the Connecticut Landscape Architect
Transcription
the Connecticut Landscape Architect
the Connecticut Landscape Architect A publication of The Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Winter 2003 Design Awards 2 the Connecticut Landscape Architect The Connecticut Landscape Architect is published by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Editor Mark E. Westa Assistant Professor University of CT/Plant Science Box U-67, 1376 Storrs Road Storrs, CT 06269-4067 Phone: (860) 486-6069 Fax: (860) 486-0682 Email: [email protected] Editorial Board Channing C. Harris Sarah W. Middeleer Mark Westa Layout and Advertising Jeffrey H. Mills J.M. Communications 205 North Farms Road Coventry, CT 06238 Phone: (860) 742-7234 Fax: (860) 742-7349 Email: [email protected] From the Editor W inter always seems a time of change, a time of celebration, a time of maturation. And so it is this year. For readers of The Connecticut Landscape Architect it is a time of change. For the last 31/2 years Sarah Middeleer has shepherded this publication from concept to your hands. She has done a wonderful job selecting timely subjects, prompting writers to submit articles and editing that work. Her last issue, “Campus Design & Planning,” is a perfect example. Thank you Sarah for your hard work and dedication. With this edition we celebrate the winners of the 2001 CTASLA Design Awards (also featured in our 2002 Handbook ). It is fitting to look at the accomplishments of our profession through these award winners. These projects depict both the variety of our work as well as the quality with which we do it. This is important information for us but even more so for those who don’t fully comprehend the profession of landscape architecture. If you have a chance, share this edition with friends, family, clients or public officials. As for maturation, it can be used to describe my hopes for this publication and the profession. I see landscape architecture maturing into a profession that will lead society on issues of land conservation and development. It has to be us. We have the training and knowledge to create a thriving, sustainable world for our children’s children. I would like this publication to play a role in that leadership. If you have ideas or wish to create articles please let me know. To contact CTASLA: Voice mail: (800) 878-1474 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.ctasla.org M ARK E VERETT W ESTA INSIDE On the cover: The grove at A Country Home, Greenwich, a 2001 CTASLA Design Award winning project by Devore Associates, LLC. President’s Message 4 2001 Connecticut ALSA Design Awards 5 p.9 p.5 this issue Trustee’s Message 8 Book Review Building the 21st Century Home: The Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood 9 Need to Know Basis BOCA Basics 12 p.18 The Student News 18 p.25 Stupid Tech Tips MAGIC Magic 21 p.21 Bass Weather A Report from the Links 25 3 President’s Message A I met with almost all of our State Senators and Representatives or their staff to ask for their support for the Community Character Act, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program and the renewal of the Transportation Equity Act of the Twenty First Century. All were received well. On the final day of the meeting I was able to take part in a training session for those Chapter Presidents interested in assisting National in Leadership Training. This training led by Thomas Dunbar is by far the best initiative ASLA has had in a long time in my opinion. I am pleased to announce that I am now a trainer and I look forward to hosting a program on ASLA leadership development in the near future and ask the question “How do you draw your Pig?” More to come. As always I would like to encourage the membership to become more active in the chapter. If you would like to serve on the executive board or a committee please contact a current member. If you have a creative way to advance the profession let us know. year has already passed by and for the most part the turn in the economy does not seem to have too many adverse effects on the Chapter. The awards issue of our publication is one of my favorites. It recognizes the hard of work and dedication of our membership to our profession. Congratulations to all the award winners. Thank you to all that participated and a special thanks goes out to the Northern California Chapter and Dwight DeMay for their help in judging the entries. The CTASLA also had the pleasure of helping out the Northern California Chapter by judging their awards back in May. I would like to thank Aris Stalis, the New York Chapter President, Sylvia Erskine and Diane Devore for their efforts. In April I attended the Chapter President’s Council meeting in Washington. It was packed full of events and a full day of lobbing on Capitol Hill. Whitney Talcott and T HOMAS R. T AVELLA The Connecticut 9/11 Living Memorial Towers|Golde has well represented our profession by donating its skills and effort to create a meaningful memorial to the 189 Connecticut citizens whose lives where taken on September 11, 2001. The memorial is being constructed on Sherwood Island State Park in Westport where it looks out across Long Island Sound to the Manhattan skyline. Their design weaves enduring granite with the seasonality of trees and shrubs and the sea’s tranquility to create a quiet place of memory. We will feature the 9/11 Living Memorial in greater detail in the next issue of The Connecticut Landscape Architect. 