DRAFT – 12.9.03

 

Design Review Committee

City of Newton, MA

 

 

 

Comments on Option E and Revised New School Option, dated 12.8.03

Newton North High School Feasibility Study

Updated schemes presented by DRA Architects 12/9/03

 

The following summary outlines the collective comments of the Design Review Committee after consideration of Options E and the New School Option as presented to the committee on 12/9/03 by DRA Architects and Turner Construction. This summary is a continuation of the 11/9/03 design review factors and options summary prepared by the DRC on the Feasibility Study material available at that time. 

 

The Design Review Committee was very pleased with the revisions presented by the DRA/Turner team. Both the new hybrid option E and the revised new school option illustrate major improvements in resolving issues raised about constructability, building image, neighborhood interface, parking, service and other important design criteria. Either solution would provide the city with a fundamentally new Newton North High School building, understanding that the implementation and cost impacts of the solutions differ. The Design Review Committee feels that either conceptual solution would provide a high school solution that would serve the community well for decades to come.


 

 

Option E

Area

·   260K sf addition + 179K sf renovation

 

Cost

 

·   $94.8M const. incl. all field and site work

 

Risks/ Potential Deal Breakers

 

·   Interface of old and new construction more of a challenge than new construction

 

Considerations

Characteristics

Pros

Cons

 

NNHS front door

 

·   Along Lowell Ave. adjacent to auditorium entrance

·   Prominent Lowell St. entry image

·    Separate from service

·   Good access to public functions

 

Building Image

 

·   New Lowell Ave. façade

·   New CR wings wrap eastern façade of existing building

·   Need good secondary access to athletic spaces for public and evening uses

·   Good options for Lowell Ave. façade

·   Good options for East façade

·   Best hybrid potential for unified new building image

·   Classroom addition configuration much improved along Elm St. edge

Future Site Development Options

 

·   Most-compact hybrid plan, develops western half of site

·   More than half of site fully undeveloped by structures

·   Future development likely to extend from one of four classroom wings 

Quality of Outdoor Spaces

 

·   No unresolved spaces between new and old construction

·   Elm Street parking lot intact and remains as buffer to neighborhood

·   Good options for Lowell Ave. space

·   Good spaces between classroom wings

·   Courtyard space in good location, geometry works well with plan concept

 

 

Athletic Fields/Courts 

 

·   New track and field complex

·   Loss of practice field

·   Loss of 6 tennis courts

·   New track and field complex

·   Loss of practice field

·   Loss of 6 tennis courts

Service Access/Parking

 

·   New addition to be serviced from existing service area at Lowell

 

·   Consolidates service

·   Increases parking by 100+ spaces

·   Elm Street parking to be coordinated, not to cause thru traffic flow

·   Front door of school fronted by major parking lot

·   Service along front entry facade

Interface of existing and new construction, Town Center and Main Street

 

·   New horizontal Main Street

·   Connections minimized and simplified 

·   Design opportunity equal to new option

·   Good Main Street and Town Center potential

·   Good connection of classroom wings to common functions

 

Natural Light / Environmental

·   Good natural light to CRs and common areas

·   Compact plan minimizes envelope area

 

·   Good natural light to CRs and common areas

·   Min. amount of new envelope area

·   Min. heat loss/gain with new envelope area

Plan flexibility

 

·   Classroom wings could be planned as houses or pods

·   Classroom wings could be planned as houses or pods

·   Classrooms near common and support functions

 

Constructability/Phasing

 

·   Classroom wing adjacent to exiting construction

·   Limited loss of use of site during construction

·   Some disruption - this hybrid option offers best protection against disruption during construction

 

 

 

New High School – 12. 8. 03 Scheme

Area

·   445K sf new const.

 

Cost

 

·   $108.3M const. incl. all field and site work

 

Risks/ Potential Deal Breakers

 

·   Greatest cost

 

Considerations

Characteristics

Pros

Cons

 

NNHS front door

 

·   Corner of Walnut and Elm

 

·   Good visibility

·   Free of parking

·   Walnut Street has civic functions already with Library, City Hall

·   Scale more compatible with street

·   New neighborhood element

 

Building Image

 

·   All new

·   All new

 

Future Site Development Options

 

·   Compact plan

·   Flips green space to Lowell Ave

 

·   Most of site undeveloped with buildings

 

Quality of Outdoor Spaces

 

·   Good pedestrian plaza along Walnut St.

·   Good connections to Newtonville

·   Good open field spaces

·   Buffered parking

·   Good pedestrian plaza along Walnut St.

·   Good connections to Newtonville

·   Good open field spaces

·   Buffered parking

 

Athletic Fields/Courts