massachusetts hilltop reuse
A private developer asked DumontJanks to investigate a possible reuse of a former hospital site on a stunning hilltop near Boston. Given community agreements with the city, all new development must preserve and increase the existing forested areas and pervious surfaces to lessen site runoff to a public park and reservoir below the hill.
We modeled surface impervious and pervious areas, amount of forest cover, and explored view corridors to the Boston skyline. Our exploration proposed a compact building massing and a strategy for parking and circulation that met city community and environmental goals, while maximizing the number of homes with easterly and southerly solar exposure, and views to downtown Boston. The building massing was stepped to the hill’s profile, allowing multiple homes with exterior roof terraces. Parking was accommodated partially underneath the building, again utilizing the previous hospital’s basement excavation. The plan resulted in a diverse array of home types and location. A smaller portfolio of attached cottages would act to transition the building massing to the existing adjacent single-family neighborhoods.
