With the desire to create a wildlife sanctuary where underprivileged children, senior citizens, and members of the community can experience nature, the client purchased a 43-acre, second growth forested site near the Wachusett Reservoir in central Massachusetts. Previously slated for residential subdivision, the new direction for this site includes a visitor center, built to LEED platinum sustainability standards, and complementary landscape to serve the center and provide visitors access to a perimeter trail and connections to the larger Sudbury Valley Trustees conservation area that abuts the site.

To meet the design objective of a seamless connection of building and site, the building is sited into the slope and the landscape of the upper slope is extended onto a substantial intensive green roof. Landscape elements include permeable parking, defined pedestrian and vehicular circulation systems, meadow planting within an existing clearing, new woodland gardens and reforestation plantings. Partially within the 100’ setback of a river flowing to the reservoir, a number of bioretention features are located to infiltrate stormwater runoff.