Architecture Commons^™

Reconnecting People To Springfield’S Riverfront: From The South End To Forest Park, Nathaniel J. Bernard, Matthew S. Gallagher, Amanda Hart, Kyle J. Jackson, Corey E. Lammerding, Michael Naughton, Nicholas A. Petrouski, Jim P. Reichheld, Michael J. Ritacco, Matthew J. Silveria, Rebecca Leona Tran, Alisha L. Walls

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This report documents the work of the Senior Urban Design Studio on Springfield’s southern riverfront. What is Springfield’s riverfront of tomorrow? The primary goal of the project was to develop a vision to connect the neighborhoods of the South End and Forest Park to the Connecticut River. What are new imaginative ways to engage the southern waterfront of Springfield as a place for people? How can a landscape engage water-ecology with both functional and sensual-aesthetic values?

Our proposals offer new planning and design strategies for this great location in Springfield.

The studio articulated four major design objectives:

1. Improving and creating …

Population 7 – Lyman Street Art Intervention, Carli Foster, Elizabeth Ann Englebreston, Eric Wojtowicz, Yiwei Huang

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

POPULATION 7 started as an experiment in the fall of 2011 as an Urban Art Laboratory “Art – Place – Tour” with the vision to make a tangible impact to the culture of public art in Springfield. At first sight art seems to be not existent in the public realm. We are searching for an organic, sustainable concept with the potential to grow from inside to outside. Our goal is to invite to a discussion about public art and art in general that is introduced through minimal but diverse, economical eventually temporary, site-responsive interventions. We see our art as personal …

Mcgrath Corridor - A Vision For The Future In Somerville, Ma, Youjin Kwon, Tai-Hsiang Cheng, Ryan Patrick Ball, Feiqiang Tong, Andrew Weir, Patrick Mcgeough, Nathan A. Frazee, Jennifer H. Masters, Kathryn Ostermier, Fangfang Wang

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Project Goals

This project seeks to create opportunities for green connections and city beautification along the McGrath Highway corridor. Key directives are: • Build greenway connections including pedestrian path and bike lanes • Increase open space • Minimize storm water flows and create on site infiltration through green infrastructure. • Improve tree canopy • Enhance economic growth and revitalization The studio’s primary goal is to plan this urban greenway project at multiple scales. The studio synthesizes information about natural features, recreation resources, and development patterns to create a green infrastructure network that addresses the unique problems and opportunities of the …

Envisioning Yantian Urban Greenway: A Part Of Pearl River Delta Greenway System In China, Xiao Zhou

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This master project proposes an urban greenway for Yantian district in Shenzhen, China. Various challenges in the selected area are analyzed including urban green space fragmentation, water pollution, high building density, lack of open space, singular land use and loss of cultural identity. A greenway solution is proposed based on field visit/study, literature review, background data study and case studies. Greenway theories and precedence study provide guidance on the selection of strategies to deal with those challenges in the urban area. Specific sustainable urban development concepts such as stormwater management, material reuse and mixed land use are adopted.

The greenway …

Reclamation - An Eco-Industrial Park In Greenfield, Massachusetts, Sage W. Sluter

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Honors Projects

Sustainable Industrial Design
Reclaiming a Brownfield in Greenfield, Massachusetts
Abstract:
For the senior capstone project at the University of Massachusetts, this student completed a conceptual site design project for the City of Greenfield. The City of Greenfield wishes to redevelop the Brownfield site, currently known as the Bendix Property, into an eco- industrial park. Working closely with the City’s officials, the student created a realistic vision for the site. After twenty years of soil and groundwater treatment, the site is ready to come back to life. The student investigated what an eco -industrial park is, and how the businesses cooperate …

Town Of Braintree - Monatiquot River Watershed Study, Benjamin D'Agostino, Elizabeth A. Englebretson, Carli Foster, Jeffrey Scott Fulford, Edward P. Haynes, Tracy Murphy, Sparky Vonplinsky, Eric Wojtowicz

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Monatiquot River has played an important role in the Town of Braintree’s great industrial history. Over time, people’s relationship with the river has evolved from daily necessity and industrial utilitarian usage to scenery and recreational amenity. Currently, there is limited public physical access to the water and a lack of connection to regional greenway system. In addition, the extreme flood in March 2010 signified the prolonged urbanization impacts on floodplains and massive impervious surfaces in the watershed. Under the climate change effects, Braintree is likely to face more frequent and severe storms that affect safety and welfare of the increasing …

Communicating Climate Change Impacts With Stakeholders On The Coast Of Connecticut-Stewart B. Mckinney National Wildlife Refuge, Cynthia L. White

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This research project consists of two parts, a scientific analysis of potential impacts of climate change on a coastal wildlife refuge, Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, and its surrounding area and a summary of the response by stakeholders to the information. The refuge with headquarters in Westbrook, CT consists of eleven units that span 70 miles along the coast of CT and include habitats such as saltmarsh, tidal flats, deciduous upland, rocky island, and barrier reef. Projected impacts over a span of 100 years include a projected loss of one quarter to one third of the dry land (which …

Participation In The Planning And Design Of Public Open Space, Julie Meyer

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This master's project considers public participation in regards to design of sustainable public open spaces, and recommends methods to include it in current landscape design practice.