4 2001 Connecticut ALSA Design Awards SARAH MIDDELEER, ASLA T he 2001 CTASLA Design Awards competition had many outstanding awards submissions. The projects were peer-reviewed by representatives of the Northern California chapter of the ASLA. The winners were: DESIGN – RESIDENTIAL • Honor Award – Susan Cohen, Miller Residence (Greenwich) • Merit Award – Devore Associates, A Country Home (Greenwich) DESIGN – MUNICIPAL/PUBLIC • Merit Award – TO Design, Franklin Square Rehabilitation/ Sister City Plaza (New Britain) COMMUNICATION • Honor Award – Johnson Land Design, Mason Design Inc., Guidelines for Community Design (Simsbury) Thanks go out to the jurors who assisted with the awards competition. They were: Dwight DeMay, senior associate with Hart Howerton and president of the Northern California chapter of ASLA; Richard Macias, campus planner with San Jose State University and trustee of the chapter; Christopher Kent, associate with Patillo and Garrett and vice president of the chapter; Elizabeth Flack, education director at the Strybing Arboretum and central region chair of the chapter; and Jeffrey George, senior associate with Terra Design Group and central region director of the chapter. A general comment made by the jury was that the images and photographs of submitted projects often “…did not do justice to the thought and care that was obviously put into the projects. The jury was intrigued by several other projects that seemed well done and were described well in text, but the images were not compelling… we would have given two or three more awards if the images were better.” So start taking pictures now for next year’s awards competition! ■ Miller Residence, Greenwich Landscape Architect: Susan Cohen Landscape Architect The site of the Miller residence is described as “high above a scenic lake.” When an addition was planned for the house, it was decided to make the lake more accessible by terracing the slope. But the main factors driving the design were the clients’ programmatic requests and their stylistic choices: “The clients’ love of Italy and their affinity for the motifs of the Italian Renaissance period informed the design of the pool and the two terraces. The small courtyard terrace sits a few steps above the large pool terrace and evokes an old cobble-paved cloister garden. Paved with square granite cobbles, it has as its focal point a perfectly scaled northern Italian bowl dating from the 1870s…” Other features recalling historic gardens are wrought iron fencing, a curved stone wall planted with vines, a lion’s head fountain spout, and a simple planting scheme that emphasizes boxwood, catmint, and roses. The pool itself is described as inspired by the work of the English architect Edwin Lutyens. (continued next page) Miller Residence, Greenwich. Left: Upper terrace with antique Italian basin surrounded by annuals and low boxwood hedge. Right: Swimming pool and spa, inspired by the work of English architect Edwin Lutyens. 5 Design Awards, cont’d ■ A Country Home, Greenwich Landscape Architect: Devore Associates, LLC Project Manager: Howard Williams This project is described as presenting traditional and modern elements together, through the use of stone, plants and grading. Certain elements, such as a wall near the pool and plantings nearby, are meant to suggest that they are remnants of an earlier use, having evolved to their present appearance over many years. The landscape architect responded to the architecture, as well as to requests by the clients. The project description recounts, “The site revolves around a large shingle-style house. The clients requested a landscape full of spaces inviting to children and appropriate for entertaining large or small groups of friends. While the scale of the house suggests a certain formality, the plantings and detailing of amenities evoke an informality consistent with the architecture’s details and the rhythm of everyday life.” A low retaining wall extends along the rear of the house. “Worked into the gentle contours, the height of the wall is greatest in the center, diminishing as it spreads to either side until it meets the adjacent grade flush. Projecting from the wall are stone buttresses which vary in length according to the slope. Designed to mirror the pitched roofs of the house and facade detailing, their ramps are elements down which the children can run and ride bikes.” Plantings are used to beguile children and adults alike: “A vegetable garden leads from the pool area to a grove of deciduous trees. Climbing towers, slides, and swings are hidden in the branches of the trees…The center of the grove is left open for use by the children in their play, and as a destination and gathering spot for the clients and their guests.” ■ Franklin Square Rehabilitation/ Sister City Plaza, New Britain Landscape Architect: TO Design This project was undertaken as part of an effort to renovate a number of public parks and green spaces in New Britain, in honor of its sesquicen(continued on page 14) 2002 Winners Announced Eighteen entries were submitted for the 2002 CTASLA Design Awards, which were awarded at the Chapter’s holiday party in December. We are pleased to announce the following winners, which will be featured in a future issue of The Connecticut Landscape Architect and in our 2003 Connecticut Landscape Architects Handbook, coming this Spring. Thank you to all who participated! LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN – BUILT WORK ■ Residential MERIT AWARD to Dickson DeMarche Landscape Architects for Jones Residence, Nod Hill Road (Wilton, CT) ■ Municipal/Public Spaces MERIT AWARD to Diversified Technology Consultants for Sherwood Island State Park Entry Plaza and Parking Improvements (Westport, CT) ■ Corporate/Institutional EXCELLENCE AWARD to Wesley Stout Associates, LLC for Lock Building (South Norwalk, CT) MERIT AWARD to The S/L/A/M Collaborative for University of Connecticut Foundation (Storrs, CT) LANDSCAPE PLANNING AND ANALYSIS MERIT AWARD to LANDSCAPES for Marshlands Conservancy & Jay Property Cultural Landscape (Rye, NY) A Country Home, Greenwich. View of pool enclosure, showing stone wall interspersed with privet hedge and concrete pavers set in lawn. 6 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL COMMUNICATION HONOR AWARD to Mark Westa, ASLA, AICP & Susan Westa, AICP for “Development Alternatives in the QuinebaugShetucket Heritage Corridor” 7 Trustee’s Message Despite having a rough financial time due to the The activity at ASLA’s web site continues to amaze everyone. The numbers have risen dramatically to a sustained volume of over six million hits per month over the last six months. The IT staff have been rolling out new enhanced services to allow members to use the ASLA Online for delivery of more learning, interactive and professional services. ASLA’s efforts to promote licensure are also gaining momentum. Together with CLARB and CELA, we have formed the “Partnership for Advancement of Licensure,” a coordinated effort which embraces revised ASLA