was missing from the conference overall. LEED continues to be building-centric, yet how can we have a truly green building if it is simply a monument within its surrounding landscape?

The integration with the landscape is integral in creating a building that is part of the system; we cannot afford to treat the landscape as “window treatment” for the building. It is the interaction between the building and site that determines how energy will be consumed, how water will be supplied, consumed and treated, and how other species’ habitats will thrive or be destroyed. So why at a Green Building event are buildings still discussed as separate from the landscape? Who cares if a building used only certified wood, but it contributed to the destruction of a local drinking water source? As McDonough reminds us, it’s not enough to just be “less bad.”

Even the session I attended on the Omega Center for Sustainable Living focused the majority of its presentation on the building, despite the fact that it is not only expected to achieve LEED Platinum certification, but is also adhering to the stricter “Living Building Challenge,” by the Cascadia Green Building Council, which emphasizes a greater connection to the site. I felt the opportunity to discuss this crucial connection was missed.

Perhaps, however, it is our profession’s own fault. The Green Building Certification Institute currently only lists 2,824 LEED APs with Landscape Architecture as their primary profession compared with over 38,000 Architects. Attendance and presentations at this year’s Greenbuild by landscape architects definitely seemed dwarfed when compared to those by architects, engineers and developers. If landscape architects want to be taken seriously in the discussion of the green building movement, we have to come to the table more.

During the opening plenary session, Al Gore quoted an African proverb: “If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,” but he pointed out that we need to go far, quickly. It is going to take the intelligence and innovations of individuals coming together to work collaboratively to do just that. We need to literally think outside the boxes that are buildings.

by Lauren DuCharme, ASLA, LEED AP

Public art brings Wisconsin Place to life

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:57:00 -0500

Project Type: Mixed-use development

Location: Friendship Heights, Chevy Chase, MD

Description: Working with project architects Arrowstreet, Inc., CRJA developed a comprehensive master plan for this nine-acre urban mixed-use development that includes a mix of retail, office, and residential spaces, a community center, underground parking, two public parks, extensively landscaped public plazas, streetscapes, and commissioned public art by Athena Tacha. The plan evolved over several years through a collaborative dialogue with Montgomery County citizens and public agencies, as well as development teams for adjacent urban development projects.

After two years of construction observation, I was amazed to finally witness the public art installation by Athena Tacha fully operational. The dynamic sense of scale to the three-part light installation animates the project once the sun sets. Here is an excerpt from Tacha’s artist statement:

Starting with the names of the three avenues that prominently frame the development - Wisconsin, Western and Willard - and its logo and color scheme, I conceived three eye-catching, moving LED features along the two crossing pedestrian axes:

The Light Obelisk on the fountain (referring to both the Metro signposts and Washington’s Memorial) rises 25 feet as the focus at the crossing of the axes — from the main street corner to Bloomingdale’s, and, through the Light Riggings activating the Arcade, to the office and condominium towers — and, down to the 35-foot WWW-Tower, the culminating beacon at the Willard entrance. Arrowstreet architect Brad Edgerly termed the complex a “Light Avenue” hinting at Paris’ Champs Elysées or New York’s Times Square.

Landscape Design Principles

The site design team led by Arrowstreet Design Principal Brad Edgerly and CRJA’s Bill Taylor established these four principles:

1. Distance – Conceptually, public art needed to be seen from two distances. It needed to be seen from over 100 feet away so that people exiting the Metro station and crossing nearby intersections would be drawn into the site but also focus attention around the immediate retail core formed by an elliptical building mass.

2. Time – public art should be most successful at prime retail hours as well as different seasons.

3. Space – The landscape and architecture should act as a frame for the public art by reinforcing the artful qualities of the work and so that it is not seen as a foreign object within the space.

4. Place – Through integrating the overall space with public art, hopefully a sense of place is accomplished for those who shop and live in Friendship Heights.

Artist Collaboration

The collaboration between artist and landscape architect and architect involved CRJA’s initial sketches of the ellipsoid design sent to Athena Tacha for her review. She sent back a series of three elegantly simple sketches that accented the elongated nature of the ellipse through a lotus flower like paving pattern centered around the fountain and obelisk. As she states:

The plaza’s pavement, an homage to Michelangelo’s Campidoglio Piazza in Rome of a similar oval shape, is inspired by curvilinear W’s that stem out of the central fountain like petals of a giant bloom - with six of the “petals” becoming planters surrounded by stone benches.

