Design

Trinity Church Parish House Ramp

Project Narrative:

Built during the late 1800s, the Trinity Church Parish House and its campus required considerable renovations to meet contemporary accessibility needs. Before the project began, two sets of exterior steps provided the only form of access to the Parish House. These steps presented a significant challenge to parishioners with impaired mobility, making it difficult to attend community events following church services. Since the Trinity Church Campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the project also required approval from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and several other regulatory bodies. Improvements to the site include a new parking area, pedestrian walkways, and a ramp that follows all American with Disabilities Act guidelines. Through coordination with the project’s architect, an existing window on the southeast facade of the Parish House became a new door, providing access to the Parish House via the ramp. The ramp’s design follows all Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, and its appearance complement’s the building’s historic architectural style.

This rendered site plan shows the project’s main proposed elements, including a new parking area, pedestrian walkways, a retaining wall, drainage infrastructure, and an ADA ramp.

This photo of the existing conditions shows where the ramp will access the building. Creating that access involved turning a window into a new door.

I designed this ramp in accordance with all ADA guidelines. The external appearance of the ramp also needed to be consistent with the existing architecture to get approval from the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

This 3D rendering showed the final appearance of the ramp well before construction began.

The completed ADA ramp post construction.

Health Spa Resort

Project Narrative:

Following a change in ownership, the goal of this project was to transform the historic eighty-plus acre Cranwell Estate into a world-class health spa and resort. This requires the majority of the hilltop site to be regraded in order to accommodate multiple new buildings, outdoor activity spaces, and all associated functional site elements. Effective collaboration with the project engineers and architects was necessary in order to manage this high-stakes development and produce a comprehensive grading plan which complies with all regulatory requirements.