licensure policies, a Model Law and state licensure campaigns. So far in the last year and a half, six states have passed practice acts. ASLA’s goal is to have all 50 states with practice acts by 2010. Connecticut, with CTASLA leading the way, upgraded its law to a practice act four years ago, so we are currently ahead of the curve. Next year, ASLA’s annual meeting will take place in New Orleans in Early November. If any of you have not been to an ASLA annual meeting I encourage you to try and make this one. New Orleans is a special place, not to be missed. economic recession, ASLA continues to find ways to deliver and enhance its services to the profession. ASLA, along with sister organizations CLARB, CELA and LAAB, have contracted to conduct the “Landscape Architecture Body of Knowledge” study over a two-year period. This important study will set a baseline for future developments in education, practice and licensing. Some of you old folks may remember the 1972 “Fein Study” that this is intended to replace. ASLA’s Government Affairs is an active part of your organization. ASLA supports open space protection; the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program; invasive species control and other programs that fit with our recently revised policies (check them out on the web.). The principal legislation we support are Urban Parks restoration (UPARR), the Community Character Act (CARA) and the reauthorization of TEA-21 (now known as TEA-3). This legislation affects a broad selection of Landscape Architectural interests, and if funded, can allow us to do some good work. ASLA‘s government affairs program is a key area in which we can raise the profession’s visibility. W HITNEY A. 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The book’s main premise is that society is increasingly aware that current patterns of development are socially and environmentally unsustainable. Further, that these problems can be addressed through recognized principles including increasing urban density, mixed-use zoning, and decreasing the car’s dominance on the built environment. The authors focus is the difficulty of applying these principles in an economic and regulatory environment that perpetuates these patterns. Mainstream inertia, characterized by a fear and misunderstanding of density and mixed-use zoning, has resulted in the loss of true urban character in all but a very few cities. It has also taken away our sense and treatment of towns or villages as smaller “urban” places. The authors posit that we must identify the critical factors that will allow us to move beyond experimentation and utopian settlements toward widespread implementation of urban principles in the repopulation of our declining cities and towns. With this mission in mind, the book is structured in three parts. The first places our current dilemma in its Building the 21st Century Home is full of simple yet powerful graphics. Here the authors depict first a typical suburban pattern and then one based on an urban framework. The text discusses the benefits of the latter and the problems of the former. 9 historical context. It offers an illuminating comparison of two major movements that turned away from traditional urban form — the Garden City and the Modern movements — and have contributed to the patterns of contemporary suburban form. While the modernist school (led by Le Corbusier, Wright and the Bauhaus) came to dominate planning in cities, the garden city movement’s (Ebenezer Howard, Unwin) influence has thrived in the new town and the suburb. Though the two are vastly different in physical form, the principles on which they are based are similar — both thought in terms of neighborhood units, promoted the benefits of open space and sought to reorganize settlements to accommodate the car. The failure of these movements to produce successful urban patterns caused planners and designers to fall out of favor, though the patterns have been perpetuated. Urban renewal of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s exacerbated these problems. Density became (continued on page 10) Book review, cont’d recognized as over-development, mixed-use became incompatible uses, and “individual practices which seemed logical when taken together become profoundly anti-urban.” This section concludes with a look at the evolution of housing forms and demographic trends that have resulted in highly segmented markets. Private housing in its leafy green enclaves, and “social” (public) housing in its earlier high-rise and more recent copycat suburbanized forms. Demographically, while household size is going down, the number of households is going up, causing a demand for new housing. Yet, “having had our fingers burnt when we last addressed these issues there is little appetite for innovation.” The utter lack of new ideas about housing design is the point of departure for the middle section of the book, which identifies what the authors consider the primary influences on housing and urban development: the “Four C’s” — conservation, choices, community and cost. Delving into what most new urbanist development largely ignores, the authors place proper importance on the influence of the environmental movement and its increasing power to promote natural resource “conservation.” Local issues such as air pollution, water pollution, loss of open space and overflowing landfills, they point out, are increasingly likely to affect the planning of towns and cities. This coming as a result of public and regulatory pressure as well as the tightening supply of natural resources. There is a growing realization that protecting our rural and wild open space goes hand in hand with encouraging urban dwelling. The influence of “choice” refers to the need for new housing options for changing lifestyles and household composition. Such factors as the decline of the nuclear family, changing career patterns and the rise of telecommuting are creating new possi- The book contains many expressive/artistic graphics that help explain the text but also add real visual interest. These are balanced with charts and data to tell a compelling story. bilities for housing forms. “Atelier” units designed for both living and working behind the same front door, is an