Because of the artist’s effort to reinforce the axis from the South Court to Willard Circle, the installation serves as a strong place-making device, drawing pedestrians through three distinct retail and office zones. Tacha’s piece truly brings the development to life.

by Travis Ewen

Stabilized aggregate sounds great. Is it?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:21:00 -0500

We can appreciate that stabilized aggregate is often considered for its affordability, to provide visual diversity of pavements, and incorporate green qualities. However, our experience over many years with many different products/binders, installation techniques, and applications, supports our conclusion that this product has very limited application.

We have used several different products on many projects here at CRJA. Generally, we find these stabilizing amendments have a limited lifespan, require ongoing maintenance and require periodic replacement over time; on their own, these are not necessarily deal breakers but combined with the additional concerns that follow, have resulted in our recommending against its use.

In particular we are concerned with:

1. Erosion: Erosion can be expected where there is overland or channelized flow across the stabilized aggregate. Where overland flow crosses flush rigid pavements, it is likely that runnels will develop on the up-grade side of the flush pavement and washouts of the stabilized aggregate will follow. This in turn will create toe catchers and, even worse, a lip that can catch plow blades. Control of water flow is essential when using these stabilized aggregates. After all, we long ago determined that bitumen and cement were the best means of stabilizing aggregate.

2. Infiltration: Considering the desire to infiltrate as much storm water as possible into the ground, the stabilized aggregate may be contemplated as being part of the stormwater infiltration system. We have found that the products that bind aggregates together into a stable surface also make the aggregates impervious. This is why there is so much concern on our part about controlling the direction and concentration of overland flow of stormwater.

3. Snow: The stabilized aggregate will need to be swept of snow. Plow blades can run away with stabilized aggregates. Property owners may have to utilize rotating brushes on snow removal equipment. Also, if the edges of hard pavements need to be marked with snow stakes then the stabilized aggregates will significantly impede snow staking unless sleeves are installed.

4. Pollution: The aggregates will be carried into buildings on pedestrians’ feet. Owners/facility managers should consider whether or not there are walk-off grates or grills at building entries to capture this aggregate. The LEED process recognizes that the pollution carried into buildings by people can degrade indoor air quality.

We have two examples of installations we consider successful. The first is a trail at Battle Road Trail, Minute Man National Historic Park, Concord, MA where we consider it a success because the material is so well suited to the context:

The trail’s location and use make this a suitable paving solution; however, although it has been in place for a number of years now, it has required regular maintenance and replacement in some areas. Additionally, erosion issues have had to be addressed though in this instance, the source of the erosion problem (off the trail itself) was dealt with. The second success is at New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA where stabilized aggregate is the only paving surface under a grove of trees:

It has done well because the area is perfectly flat so erosion has not been an issue. Also, snow is never removed from it.

Landscape architects remain interested in exploring new products. Stabilized aggregates looked to be a great alternative to asphalt and concrete pavement. But after a decade or more of using these products on many projects in many climates CRJA has concluded that this innovation did not live up to our expectations. We continue to try new products, systems and paradigms cautiously, always with the interests of clients and public health and safety in mind. Stabilized aggregates remain a tool but one with application far more narrow than we once thought.

by Horace Aikman, ASLA

Design + nature take on urban blight at Filene's

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:34:00 -0400

As Bostonians are only too aware, the heart of Downtown Crossing currently features a gaping pit between preserved building facades: the stalled Filene’s redevelopment project. The development went on hold after the economic crisis of 2008. As a measure of hope, designers were recently invited to reimagine the blighted area. CRJA submitted two designs alongside 20 other architects, artists, and designers. The designs were featured last month in the Boston Globe and on its Web site, boston.com.

Here’s the design I submitted, Urban Gardens, along with a little background on its genesis:

This design is an opportunity for the existing Filene’s block to host nature in an otherwise blighted urban setting. The design inspiration is informed by the biological phenomenon known as mutual symbiosis (or mutualism). This is when two unlike organisms benefit from each other. Using the biological principles of mutualism conceptually, the framework of the design presents itself scientifically and artistically. The existing Filene’s structure acts as host for a variety of technological and biological elements, including vertical garden, light installation, sustainable energy power plant, and artificial wildlife habitat. Ultimately the design intent is for the passersby to question the relationship between nature and the urban environment.