The introduction describes the scope of the project, definition and evolution of landscape design of sustainable open space and sustainability. It presents the claims that landscape architects need an understanding of the ranges of participation in order to deliver flexible, creative and sustainable public projects in a capitalist economy and that a more active participation and more creativity contributes to sustainable designs. The rationale, limitations, methods and introduction to the literature review are also …

From Fail-Safe To Safe-To-Fail: Sustainability And Resilience In The New Urban World, Jack F. Ahern

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Abstract: The extent to which the 21st Century world will be "sustainable" depends in large part on the sustainability of cities. Early ideas on implementing sustainability focused on concepts of achieving stability, practicing effective management and the control of change and growth-- a "fail-safe" mentality. More recent thinking about change, disturbance, uncertainty, and adaptability is fundamental to the emerging science of resilience, the capacity of systems to reorganize and recover from change and disturbance without changing to other states-- in other words, systems that are "safe to fail." While the concept of resilience is intellectually intriguing, it remains largely unpracticed …

Creating Livable Neighborhoods In Old Hill And Six Corners, Springfield, Massachusetts, Ryan Ball, Tai-Hsiang Cheng, Rebekah Decourcey, Somaye Garmroudi, Youjin Kwon, Jennifer Masters, Pat Mcgeough, Kathryn Ostermier, Maureen Pollock, Laura Selmani, Feiqiang Tong, Carol Waag, Fangfang Wang, Andrew Weir, Lawson Wulsin

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This report documents the work of the Graduate Urban Design Studio in Springfield’s Old Hill and Six Corners neighborhoods with 12,000 inhabitants. Both neighborhoods are challenged by a very low average household income, housing foreclosures, lot vacancies, lack of substantial home ownership, high traffic volumes and poor quality of open space. The primary goal of the project was to develop a vision to renew Old Hill and Six Corners to improve livability for their residents and create new opportunities for housing, recreation, working and commercial activities. Crucial keys to attaining this goal will be creating a stronger sense of place …

Proposed Greenway Of Hatfield, Massachusetts - La497c - Senior Studio, Anthony D. Brow, William C. Bunker, Nicholas J. Mastroianni, Wesley A. Lomax, Philip A. Morrison Jr

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This is one of five reports submitted for the LA497C Spring 2011 Senior Studio project.

The town of Hatfield needs a Master plan to keep the town up to date on zoning regulations amongst other topics. They need to preserve rural character and enhance its economic base without overstepping private property rights. The town needs to attract new business, provide housing opportunities for the elderly, and standards for clustered residential development that will help preserve open space. The residents in Hatfield are concerned with three specific areas.

1. Managing growth and economic development

2. Preserving agriculture, natural resources, open space, …

Proposed Greenway Of Hatfield, Massachusetts - La497c - Senior Studio, Ryan T. Kemmerich, Christopher M. Johnson, Matthew J. Canty, Benjamin A. Green

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This is one of five reports submitted for the LA497C Spring 2011 Senior Studio project.

Hatfield is located on the Connecticut River with interstate 91 cutting through the center of the town. Hatfield has an abundance of wetlands and floodplains, and the town’s relatively old-fashioned culture. As a community they have worked together to buffer the town from some of the more excessive development pressures other Pioneer Valley towns have been facing in the last ten years. At the same time, the town’s fertile soil and agricultural industry, along with easy commute distances to many large regional employers, including the …

Proposed Greenway Of Hatfield, Massachusetts - La497c - Senior Studio, Matthew G. Bent, Henry A. Hess, Andre E. Belperron

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This is one of five reports submitted for the LA497C Spring 2011 Senior Studio project.

This proposed greenway plan will be assessing the features of Hatfield such as, History, natural features, and open space within the town. After a thorough assessment of the towns features the report will cover the extensive proposed greenway plan, focusing mostly on the town center of Hatfield. The town center is the hub of the town where the major community buildings are such as the elementary and high schools, town hall, the town library, and most of the public recreation fields. Once the overall greenway …

Proposed Greenway Of Hatfield, Massachusetts - La497c - Senior Studio, Michael A. Brescia, Rachel L. Grigorian, Zachary M. Kingston, Carl M. Mccrae, James A. Rebello

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This is one of five reports submitted for the LA497C Spring 2011 Senior Studio project.

The purpose of this report is to show the results of a partnership between the Town of Hatfield Massachusetts, and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts.