example of such a choice. The notion of “community” is dealt with very compellingly. The authors paint two very different pictures of the idealized “good” community — one typified by the village where everyone knows each other, there is a central hub, and where there are clearly defined boundaries. The other is the urban community, of Jane Jacobs’ affinity, where one may feel anonymous and at the same time intensely connected to their small subset of the larger city. Yet, few of our suburban places provide the former, and even fewer of our urban places provide the latter. Alternative types of community structure, such as co-housing, which provides individual housing with a communal gathering place, are a response to this lack of fit. Finally, the issue of “cost.” The authors point out that “location, location, location” has come almost exclusively to mean private, secluded and green. Greenbelt policy, widely implemented across England, has had the mixed result of limiting growth, but exacerbating the flight away from the middle of the city to the desirable periphery. If urban repopulation is to gather momentum, financial incentives are required. This is defended by pointing out that the taxpayer has 10 been subsidizing peripheral development for years through commuter rail lines, roads and other costs. Money spent on urban housing is a good investment because it makes use of existing infrastructure. The third section of the book is devoted to the form that these four factors combine to suggest — a model for the “sustainable urban neighbourhood.” The main gist of this model is that compact urban environments have the greatest potential to be sustainable. A study is cited which shows that settlements of 25-30,000 people was considered the threshold for sustainability, with the ability to achieve a critical mass of jobs & services and support a good public transport service. A 1980s study reported a clear correlation between per-capita petroleum consumption and population density, with U.S. cities having twice the petroleum consumption of Australian cities and four times that of European cities. While the authors wrestle with the fact that we can’t force all people to live in cities, finding new ways to make them appealing to a wider segment of the population is critical to sustainability. In naming their model the “sustainable urban neighbourhood,” the authors have consciously chosen three loaded terms, yet they are clear as to what each means to the model. While one might be tempted to think of cities as environmental disasters, they ex- pose the wide misconception that “green” equals sustainable, noting that the quantity of green space in a city is not as important as the quality. In fact, there are many other important indicators of “sustainable,” such as transit, waste treatment and water usage. As for the term “urban,” they borrow heavily from Kevin Lynch, Jane Jacobs, and the new urbanists with their focus on the structure and hierarchy of streets and blocks, the unique identity of individual districts, and the mix of uses required to sustain social and economic life. The meaning of “neighbourhood” is centered on the idea that neighborhoods are social structures that must evolve; they are not instantly created. Incremental small-scale development and re-development foster this. These elements come together in a final case study of the Hulme district of the city of Manchester, an urban area that had gone from a population high of 130,000 in 1923 to a low of 12,000 in the early 1970s. After almost completely razing the entire area, an initial attempt was made to redevelop with large public housing projects and shopping centers in the 1970s. When this failed, the authors became involved in writing a development guide incorporating the principles outlined above. ”There was nothing particularly original about these principles. However initially the Hulme guide was fiercely resisted. The housing developers said it would make their housing expensive and unpopular. The Housing Associations complained that it could not be achieved within their regulatory framework or cost yardsticks. The police argued that it would increase crime, the traffic engineers that it would lead to accidents and the institutional investors that it would reduce the returns on their investment.” After many years of persistence, the guide was not only adopted, but also extended to the whole city of 11 Manchester, where it has had a profound impact on standard development practice. As for Hulme, it has slowly begun the process of rebuilding with a few very successful neighborhoods waiting for the rest of the city to join them. While this end was somewhat of a disappointment after the hopeful buildup, the authors are quick to remind us that successful stories do not happen overnight, but rather are a process of incremental change, compromise and dialogue. This book reveals that much of what we build is dictated by standards or assumptions that we do not often enough question. The future of our communities depends on more of us in the design field being willing to look through a larger lens, innovate and be persistent. Kristin Schwab is an Assistant Professor in the Program of Landscape Architecture at the University of Connecticut. BOCA Basics CHANNING HARRIS, ASLA Author’s Note: In recent discussions of the CTLA Editorial Board, it was suggested we do a regular feature on the topic of important technical and legal knowledge, both as a reminder to professionals, but also as a way of informing the two-thirds of our readers who are not landscape architects about our concerns. Every landscape architect is involved in some way with the public’s health, safety and welfare. This may vary from expertise dealing with largescale environmental management to being expert in playground access for the disabled. In today’s world we need to have defensible standards to support many of our design decisions, as well as using inspired creative design and common sense. Therefore, we thought it would be illustrative to share some examples of issues commonly faced by professionals and to relate which regulatory sources may guide our decisions. We’ll also note where to obtain them. We welcome your comments and invite anyone to submit