HomeMy Public PortalAboutWATERTOWN_101_North_Beacon_Street_SECOND_DESIGN_REVIEW_7_2_19_GA1
GAMBLE
ASSOCIATES
678 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 502
Cambridge MA 02139
July 2, 2019
Steve Magoon, Director
Gideon Schrieber, Andrea Adams
Community Planning and Development
149 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Sent via Email
101 N Beacon Street Design Review
Based on concept plans dated June 11, 2019
Dear Mr. Magoon,
This memo represents a second design review for the 101 North Beacon Street Project in Watertown,
MA submitted by 101 North Beacon LLC and Embarc Studio Architects. The Developer Meeting with
Town staff, the developer and design team occurred on May 28th, 2019. This review is based on the
June 11, 2019 drawing set which was received on June 29, 2019.
Sincerely,
0444A +yniO4.
David Gamble, AIA AICP LEED AP
Principal, Gamble Associates
Lecturer, Department of Urban Planning and Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
DESIGN REVIEW July 2019 101 N BEACON STREET
2
GENERAL COMMENT
For more than a decade, Watertown has been witnessing a great deal of new development. The scale of
the new growth - whether a lab, office, housing or mixed -use building — has caused concern among
residents that the character of their Town is changing, and the common perception amongst long-time
residents is that the character is changing for the worse. New development brings both impacts and
benefits. While the benefits are diffuse and general, such as the increase in affordable apartments or an
uptick in the commercial tax base, impacts, by contrast, are local and specific. Abutters of new
development are particularly affected by an increase in traffic, shadows and altered views as a result of
new construction.
However, as articulated in Watertown's Comprehensive Plan, there is a desire to densify the primary
commercial corridors where public transit resides. Enabling new growth to occur along Mt. Auburn,
Arsenal and North Beacon Streets, for example, can alleviate some of the development pressure within
the neighborhoods themselves. The design challenge lies in how to best mitigate perceived negative
impacts of new development while still allowing change to occur. It is in the seams between commercial
areas and established residential neighborhoods where tensions are most pronounced.
As with Arsenal Street, the transformation of the North Beacon Street is well underway. With the
construction of a number of large-scale residential and commercial projects like Elan Union Market,
development pressures are incrementally moving to adjacent corridors. The new development is
capitalizing on Watertown's growing residential population and the amenities emerging. Given the
surrounding development pressures and the low density of the existing, one story commercial use on
the 101 North Beacon site, the transformation this property was inevitable.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
The project reflects ambitions articulated in Watertown's Design Guidelines. It addresses the
conflicts between the site and the adjoining context in the following ways:
PUBLIC REALM INTERFACE:
- The building form deflects in the middle to reduce an uninterrupted, long elevation
- The deflection in the building enables a small entry plaza to emerge at the intersection
of Irving Street and North Beacon Street
- Terraces and a roof deck bring activity to the exterior
- Frequent entrances and patios and ground level transparency activate the ground floor
DESIGN REVIEW July 2019 101 N BEACON STREET
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PARKING AND ACCESS
- Surface parking is located behind the building and is partially covered by the building
- Vegetated buffers screen the parking area
- Access to the parking is one-way
FACADE TREATMENT / BUILDING MASSING
- The residential units are separated by vertical cladding (as opposed to a horizontal
orientation that would visually reinforce the building's length)
- Canopies, balconies and screening devices add light, depth and shadow to the facades
- Variation in the building elements are deployed consistently on all sides
BUILDING HEIGHT
- A three-story building is not too tall for a primary commercial street. The design varies
the building elements to accentuate the main entry. Efforts are made on the south side
of the building to take advantage of the solar orientation and erode the building wall
with balconies and screens to create visual interest and add privacy.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
- Solar arrays are shown on the roof
- Mature trees provide a buffer to the parking area and neighbors
- Permeable pavers are used
MATERIAL SELECTION
- One area which would benefit from greater study is with the exterior skin. While
concrete masonry units and natural wood siding are used selectively on the building
elevation, the majority of the project is clad with "Fiber Cement Panels" in various
configurations. This material has gained in popularity and is very common in the building
industry. Unfortunately, the detailing and scale of the panels can, if not detailed well,
make a building look cheap.
- According to the website, "TruExterior products are made with fly -ash, a by-product
recovered from coal combustion. When fly -ash is combined with polymers, it becomes a
durable material that's ideally suited for exterior siding and trim. Rigorously tested in
various extreme climates, TruExterior products are extra resistant to moisture, bugs and
movement once installed."
- The Design Guidelines advocate for locally -harvested, natural materials that have a low
embodied energy content. Efforts should be made to increase the area coverage for
more natural materials on the exterior.
End of memo.
DESIGN REVIEW July 2019 101 N BEACON STREET