“We also use material cues to help manage pedestrian and vehicular corridors,” says Monies. “As a society, we’re used to seeing asphalt and curbing to indicate a roadway, with other materials suggesting pedestrian space. When we have vehicular areas that are intended primarily for pedestrians, like at Somerville High School (above), elements such as bollards, greenery, and other visual cues can reinforce that drivers are passing through a pedestrian space, as opposed to pedestrians walking through a vehicular space."
“We want to use design to slow people down and to encourage the use of safer, alternative modes of transportation,” says Vangsness. “We want motorists to feel like they’ve arrived at a place filled with activity, not just that they’re passing through it. This approach will hopefully result in reduced vehicle speeds, greater awareness, and safer conditions for all.”
Landscape architects can connect outdoor destinations with the indoor environment.
At SMMA, this effort often includes collaboration with the firm’s civil engineers and interior designers. Landscape architects identify design themes, geometries, and materials used in the building to select materials that complement those patterns outside.
Landscape architects had the opportunity to refresh 1000 Massachusetts Avenue’s outdoor plaza and patio while interior designers created a lobby that was both inviting and inspired interaction, taking cues from the building’s neighbors at Harvard and MIT.
The new floor tiling in the building’s lobby is mimicked in shape and color in its outdoor spaces. Additionally, the grouping and styling of furniture in the lobby work cohesively with the outdoor terrace and plaza, creating a visual connection between the natural environment and the interior.
They created soft landscapes by making use of spring plantings, alongside incorporating Asian-inspired rock gardens and elements of feng shui.