topics or accounts of your own experiences. Incidentally, I’m not a legal expert and the opinions expressed herein are solely mine and are not necessarily reflective of any CTASLA policies or those of the firm with which I work. O f the four to five feet of shelf space in our office library dedicated to regulations, zoning codes, standard specifications and such material, probably the most important and often used is the BOCA National Building Code. The 1996 Edition is currently law in Connecticut, in association with the Connecticut State Supplement (1999) and Amendment (2000). This overrides certain national items, and, in conjunction with the Life Safety Code (NFPA 1997) and its Connecticut Supplement, they constitute a critical package of information affecting the landscapes immediately surrounding buildings. BOCA is the acronym for the Building Officials and Code Administrators International organization, which researches building safety and publish the codes, usually every three years, with updates. BOCA generally applies to larger buildings, certainly all public and institutional ones. A different code, CABO, applies to oneand two-family residential structures. (BOCA is only one of a number of standards out there, as well, and some states and municipalities have their own, unique, codes. Don’t be distracted by the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code, not adopted in Connecticut. When working in a new state or municipality, be sure you know what code applies to your work!) Different standards may also apply, depending on the type of use of a building. There are also separate trade-related codes, such as the International Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Codes, which we rarely use in our firm, but do need to be aware of. Many in our office also like the annotated version of the building code available from BOCA with commentary, graphic examples, diagrams and explanations. The Connecticut Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire, Emergency and Building Services also provides updated information on its web site, www.state.ct.us/dps/dfebs/UPDATE/update.htm. There are also past editions of the monthly journal, Update, but this is no longer going to be printed, due to state budget cutbacks. Update provided notices of statutory changes in regulations affecting the building Need to Know Basis 12 code, and featuring a column on formal interpretations of the questions related to the code, written by the State Building Inspector. (The formal interpretations will continue to be available online.) Note these codes may not be the only ones regulating your design. For example, public schools also fall under the purview of the State School Facilities Unit regulations in addition to BOCA. So why are landscape architects concerned with such things? Principally, because the codes regulate the sites immediately surrounding buildings, such as routes of exit in emergencies, which often include stairs, ramps, walkways, terraces and sometimes parking lots. They also describe, in detail, many limits on specific design elements, including stair treads, risers and landings, handrail heights and sizes, ramp slopes and widths, guardrail requirements and lighting at exit routes. The required width of a “means of egress” may only be part of the width of a “monumental stair” you’ve designed for that important structure, but you’d better be sure you’ve also addressed the requirements for an “accessible egress route” where required, as well. Codes have very specific vocabulary! BOCA also has a lot to do with swimming pool design and particularly fencing, gates and alarm systems and pool safety and security. This is an area that has particularly seen a number of changes in the last few years. We occasionally also consult it for such things as “legal” frost depth for foundation design and wind speeds for site lighting and flagpole design. There’s enough to save it for another article, but an integral part of the Connecticut Code concerns handicapped accessibility. This is articulated in the code booklet, ICC/ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Standard A117.1, 1998, “Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.” This is also available via the Department of Justice “Code of Federal Regulations, (continued on page 17) Priceless Beauty, Affordable Elegance SHOWROOM: 138 Woodmont Road • Milford, Connecticut 06460 I 95S exit 40, I 95N exit 40, left off exit, left at 1st light (203) 882-1000 • Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-5; Sat. 8-3 13 Franklin Square, New Britain. Clockwise from above: Rendered plan showing Franklin Square in relation to city streets; original sculpture by Robert Aiken; plaza with flags set in granite paving. Design Awards, cont’d tennial anniversary. Franklin Square was one of the first such spaces to be restored and was to have a new “sister city plaza” added to it. There was a tight deadline: “Because of a scheduled event in Franklin Square to receive and honor sister city mayors from around the world, the landscape architect was given a very limited time frame (six weeks) to complete the $400,0000 design. In addition, construction had to be completed within four months.” Franklin Square is a “…small ‘town green,’ …home to the beloved Elihu Burritt Memorial, [a] beaux-arts styled limestone sculpture, and surrounding plaza constructed in 1916.” As noted in the project description, the original plaza was a collaboration between sculptor Robert Aiken, architect H. Van Buren Mongonigle, and landscape architect Ferruccio Vitale, “…frequent collaborators and renowned 19th-century designers.” In order to convey timelessness and connection between various cultures, it was decided to create map medallions out of granite: “Each medallion is constructed with a minimum of three types and colors of granite. A bronze star locates the specific sister city. In the center of the plaza is a larger medallion of the New Britain seal…To execute the idea of shared A Country Home, Greenwich. Left: Rendered plan. Right: The vegetable garden as seen from the children’s play area, with a view of the pool beyond. 