residential design master plan

index of sheets

context 1

existing conditions 2

project goals 3

access and circulation 4

views 5

zoning and setbacks 6

finalplan 7

planting plan 8

bancroft elevations 9

backyard sections 10

structural details 11

prepared for

James mcDonalD & FiDelma culleton

of 230 crescent street

northampton,massachusetts

Jonathan G. Cooperfor the

Conway School of Landscape Design

Autumn 2008

A Residential

Analysis and

Design

JONATHAN COOPER FALL 2008 Conway SChool of landSCape deSign

332 South Deerfield Road Conway, MA 01341 www.csld.edu

CuLLETON/MCDONALD PROPERTy230 CRESCENT STREET NORTHAMPTON, MA 01060NOT FOR CONSTRuCTiON. THiS DRAwiNg iS PART OF A STuDENT PROJECT AND iS NOT bASED ON LEgAL SuRvEyS.

OBSERVATIONS IMPLICATIONS

Dining

Living

Kitchen

Duncan

Residence

Study

Patio

Acer saccharum

Acer saccharum

Tsugacanadensis

95

100

Driveway

N0

5

1020 ft.

Cres

cent

St.

Bancroft Rd.

CONTEXT Sheet 1

Telephone Pole

Telephone Pole

CONTEXT Sheet 2

>20% Slope

Hill

side

Rd.

>20% Slope

60-foot-tall sugar maples (Acer saccharum) on each corner of lot, with a large maple at south east corner on neighbor’s property.

Steep slopes at driveway and along Crescent Street.

Residences and trees to the south and trees on-site block muchofthesunlight.Noportionofthepropertyexceedsfive hours of direct sunlight per day all year.

Soil is well-drained Paxton-Charlton Urban Land Complex, a sandy loam of glacial till. Soil is moderately acidic, pH between 5.0 and 5.5.

Hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis)afflictedwithwoolyadelgid.

Maple tree root systems absorb vast amounts of water on-site and to the east.

Driveway slope and lack of sunlight lead to ice accumulation.

No-mowgroundcoverremovesdifficultyofmowingslopes.

Vegetation unaccustomed to heavy shade and dry soil will fare poorly.

Diseased hemlocks likely to survive less than ten years.

Hemlock trees will remain functional screens for the short term and not beyond.

EXiSTiNg CONDiTiONS Sheet 2

Flagstone Terrace




OBSERVATIONS IMPLICATIONS

CONTEXT Sheet 1

Principal entry/egress is from rear door at southeast, requiring clients to walk the length of the house to reach the cars or street.

Rear door is 30 feet from vehicles, 50 feet from road.

Brick patio outside offers area for recreation/gathering.

Driveway disrupts natural continuity of property.

End-to-end parking requires coordination and consistently restricts street access for one vehicle. Accesstoflagstoneterracelimitedtonarrowpathbycarport.

Backyard is most frequently used portion of the property.

Area between northeast house corner and carport is the circulation “gateway” from public to private.

Walking distance from rear door to street and cars is an opportunity to experience the property in an enjoyable way and comfortably transition from exterior to interior.

Patio is not a separate recreation area, but a section of the main access path. Offers convenience without seclusion.

Lack of access/pathways makes the backyard a space to be observed, and not a place to spend time.

LEGEND

Primary vehicular - off site

Secondary vehicular - off site

Pedestrian - off site

Vehicular - on site

Pedestrian - on site

N5

Cres

cent

St.

Bancroft Rd.

ACCESS & CiRCuLATiON Sheet 4

N0

5

1020 ft.

Hill

side

Rd.




OBSERVATIONS IMPLICATIONS Attractive views from interior and exterior to east, south, and west.

Untrammeled sightlines from northwest and west into living room, dining room, and backyard - three principal gathering areas.

Lack of screening from west to north opens up the house interior and backyard to uninvited public view.

Driveway location opens sightline to backyard, and forces vehicular access to take precedence over personal sanctuary.

Sightlines from the west and north should be limited along the northern side of the house.

Desirable views to the south and east should be enhanced and complemented.

Vegetation and structures can both limit and redirect sightlines into the property.

By limiting sightlines at the southeast corner, the property would be opened up for recreational use in order to take advantage of good existing views.

LEGEND

Desirable views from site

Undesirable views into site

N

Cres

cent

St.

viEwS

Sheet 5

N0

5

1020 ft.

Hill

side

Rd.

Bancroft Rd.




Bancroft Rd.95

100

Cres

cent

St.

N0

5

1020 ft.

Hill

side

Rd.

