AWARDS


HARVARD UNIVERSITY
HORTICULTURAL SUPPORT FACILITY
This new facility at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum includes a mixed-use program to accommodate planned expansion of the institution’s grounds maintenance operations. Intended to support the Arboretum’s Master Plan, the design focuses on combining function with transparency: integrating the operations staff’s work with concerns for safety and efficiency in a prominent location on the Arboretum’s grounds.
PROJECT LOCATION
Jamaica Plain, MA
PROJECT TYPE
Education, Industrial,
Offices
CLIENT
Harvard University's
Arnold Arboretum









The complex is located just south of the Arboretum’s Dana Greenhouses, a high traffic area bordering a residential neighborhood where substantial propagation work is conducted. Through an iterative process of presentation and discussion, AW conducted a series of test fits to determine siting that would optimize the facility’s function while minimizing its visual impact on the grounds. Its L-shaped arrangement is comprised of three major elements: a support staff office building, a garage, and an equipment storage building. This configuration provides a service yard and parking area concealed from nearby gardens. The low-profile building volumes are embedded in the sloped topography to reduce their effect on both landscape and neighborhood.