14 Miller Residence, Greenwich. Left: View of lake from terrace. Right: Plan showing terraces, plantings, and water. values a word [such as ‘understanding,’ ‘brotherhood,‘ or ‘communication‘] was sandblasted into solid granite blocks, once in English and below it in the sister city language. The blocks also function as benches.” ■ Guidelines for Community Design, Simsbury Landscape Architect: Johnson Land Design, Mason Design, Inc. This document is introduced by giving a bit of its history: “The Town’s 1994 Plan of Development and Implementation Guide designated the Design Review Board to play a primary role to ‘develop guidelines for community design and appearance,’ and in partnership with the Planning and Zoning Commissions, ‘to develop a publication containing land use design standards appropriate to Simsbury.’ This document is the result of that request.” The following main points are listed as guiding principles for the book: • Quality design is a study of relationships — connections among individual structures in the built environment, the natural landscape, the historical context, and the people who experience it. • Architecture and landscape design should emerge from local climate, topography, history, and building practices. Individual projects should link seamlessly with their surroundings, transcending style. • Preservation and renewal of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes affirm the continuity and evolution of our community. • The whole of Simsbury is greater than the sum of its parts. The book is divided into two main parts: General Standards and Character Places. In the first part, the authors present design guidelines to help ensure that future development correspond with the best of Simsbury’s character. Finally, there are appendices outlining a proposed design review procedure, signage, and streetscape details. Congratulations to all the winners in the 2001 Design Awards competition, and thank you to all who participated. Guidelines for Community Design, Simsbury. Sketches showing proposed streetscape standards. 15 16 BOCA Basics, cont’d 28 CFR Part 36, ADA Standards for Accessible Design.” The Connecticut State code is separate from (and in some cases, more stringent than), the Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal Legislation which protects the federal civil rights of disabled Americans. BOCA documents are available directly from BOCA Service Center, at (800) 214-4321, ext. 371, or via www.bocai.org/boca_codes.asp. Life Safety Codes are available from the National Fire Protection Association, Inc., Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269. Tel: (800) 3443555. These two codes overlap somewhat, especially on emergency exit requirements, but they also have differences, which may important to your project. The Connecticut Supplements are available from: Commission on Official Legal Publications, Office of Distribution, 111 Phoenix Ave., Enfield, CT 06082. Tel: (860) 741-3027. Web: www.state.ct.us/dps/dfebs/ OSBI/TechServ/Codes.htm. Fortunately for all of us however, AIA/Connecticut offers a complete package of these, including BOCA, NFPA, ANSI, CABO and the Connecticut Supplements, at a package price. Contact them at AIA/Connecticut, 87 Willow Street, New Haven, CT 06511, (203) 865-2195. Advertise in the 2003 Connecticut Landscape Architects Handbook, the twelfth edition of the venerable desk reference for Connecticut’s landscape architectural community. This 170-page guide book has it all! For more information, or a copy of the rate sheet, please contact Jeff Mills at (860) 742-7234 or [email protected]. 17 Channing Harris is a Senior Associate with Towers|Golde, Landscape Architects and Site Planners of New Haven. He can be reached at (203) 773-1153 or [email protected], where he may be found in the office library. He extends his thanks to the State Building Inspector, Christopher Laux, for assistance with this information. ASLA 2003 CONNECTIC LANDSCAPE UT ARCHITECTS HANDBOOK INFORMATIO N, P RODUCTS AN PEOPLE , D S ER VI CE S The Student News BROOK MCKEE T he student chapter of the ASLA at the University of Connecticut started this semester with a bang including meetings, a design charrette, a design competition, lectures and a picnic. The design charrette was held at the Anna Reynolds Elementary school in Newington, and focused on the central courtyard of the school. The students broke into teams and designed features such as quiet reading corners, mazes, outdoor amphitheaters, as well as color and texture gardens. The entire school then voted on the designs and will work to have one built. Hopefully the student chapter will be able to return to see the final product. The club also participated in the annual Cornucopia Festival. Teachers and students from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources spent the day explaining the various programs and facilities to help promote the school. The Landscape Architecture program sponsored a design competition in which students were asked to create artistic interpretations of the theme “A Celebration of Autumn.” Both the senior and junior classes participated. Three designs were selected and built around the festival grounds where they could spark interpretation and interest for the program. Nancy King, the student lecture series coordinator, has been working hard to organize this year’s events. The lectures are held almost every week, and all are welcome to attend. We are always looking for professionals to talk about their work in landscape architecture or related fields. One recent lecture was titled: “Whirlwind European Tour.” It featured three UConn students who showed slides and spoke about their travels across Europe. The next lecture featured another group of UConn students who spoke about their internships over the summer. On October 16th, UConn alumna Courtney Bello spoke about her work at Peter Cummin Associates. It was great to learn from a recent graduate what life out of school is really like. Student designs for the central courtyard of Anna Reynolds Elementary School in Newington. 