Here are a few ideas that I didn’t submit, taken from the cutting room floor:

On the left, Running of the Brides: A campy take on Filene’s traditional bridal event. The idea was to drape the building in oversized veils, wedding dresses and garters.

And on the right, Urban Diving: This one was an attempt to interpret the collective mood after the 2008 financial crisis through performance art. En masse diving events would occur on Friday in synchronization with the closing bell of Wall Street.

by Travis Ewen

Blenheim Palace does not have foundation plantings. Where once...

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:11:00 -0400

Blenheim Palace does not have foundation plantings.

Where once there was stone and brick, modern poured concrete foundations dominate and are oh-so-uh-uh-ugly. And the plantings are as ubiquitous as the foundations and often just as ugly. Landscape architects can do a better job when foundation plantings are required. There is no need to have the shrubs be just as nasty as the foundation.

There are basic guidelines for foundation plantings. Evergreen plantings should predominate, whether residential or institutional.

Grand buildings may require large beds of big plants. Larger plant beds should contain fewer diverse genera and species. Small buildings with intricate façade detailing and high levels of pedestrian traffic may deserve a diverse palette of ornamental plants.

Scale the plants to the façade. Over time, plants gain in size, sometimes overgrowing the bounds of our intent.

And sometimes we see Blenheim redux with foundations so dear and of such value plantings would be the sow’s ear. In these cases, celebrate the building and go light on shrubbing it up.

by Horace Aikman, ASLA

Don’t let that water go down the drain!

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:08:00 -0400

Landscape architects serve an important role in the conservation and re-use of water. An l.a. should question how rainwater, groundwater and “waste” water will be managed on every project because water is too valuable to let it go down the drain.

On architectural projects we have found that capturing rainwater from the building roof is imperative so that stormwater runoff rates are not increased by the new development. This water from the roof can be detained temporarily and slowly released or it can be retained and re-used for another purpose. In many parts of the country, groundwater re-charge is important, so the captured rainwater is held until after the storm event and then slowly released back into the ground, so the addition of the building does not impact the groundwater levels.

Where groundwater levels are less of an issue, the rainwater can be collected and stored in a cistern for re-use for landscape irrigation or water features. If coordinated early with the project architect, no additional plumbing is required within the building to capture the rainwater. All that is required is a cistern constructed from a concrete tank, drainage pipe, or other chamber system. An irrigation pump then will supply the stored water to the irrigation system. Rainwater used for irrigation is much better for plants than potable water that has been treated with chlorine and other chemicals.

In areas where there are high water tables, groundwater may be pumped from below the building basement or slab and disposed of. This water should be tested to see if it is appropriate as a water supply for landscape irrigation.

Another potential supply of “waste” water in a building relates to the HVAC system. Air conditioning systems produce high volumes of excess water that is clean and pure, thus suitable for re-use for landscape irrigation or groundwater recharge.

Heating systems also can produce water, but the water quality should be tested before it is re-used. Depending on the heating system the water could be condensation that is relatively pure or it could be acidic. It is unlikely during the heating season when this water is produced that there is demand for landscape irrigation, so this water could be a source to re-charge groundwater.

by Kyle Zick, ASLA

Landscape architecture and the cultural landscape

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:42:00 -0400

The United States Department of the Interior defines a cultural landscape as: “a geographic area (including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein), associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic value.”[1] The cultural landscape should extend beyond this; it is the arena in which the actions of human life take place. It is not exclusive to historical sites (those qualified by the federal government as fifty years or older), nor is it exclusive to the places where important people slept, ate or died. Instead, it is the land upon which people lived their lives, interacted with one another and produced the inventions, events and rituals which binds a community and defines a culture. J.B. Jackson elaborated: “… a landscape is not a natural feature of the environment, but a synthetic space, a man-made system of spaces superimposed on the face of the land, functioning and evolving according to natural laws, but to serve a community – for the collective character of the landscape is one thing that all generations and all points of view have agreed upon.”[2]

Why are cultural landscapes important?

