Williamstown, MA
Reed Hilderbrand
BSLA Honor Award
BSLA Merit Award
This project involved two Phases. The Stone Hill Center, an art conservation facility and public gallery space, overlooks newly established meadows. Extensive parking areas and emergency access were designed using non-pavement materials, incorporating grass and meadow plantings. The access road traverses a hillside through meadow and light-forested areas. Infiltration swales, wet meadows, and highly porous soils decrease stormwater runoff to below anticipated levels. Phase II, the construction of the new Visitors Center, designed by Tadao Ando, draws visitors to an exciting three-waterfall feature. Many stormwater management challenges were met through blended soil design. Pine & Swallow modified native clayey soils with the addition of uniform sand and mature compost. Utilizing existing soils afforded substantial cost savings. Pine & Swallow provided profile sketches, soil specifications and provided construction monitoring for various site conditions and locations.