18 The senior class has started their final year with a great deal of enthusiasm. They have already gone on the annual trip to Stockbridge, MA to see the town as well as analyze the planting design and layout of Naumkeag. The seniors appreciated the learning experience as well as getting out of the studio for some fresh air. Seniors then prepared for the first outside crit of the year for their senior studio with John Alexopoulos. Hank Torcellini from Gardener & Peterson, Engineers stopped by to give desk crits for a subdivision design the seniors had been working on. A final pin-up including town planners and other local officials followed. The junior class was happy to set up shop in their new studio and they quickly found out how much time they will spend there. They are learning the ins and outs of the computer lab as well as how important it is to learn from each other and the seniors. The junior studio class with Mark Westa started off the semester learning site analysis and design diagrams. They analyzed a small site near campus and then started a project to locate a new UConn visitor center. In construction class with Kristin Schwab they learned about construction layout as well as how to analyze various construction materials. They traveled to Boston and Providence and will visit Storm King, PepsiCo and other sites in the Hudson Valley on an upcoming trip. The incoming sophomore class took Kristin Schwab’s design drawing class, with over 30 students enrolled. Kristin is teaching one section of this large group while Adjunct Kathy Dorgan is teaching a second section. The sophomores are a talented group and many of them look forward to being accepted into our program. Please let us know if you would be interested in lecturing or visiting the program. Also, if you are looking for interns, summer help or full-time employees, please send a notice. We would be happy to place it on the LA Job Board. Juniors and seniors in UConn’s Landscape Architecture program participated in a design competition focused on artistic interpretations of the theme “A Celebration of Autumn.” Three designs were selected and built around the grounds of the annual Cornucopia Festival, where they could spark interpretation and interest in the program. KOMPAN offers ASLA accredited training to help you design a playground that complies with the latest ADA and safety regulations. www.kompan.com For details on scheduling a seminar call John LaRue, CPSI Phone: 800-986-3716 Fax: 401-625-1562 [email protected] 19 We’ve got the service and supplies you need to build things, like your business. Over 150 products on display: Bluestone Brick Cobblestone Cultured Stone Driveway Stone Edging Products Fieldstone Garden Path Granite Benches Granite Pavers Ideal Pavers Landscape Stone Limestone Masonry Supplies Natural Flagstone Sandbox Sand Slate Tile Tumbled Bluestone Veneer (Stone/Brick) Wallstone 1 Paul Street • Bethel • 203.790.9023 11 Ferry Lane West • Westport • 203.227.5181 • www.gaultinc.com PAV E R S B Y I D E A L inspiration Do you specify pavements and walls? Need a little inspiration for that next landscaping project? Call or visit our website today for our Come Home to Style catalog filled with images and ideas to inspire you. We offer a large selection of the finest quality interlocking concrete pavers, landscape retaining wall systems, and patio products in the Northeast. And you can’t beat our service or technical expertise. So call us today to see what we can do for you, or for the name of the BrookStone Tumbled Pavers Ideal Authorized Dealer nearest you. ™ Concrete Pavers • Landscape Retaining Walls • Patio Products IDEAL CONCRETE BLOCK COMPANY, INC. Plaza Pavers™ with Classico® Westford and Waltham, MA • www.IdealConcreteBlock.com Call today to learn more at 1-800-24-IDEAL! 20 MAGIC Magic MARK WESTA, ASLA Editor’s note: This will be a recurring section intended to allow the more “tech savvy” to share their insight and knowledge with those less fortunate. While we don’t want anyone to share their secret to success, there are plenty of small hints to keep this column going…well, forever. If you have a Stupid Tech Tip or comment please send it to the editor. If it helped you it will probably help many others. If you would like further information about specific aspects of this article, please let us know and we will provide additional information in a future issue of CTLA. T he University of Connecticut’s Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) is a great place to find data about your project site. As many of you know there is a wealth of data that can be used in your geographic information system. This information is typically located in the Town Level or Quad Level data libraries and includes mapping of things like roads, soils, floodplains, waterbodies and much, much more. A good deal of data is also located at the State Level data library. Of particular interest are Aquifer Protection Areas, Public Water Supply Wells, and the National Diversity Data Base. There are many other data sets, particularly ones that would be helpful for larger scale land-use or planning project. A series of historic maps also provide some interesting viewing for anyone interested in the history of their town or a specific project area. The .sid maps are particularly interesting because you can zoom and pan very easily. (You may need to use Internet Explorer to view these.) At the home page (http:// magic.lib.uconn.edu) there is a connection to Connecticut Raster Data. This contains a composite of USGS quadrangles for the state with easy zoom and pan features and a composite of aerial photos of some of the state. This is great way to familiarize yourself with a site in just a few minutes (maybe while on the phone with a prospective client — won’t she be impressed!) Finally, and less well known, is the information that can be used by those who are not in the world of ArcView or MapInfo. Within all the levels of Stupid Tech Tips 21 The Map and Geographic Information Center is a great place to find data about your project site. data (state, town, quad, etc.) are many files that can be downloaded and used in non-GIS programs. These include .dxf files that can be used in CAD, and .tif, .jpg and .sid files that can be used in image programs such as PhotoShop or pulled into CAD to create a base drawing. Whatever your needs and expertise I would encourage you to spend a few minutes at http://magic.lib.uconn.edu. There is a wealth of information waiting for you to