“It is the familiar connections, not all the old physical things themselves, that people want to retain, except where those things have a personal connection.”[3] As expressed above, cultural landscapes hold significance for expressing not only the monumentality of a place’s past but its significance to the everyday and everyone. For the individual, places are infused with context, meaning and emotion. These personal histories are as important as the stories that take place on a larger, more heroic scale. “Memories take place, and remembering the events of life is often triggered by association with the sense of a place, its rhythms, seasons, light, sounds, activities. If what gives a landscape its character is removed, the collective memories that evolved with the landscape may be forgotten.”[4]

Cultural landscapes serve to connect individuals to their community and provide a range of benefits to the society as a whole. These landscapes have intrinsic qualities that contribute to defining the identity of a community or region; they can create a unique and personal link between an individual and his or her community; they provide opportunities for education on a vast array of subjects; and they can be evocative spaces in which to experience new activities. Because of a place’s relationship to its surrounding community, the role of the people of that community in management and revitalization efforts is as essential as is the intervention of planners or designers. “An individual’s sense of place is both a biological response to the surrounding physical environment and a cultural creation.”[5]

Too many projects see a specific era of significance in the past and mark it as the only rightful use of a structure or site; a failure of traditional historic preservation practices. This establishes historic preservation as a frozen moment, and ignores the emotion and needs of the larger community. This has led to the misunderstanding and alienation of the opportunities inherent in historic preservation, and has created a general feeling of mistrust from many portions of a society not involved in the preservation planning process. “The landscape architect’s responsibility lies in the commingling of community, history, rituals, and place.”[6]

Interpretation and historic preservation

In 1999, Patricia O’Donnell, a leader in the field of landscape preservation planning, published the article “Is Preservation Design?” In an effort to explain this seeming paradox she says:

The goal of preservation is not necessarily to put the landscape back as it was. While authentic restoration to an earlier period is the objective of some museum environments, more frequently we accommodate contemporary uses in the historic fabric. In the landscapes that we work with on a daily basis, we are always asking: How do you maintain the genius of the place, its authenticity, and suit it to contemporary needs?[7]

To many people, historic preservation carries with it a stigma of creating problems for homeowners and the gentrification of a neighborhood based on the preservation of structures that are relevant to a select demographic. Far too often people do not get the opportunity to see the positive aspects of historic preservation planning.

Preservation at the local level, in most cities and towns, tends to the adaptive reuse of historic structures by local real estate developers with little public access or interpretation… [8]

However, if used in conjunction with the desires of the community, historic preservation can be used as a tool to maintain facilities or landscapes associated with important eras, people or events and can then be used as a tool for an education experience. The use of the actual setting where a historical event or a snapshot of daily life took place allows for the three-dimensional representation and visual stimulation, in addition to the reiteration of timelines, facts and histories. More than this, the process of adaptive reuse allows cultural remnants to be given a new life - it’s a process of recycling, if you will - without forever dedicating these sites to a past use that has no modern appreciation (economic or emotional) and can therefore work to rejuvenate its contextual area or region. (A wonderful example is the recently opened High Line in New York: the conversion of an elevated rail line to a linear urban public park.) Adaptive reuse historic landscape remnants to become teaching tools for sustainable practices, as well as providing tax credits and incentives for their owners. The key to successful reuse is to finding past uses and new uses that can work symbiotically. “We need to learn not only to adapt effectively but to infuse adaptation with purpose and value.”[9]

by Danielle Desilets

[1] U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes. (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1996) 4.

[2] Jackson, John Brinkerhoff. Qtd in Reading the Land: A Guide to Identification and Protection. Heritage Landscape Inventory Program, 2003.

[3] Lynch, Kevin. What time is this Place? (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1974) 39.

[4] Potteiger, Matthew and Jamie Purinton. Landscape Narratives: Design Practices for Telling Stories. (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1998) 11.

[5] Hayden, Delores. The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1999) 16.

[6] Wasserman, Judith. “Memory Embedded.” Landscape Journal. 21.1 (2002): 200.

[7] O’Donell, Patricia. “Is historic Preservation Design?” Landscape Architecture Magazine. 89.12 (1999): 66.

[8] Hayden, Delores. The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1999) 53.

[9] Lynch 191, 200.