The Town of Hatfield initially approached the University for assistance in understanding the options available for Greenway development in Hatfield, while maintaining the charm and character the town is proud of.

In his ground-breaking book, Greenways for America, Author Charles Little (1990) provides a simple definition of a Greenway:

“A …

Proposed Greenway Of Hatfield, Massachusetts - La497c - Senior Studio, Jane K. Alexander, Nicholas A. Betts, Tanya M. Chesnell, Julie A. Goodwin, Sage W. Sluter

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This is one of five reports submitted for the LA497C Spring 2011 Senior Studio project.

Hatfield, Massachusetts is a small town within the Pioneer Valley. With the Connecticut River to the east, Hatfield is spanned with extremely rich agriculture near the river and mountains in West Hatfield. The town is split into two major areas, separated by both geographical features, and major transportation routes that head from the North to the South. Hatfield also is home to the Mill River, a waterway that is revered for its biodiversity. Founded in 1630, Hatfield was once settled by the Native Americans, and …

Illuminating Urban Agriculture: A New Framework For Understanding Complexity, Helena K. Farrell

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Modern, conventional food systems vulnerable to declining fossil fuel resources are a 21st century plight demanding rapid transition to regenerative agricultural practices. Urban agriculture is currently responding; expanding and diversifying from recent and historic roots worldwide to help meet the needs of contemporary urban dwellers and ameliorate the aftereffects of industrial agriculture.

Urban Agriculture is comprised of many different styles, practices, and modes of production. From traditional to state-of-the-art, they result in a range of landscape typologies occurring around the globe. The tremendous variety creates the need for better articulation and more accurate distinctions between actual urban farm systems. In …

Future Of The Library? Turning Conflicting Pressures Into Compelling Opportunities, Gerald Jay Schafer, Dugdale Strategy Llc, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham

Campus Planning Community and Conference Presentations

Many institutions are scrutinizing library space as a potential space bank in times of tight capital resources, while librarians are seeking ways to shift lesser-used collections into storage, create more user space, and improve services. Accomplishing these tasks at University of Massachusetts Amherst's Du Bois Library, a 26-story tower, posed a particular challenge. The library's master plan needed to explore compatible uses, partners for integrated services, and identify opportunities to repurpose space for university needs as well as the library's future vision.

Bioretention: Evaluating Their Effectiveness For Improving Water Quality In New England Urban Environments, Mary Dehais

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality problems in the United States. Bioretention has become one of the more frequently used stormwater management practices for addressing NPS pollution in urbanized watersheds in New England. Yet despite increased acceptance, bioretention is not widely practiced. This study explores and evaluates the efficacy of bioretention for protecting urban water quality.

This research found that numerous monitoring methods are used by researchers and industry experts to assess the effectiveness of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) and low impact development (LID) practices that include bioretention. The two most common …

Community Restoration: Reconciling The Legacy Of Contaminated Sites Within Our Communities, Kristofer H. Kennedy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Separation, removal, and relocation are the initial steps in the “clean-up” of a contaminated site. While crucial to safeguarding the public health of adjacent communities and the surrounding environment, conventional remediation is subtractive from the community leaving many psychological wounds untreated. Architecture has the greatest potential to address the social concerns which contribute to the complexities of redeveloping a contaminated site.

Focusing on the 52 acre former General Electric Brownfield site in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, I have explored through design alternative approaches for the redevelopment of contaminated sites. My design research focuses on the ways in which architecture can be used …

Pendulum Performing Arts Center: Adaptive Reuse Design Of The Historic Court Square Building In Springfield, Massachusetts, Lindsay M. Schnarr

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Drawing from the ongoing revitalization efforts in the Western Massachusetts post-industrial city of Springfield, Massachusetts, this adaptive reuse project aims to bring the public back to the city center by providing a common space for cultural connections. Sensitivity to preservation of the historic fabric of the existing Court Square Building is blended with the transformative potential of introducing architectural expressions of dance theory to create a school and theater for the performing arts. The study of balance between opposing, yet complimentary forces, as they exist in architecture and dance, creates a conceptual interplay that guides the design of this project. …

Rethinking Tornado Design, Michael Hagan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Oklahoma is in the middle of Tornado Alley, a name resulting from the large number of tornadoes that hit the region yearly. These storms are costly to life and property.

The housing in Oklahoma is currently not well enough engineered to withstand tornados. This thesis proposes a three stage response combining construction technology and the use of landscape to better protect the homes and residents of Oklahoma.