use in your next planning or design project. Over 30 Years Supporting Local Landscaping Architects turf products corporation 157 Moody Road, Enfield, CT 06082 The Exclusive New England Toro Distributor Contact our office at Southern CT Sales Rep. Ray Eurto Northern CT Sales Rep. John Ouellette 860-763-3581 ext. 7834 800-243-4355 ext. 7828 800-243-4355 ext. 7838 22 Specializing in irrigation design services and specifications for ball fields and commercial projects 23 5th Annual CTASLA Golf Outing (October 4, 2002) — Winner & Prizes First Place Winners (Gross score) Prize: $100.00 Gift Certificate @ Golfer’s Warehouse Lance Dellacroce, Jennifer Mitton, Chris Corcoran, Chuck Cullan Third Place Winners (Net score) Prize: $30.00 Gift Certificate/Lyman Orchards Craig White, Brian Trainor, Matt Foley, Brian Kallmeyer First Place Winners (Net score) Prize: $100.00 Gift Certificate @ Golfer’s Warehouse Tom Tavella, Alan Minkus, Ray Wasson, Rich Brannigan Last Place Winners (Gross score) Prize: Putting Cup & Golfer’s Quick Manual Ruthann Smith, Elisabeth Saint-Armand, Elizabeth Rains Second Place Winners (Gross score) Prize: Lob Wedge Bill Aniskovich, Scott Temple, Gerry Lombardo, Ron Bugbee Closest to Pin Winner Prize: Olimar Fairway Wood Larry Nicolai Longest Drive Winner Prize: Ping Isopur Putter Justin Shanley Second Place Winners (Net score) Prize: # 7 Wood Chris Ferrero, John Ferrero, Chris Nelson, Ron Janeczko Hole-in-one Winner Prize: Set of Golf Clubs and Golf Bag or $1,000.00 Cash None. (Better luck next year!) Third Place Winners (Gross score) Prize: $30.00 Gift Certificate/Lyman Orchards Tom Woodruff, Mario Calcagni, Justin Shanley, John Peters S T O N E S of D I S T I N C T I O N FOR IT BY NAME ! A SK FOR Manufacturers of… INTERLOCKING CONCRETE PAVING S TONES AND R ETAINING W ALL SYSTEMS New England Sales Office and Manufacturing Facility: Connecticut Manufacturing Facility Now Open! 24 99 Stoddard Avenue North Haven, CT 06473 Toll-free (877) 411-0380 (203) 985-0380 • Fax: (203) 985-0381 640 Muncy Avenue, Lindenhurst, NY 11757 (800) 669-9294 • Fax: (516) 669-0711 [email protected] • www.nicolock.com Bass Weather (a report from the links) ROB CLAPPER, CTASLA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER-AT-LARGE F riday, October 4 was CTASLA’s fifth annual golf outing at Lyman Orchards Golf Club. While the day started out cloudy, threatening our track record of beautiful weather, the precipitation waited patiently until after the golf, when it settled into a light drizzle during the luncheon, awards and raffle. Chris Morhardt (your CTASLA Vice President) and I were teamed up with Brian Cossari from Hoffman Landscapes and Stephen Geckeler from Aqua-Lawn. The tournament, played on the beautiful Robert Trent Jones Championship Course, was a scramble format with our foursome starting on the twelfth hole. We played as contenders until the fourteenth fairway, where Chris drove the ball — and his club head went flying further than the ball. Then came the fifteenth hole — the one with the large water hazard. I pulled out my ultra-light fishing rod and started casting. That’s when Brian and Stephen knew their chances of being in the running for a low score were finished, so they started having some fun. I caught two small bass on the fifteenth hole and a whopper on the eighteenth (see photo, and no, it was not digitally enhanced). Definitely bass weather. Eighteen holes and four sleeves of balls later we headed back to the clubhouse for a scrumptious smorgasbord: pasta, veggies, beef, chicken, pork ribs, green salad, rolls and draft beer. (Yes, I know, it sounds like the perfect Saturday night date.) Once everyone was stuffed the scores were announced (see page 24) and then it was on to…the raffle. As always, the “pie and a pound” (Lyman Orchards apple pie with a pound of coffee) was a big hit. And, for the first time this year: high-end goodies, including a two-day golf school at Stratton Mountain, Vermont, a digital camera, $250 gift certificate to Oliver Nurseries and a box of cigars. I didn’t win anything (why do I keep buying the tickets?) and Karen Shopis, as usual, came out a winner with a folding camp chair donated by Hunter Industries. But…I didn’t leave empty handed. When you signed in, every player was given an insulated CTASLA 2002 Golf Outing coffee mug, which I used, a week later, on my trip to Michigan. So let’s see: large mouth bass, CTASLA coffee mug, getting to know Brian Cossari and Stephen Geckeler, and watching Chris Morhardt’s club head fly further than his ball. Surely a worthwhile outing. If you did not attend this year’s tournament, make plans now to join us next year! In this digitally NONretouched photo of action at the fifth annual CTASLA Golf Outing at Lyman Orchards Golf Club, author Rob Clapper shows he has no handicap with the ultralight rod in the water hazard off the 18th fairway. The trouble comes, he says, when he picks up the golf clubs. 25 Thank you thank you! We appreciate the support of the following sponsors of the 2003 CTASLA Golf Outing: Anderson Turf Irrigation, Inc. Aqua- Lawn Inc. Atlas Fence Co. Bartlett Tree Experts BISCO/Boston Irrigation The Care of Trees The Concord Group, LLC CT Bomanite Systems, Inc. CT Stone Supplies, Inc. Consolidated Brick Environmental Site Developers Executive Landscaping Game Time Recreation Equip. L.H. Gault & Son, Inc. Glen Terrace Landscape Hoffman Landscapes Hunter Industries Inc. Ideal Pavers & Block Co. J.M. Communications Johnson Land Design Landscape Forms/Lantz Lighting Affiliates, Ltd. LSI – Lighting Systems, Inc. Mattera & Sons, Inc. M.E. O’Brien & Sons, Inc. Milone & MacBroom, Inc. Nicolock Paving Stones O&G Industries Oliver Nurseries Rain Bird Corporation Riverside Fence Co. Ryther-Purdy Lumber Co. Shoreline Pools, Inc. Signature Pools, Inc. Silvestri Fencing Susan Cohen, LA Tate & Associates, LLC Tilcon Connecticut, Inc. TPA Design Group Turf Products/TORO Twombly Nursery, Inc. UNILOCK Versa-Lock Retaining Walls Wausau Tile The WBA Group, Inc. Wesley Stout Associates Perfection Is Our Tradition Connecticut-Certified Professional Pool Builder with over 50 Years of Service. Call Rizzo Anytime For a No-Obligation Consultation! CT Cont. 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