The most significant structural changeto the property is the new driveway and garage at the northeastern corner. These offer the convenience of side-by-side parking and an increased field of vision when leaving thehouse. The reduction of the curbside slope to less than 10% lessens water runoff/ice buildup. The gentle slope accommodates a wide variety of permeable pavings, including gravel, porous concrete, and open-jointed blocks. The diseased Eastern hemlocks have been removed to make space for the driveway, as has the fence along Bancroft Road, made redundant by the new plantings and garage. Upon entering the property from the rear of the new garage, one sees the backyard, reconfiguredtoenhanceitsroleasthesocialandfunctional heart of the exterior. To emphasize circulation, the backyard is accessible from the front yard, side yards, Bancroft Road, and the garage. The flagstone patio, moved from the eastern edge to the pedestrian entryway, is large enough to accommodate sizable gatherings but does not lie directly the way of daily circulation. Primary paths from the rear door to the street

and garage are wider than the secondary and tertiary paths that lead to a brick patio. A beach plum between the paths forms the contemplative center of the area. The brick patio now sits on the property’s high point, shifted and shaped to take advantage of pleasant views across the backyard. Smaller than its flagstone counterpart, it is framed bytall Indian sea oats, lush rhododendrons, and hardy Labrador violets. It is accessible from the garage and the rear door by leaner paths, meant to emphasize its less frequent use. Along Crescent Street, the entry beds complement the formal entryway. The four-season arrangement brings out the flowers ofthe bluebell and golden wood poppy in the spring, a burst of coral bells in late summer, the purple-leaved white snakeroot in the fall, and thefoamflower’sburgundyleavesinwinterandwhite spikelets in the early spring. The plantings are suitable for the higher pH found under the canopy of the sugar maples.

The ground cover plantings of the front and side yard replace the time- and resource-consuming needs of turf lawn with a thick, attractive, and low-maintenance mixture of sedges and herbs. Along the northern side of the house, extending to the garage, is the trellis walk. Redirecting the eyes of passersby away from the backyard or house interior, it combines natural and man-made elements to make a functional and attractive statement to the public. Laden withmoonseedvines,fivetrellises, six feet tall and three feet wide, hug the curve of the existing walkway, leading to a six-by-ten-foot trellis at the house corner that encloses the backyard. Another trellis connects to the garage, leaving a two-foot space for pedestrian access. Mimicking the form of the trellis walk are the shrub plantings, spaced to alternate with the trellises and similarly anchored at the house corner by the dense spread of an American holly. By the driveway, mint and summersweet clethra yield refreshing fragrances coming or going.

Driveway

Garage

Shrub Plantings

Entry Beds

Trellis Walk

Brick Patio

Flagstone Patio

Paths

FiNAL PLAN Sheet 7

411

111

311

211

Duncan

Residence




Va Lb Hq Hq Lb Cal Lb Mca Io Mco Mca Pa Mr

Mr Dp Dp Tw Sd Gp

Mv Mr Va

De Ed

Aa Sc Df Cap Ed

Sc Pm Mr Ed

Ed Df Vl

Sc Cl Ed Mr Vl Cl

Vaccinium angustifolium lowbush blueberry Va 1.5 - 3 E, GLindera benzoin common spicebush Lb 6 - 12 E, F, S, WHydrangea quercifolia oakleaf hydrangea Hq 4 - 8 SClethra alnifolia summersweet clethra Cal 6 - 12 E, F, SIlex opaca American holly Io 15 - 4 SMeehania cordata Meehan’s mint Mco 0.5 - E, GMenispermum canadense common moonseed Mca 15 - 20 S, WPolystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern Pa 1.5 - 2 GHeuchera pubescens coral bells Hp 1Tiarella wherryi foamflowers Tw 1 Stylophorum diphyllum golden wood poppy Sd 1.5 Mertensia virginica Virginia bluebells Mv 1.5 - 2 Ageratima altissima white snakeroot Aa 1.5 - 3 Carex appalachica Appalachian sedge Cap 1.5 - 2 G

Prunus maritima beach plum Pm 5 - 15 E, WEurybia divaricata white wood aster Ed 1 - 2Deschampsa flexuosa crinkled hair grass Df 1 - 1.5 Viola labradorica Labrador violet Vl 0.1 - 0.3 GSymphyotrichum cordifolium blue wood aster Sc 2 - 4Chasmanthium latifolium Indian sea oats Cl 3 - 4Dicentra eximia wild bleeding heart De 1 - 2Dennstaedtia punctilobula hay-scented fern Dp 2 - 2.5 F, GGaultheria procumbens eastern teaberry Gp 0.2 - 0.5 F, E, GCarex praegracilis clusteredfieldsedgeCpr 0.5 - 1 GSedum ternatum woodland stonecrop St 0.3 - 0.5 GAsarum canadense wild ginger Ac 0.5 - 1 G, ECarex pensylvanica Pennsylvania sedge Cpa 0.5 - 1 GMitchella repens partridgeberry Mr 0.1 - 0.2 G, W

Hp

Hp

Hp

Aa

HpMv

Sd

Tw

Aa

Tw

Tw

PLANTiNg PLAN Sheet 8

The native, low maintenance plants listed below have been selected in consideration of the following characteristics:

FUNCTION

- Fitness for use (as ornament, screen, ground cover, etc).

SUNLIGHT

- Tolerance for moderate to deep shade.

PLACEMENT

- Salinity tolerance for plants along streets.