Situated Architecture In The Digital Age: Adaptation Of A Textile Mill In Holyoke, Massachusetts, Dorcas A. Brooks

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The City of Holyoke, Massachusetts is one of many aging, industrial cities striving to revitalize its economy based on the promise of increased digital connectivity and clean energy resources. But how do you renovate 19th century mills to meet the demands of the information age? This architectural study explores the potential impact of sensing technologies and information networks on the definition and function of buildings in the 21st century. It explores the changes that have taken place in industrial architecture since 1850 and argues for an architecture that supports local relationships and environmental awareness. The author explores the industrial history …

Biomimicry: Emulating The Closed-Loops Systems Of The Oak Tree For Sustainable Architecture, Courtney Drake

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Biomimicry comes from bios, life, and mimesis, to imitate. Biomimicry is becoming an increasingly well-known topic in the field of architecture, imitating nature’s designs and processes to solve human problems. This project uses the oak tree as a model, measure, and mentor to derive sustainable architecture. Biomimicry is examined as a holistic methodology with six steps: identify, interpret, discover, abstract, emulate, and evaluate. Using this methodology, this project investigates oak tree’s closed-loop systems including water, oxygen, and food. The synergies that exist within these systems are emulated to develop a complex green infrastructure of building and landscape systems. …

Critical Review Of Elementary School Design, Amy Cole

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This compilation is an in depth analysis of two elementary schools: Candor
Elementary School located in Candor, New York and Fort River Elementary School located in Amherst, Massachusetts. These two schools show the similarities and differences between a 'factory model' or double loaded corridor with an open plan school converted into individual classrooms. These schools are analyzed both at the macro (entire school building) and at the micro (individual classroom) level.

To optimally design an elementary school, the designer needs to be thoroughly aware of the past and current conditions. This understanding will bridge the gap between the teaching methodologies …

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway: Making The Vision A Reality, Alec E. Zebrowski

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The $15+ Billion "Big Dig", replaced Boston's deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery, known as the Green monster, with a widened highway tunnel running underground through Downtown Boston and crossing the Charles River, creating more than 27 acres of new land area for reuse in Downtown Boston.

Today, a significant portion of the land has been turned into a system of parks known as the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Since its completion in 2008, five civic and recreational developments planned for the Greenway have been abandoned due to poor funding, rising construction estimates, and a general lack of support. Disconnected, under-programmed …

Designing For Deconstruction: Extending The Lifecycle Of A Commercial Retail Building, Anthony Bene

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In our fickle economy today, retail can be booming one year and going out of business the next. When things aren't going so well commercial retail buildings are left vacant and then can become eyesores that lead to a communities economic downturn. This thesis proposes a solution by designing commercial buildings for re-use by designing for deconstruction; so that whole buildings can be disassembled and relocated, or that building components can be recycled back into the materials loop.

An Ecosystem Approach To The Sustainability Of Urbanizing Watersheds, Sarah L. Raposa

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Political boundaries make watershed planning difficult despite the influence of many state and federal programs. Broad, top-down, watershed initiatives fail to reach many municipalities due to human resources, time and legalities. Thus, a watershed ecosystem based approach to city planning should be utilized in order to integrate a holistic and scientific foundation for land use decisions. However, there is a need for research for developing and applying a watershed approach to urbanizing watersheds.

The goal of this study is to provide a series of science based transferable recommendations upon which municipalities can make land use planning decisions. These recommendations are …

Language Movement Museum And Library, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mohammad J. Shahadat

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The project aims to restore the cultural and historical richness of Bengali nation in urban scale and preserve the historical site of the area which contains some glorious memories of our Language Movement. To pass the history to new generation and to establish our cultural richness, a Language Movement Museum and a Library are proposed to be designed in the Shaheed Minar (Martyr Monument) Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This museum and library will represent the movement of 21 February, 1952 that depicts our love for the mother tongue which is an unprecedented event for the whole world.

Nature Revealed Through The Built Environment: Re-Envisioning The Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center, James W. Fiore Jr.

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center is home to ECOS, The Environmental Center for Our Schools, in Springfield Massachusetts. The ECOS program provides a chance for elementary and middle school students in Springfield public schools to experience and learn about the natural world. The built environment provides opportunities to teach about ecosystems and human connections to nature. A new design for the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center will teach students about the natural world experientially through the building’s own connections to the environment.

Retrofitting Suburbs: Prioritizing Bmp Implementation To Reduce Phosphorus Runoff, Emily S. Wright

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Increasing suburban development has impaired water resources in the Charles River Watershed. Growing populations in the suburban fringes of Boston, Massachusetts have had a significant impact on ecosystems in the region. According to the EPA, one of the primary pollutants in the Charles River is phosphorus (EPA, 2010b). Phosphorus pollution contributes to algal blooms in the Charles that are harmful to ecosystems and toxic to humans (EPA, 2010b).

In order to prevent existing suburban residential areas from contributing additional phosphorus to the Charles River, stormwater best management practices (BMPs) were studied to determine which BMPs effectively contain phosphorus. Infiltration trenches, …