River + Valley | The Neponset River Valley has presented critical resources and vitality in ecological and early industrial expansion. While ecological flows in and around our site still are certainly present, they have been significantly fragmented. Through topographic elevation, slope aspect, geologic data sets, and comparison to present day successional vegetation, as well as proximity to digitized historic stream and wetland mappings we began by understanding the site in its pre-development condition. Through the re-tracing of key stream corridors and identification of critical threshold moments along the valley edge, infrastructural interventions become the impetus for change.
Constructed Ecologies + Earthwork Development | A series of landscape interventions are based on a rigorous landscape assessment of existing conditions. We have based the location and scale of intervention for construction or removal of the current developed condition on the following (4) factors.
• Existing Function
• Existing Ecological Condition
• Adaptability of Current Infrastructure
• Existing Hard Cost Investment ($/sf)
Earthwork Stream and Habitat Creation | Critical aspects of ecological condition presented the greatest opportunity along historic stream corridors – due to their lasting threshold conditions. By focusing on the process of ecological land forming a series of topographic operations trigger significant earthworks of cut and fill on site.
The cut operations are tied primarily to the construction of significant new stream corridor and riparian conditions. The large cuts are offset on-site with the fill of new up-land habitat zones, recreational island ecologies, and primary modifications to the developed terrain on the western slopes of the site.
Development Lands | The site’s current western slopes are a drastically altered set of terraced conditions created from brutalist commercial and office pads cut into the landscape. Little effort has been made to work with the contouring of the landscape. What is a picturesque view to the eastern side of the valley and the Blue Hills is a drastically altered commercialized terrain today.
By filling these slopes, a much more gradual (Roughly 5% grade) is able to be established across the western portion of the site. Providing access and developable ground, while still maintaining topographic vantage and interest in the typologies of architecture to come.
To the eastern side of the site the existing development pads are raised above floodplain and larger land use / architecture requirements take advantage of the more level building pad sites.
Landscape Strategies | Provide a critical framework for addressing the following functions.
Urban Intersection
Development Edges
Elevated Recreation Corridor
Infrastructure Thresholds o Upland Railroad Corridors
Lowland Railroad Corridors
Highway Wildlife Underpasses
• Ecological Transitions o Riparian Overlooks
o Upland / Sloped Sites + Trails Conditions
o Upland Wilds
Grid Framework | The site is operated from a development standpoint on a 240 x 400 ft grid. Established by primary (80ft) Right of Ways and Secondary (40ft) right of ways for vehicular traffic. Tertiary right of ways are build around primary pedestrian conditions at (20ft) allowing for multi-modal bike and pedestrian traffic, green infrastructure, and emergency access.
An Incremental Framework | The planning framework that occupies the site is based on the logic of creating a set of rules that can aid diverse and incremental development. In this way, the design on site is not assumed as a static big picture, but a dynamic growth. We predict four sets of building typologies based on user groups, program and density:
• Home / Office: a co-living/working typology for small scale ventures that may start small but grow incrementally.
• Lab / Warehouse: Light manufacturing warehouses and test labs that could work in conjunction with the small-scale ventures.
• Healthcare / Office: Established healthcare facilities that require larger floor plates for institutional/office use.
• Home / Hospitality: Senior assisted living facilities that work in conjunction with the healthcare facilities and hotels for families/visitors.
A Test Case Scenario | The deployment of these on site is based on specific adjacencies that address the circulation and programmatic hierarchies. For instance, it’s logistically important for healthcare/warehouse facilities to be situated on the main roads for access, while senior living facilities benefit from being closer to the ecological features on site. While we demonstrate one possible scenario of how this grid fills up, it is crucial to note that this sort of iterative development on the site will be dictated by demand and real estate trends while still following the baseline framework.
Regional Context | As we apply the landscape analysis and typologies on this site, other similar sites in the region take on a similar character and set of issues. A greater analysis of opportunity, constraint, and choke points or thresholds provides continuity within a larger fragmented and potentially linked landscape.
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