SOIL TYPE

- Preference for acidic soil.

- Preference for a well-drained, sandy loam soil.

VALUE

- Wildlife value (as foodor cover). - Human use (as food, herb, or fragrance)

CprStAcCpa

CprStAcCpa

0

5

10

20 ft.

NBancroft Rd.

E: Edible leaves or fruit F: Fragrant G: Ground cover S: Screening W: Attractive to wildlife

Scientific Name Common Name Symbol Height Uses Scientific Name Common Name Symbol Height Uses

Key




bANCROFT ELEvATiONS Sheet 9

SHED & GARAGE ENTRYWAY & SHRUBS, TRELLIS WALK, LILAC GROUND BLUEBERRY MOVED AMERICAN HOLLY COVER PATCH SUPPORT WIRE

SHED HEMLOCKS, FENCE, CARPORT DRIVEWAY, SHRUBS, LILAC, HOUSE LAWN TREE

Above is shown the current alignment of 230 Crescent Street, facing south from the northern edge of the property. The driveway, slicing into the property from the street, invites passersby to observe James and Fidelma with a casual glance into thebackyardoreye-levelfirst-storywindows.Thehemlocksandfence limit this view along the northeast edge of the property, but they strike an inhospitable tone. The lilac tree by the chimney is the only planting large enough to screen visual access into the firstfloor,butitdoesnotprovidethedensespreadtodoso.Fromthe house corner to the maple tree, the lack of sizable plantings and stretch of open front lawn exaggerates the size of the house. Consequently, the smaller plantings by the house exterior are lost and the house appears alone.

Below is a view of the proposed design from the same perspective on Bancroft Road. Gone are the sickly hemlocks, the fence, and the driveway that make up the present face of theproperty’s north side, replaced by a garage more in keeping with the house’s architectural style. The permeable paving suggested in the design enables precipitation to pass through the driveway instead of accumulating on it in the winter months. The eye is drawn to the unique and attractive trellis walk, which is partnered with salt- and shade-tolerant shrub plantings. The moonseed, spicebush, hydrangea, and clethra are hardy, fragrant, and dense, attracting birds and small mammals from September through February. In front of the gateway is the evergreen American holly. As shown, these plantings are at the low end of their height range, but it is possible that they will grow even taller over the years. The low blueberry patch at the lawn corner spreads with edible fruit.




STRuCTuRAL DETAiLS Sheet 11

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 1 is a view of the garage, looking east. 20’x20’, with a peak of 15’, it is large enough to accomodate two cars andpedestriantraffic.Itisdepictedwith a post foundation, by which disturbance to the soil is minimized while providing the necessary support for the structure. An alternative to a trench foundation, the posts reduce damage to the laterally spreading root systems of the maple trees the garage is underneath. These roots are instrumental in keeping the water coursing down Round Hill out of the house’s basement, and should be left intact.

Figure 2 details the elements of a post foundation. 4’ posts, 8” across, are dug andfilledwithconcrete.Thewoodenbeams of the garage are placed in the concrete, which rises 8” above the soil line to prevent wood rot. The 4”concrete parking slab is poured level with the top of the pilings, and rests on a bed of packed gravel.

4”x 4” red cedar

AWG #10 wire

Root ball dugout3” fence bracket

8” concrete footing

72”

6”

48”

32”

0 5 ft

4”x 6”beam

4” concrete parking slab

Gravelfill

8” concrete piling

8”

40”

Figure 3 is a detail for a permeable paving system for the driveway. While the slope of the driveway would support gravel, a more structured installation would last longer and require less maintenance. Spaced pavers, available in many sizes and styles, allow water to course through to a 2” bedding course of stone aggregate. Beneath the aggregateisanoptionalgeotextilefilmthatfiltersthe water before it passes to the 4” sub base of 1/4” to 3/4” stones. A second, 6” sub base, with larger 2”stones,isthefinallayerbetweenthedrivewayand the compacted soil subgrade. Systems like this oneretainandfilteragreatvolumeofwaterother-wise evaporated or frozen.

Figure 4, above, illustrates the components of oneof the trellises proposed in the design. Red cederis a naturally rot-resistant wood, and its longevityis increased in a well-drained, sandy loam soil like the one on the property. Not unlike Figure 2, the beams extend 4’ into the ground, placing them below the frost line and ensuring that they will not be raised and torqued by the freezing and thawing of the ground. The moonseed vine is planted at the center of the trellis, and it makes its way up the wire grid as it grows. If ties are used to encourageverticalgrowth,theymustbeloose-fittingandeasilyremoved, as the vine has a tendency to grow very quickly.

0 1 ft

0 1 ft

0 1 ft

Spaced pavers

Bedding aggregate

Optional geotextile

1/4” - 3/4” stones

2” stones

Soilsubgrade

4”

6”

Figure 4

Figure 3

residential design master plan

Documents

street access

south deerfield road

crescent streetnorthampton

rear door

existing conditions

east corner

driveway slope

student project