WILLIAMSTOWN, MA COMPLETION 2019 LEAD LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Architect: Payette

Williams College rests In the rural and idyllic New England town of Williamstown Massachusetts, surrounded by the Berkshires and rolling hills of farm pasture and meadow. 

For the landscape of a new Science Center that is to house Geology, Psychology, and Math departments, we sought to bring these iconic vernacular landscape typologies into the campus as a functioning hyper-ecosystem.

Three unique entry spaces relate to the three departments. At the main entry and Psych dept. custom schist stone seat walls and platform planter frame and illuminate the entry, while providing ample seating and viewing of the adjacent quad.

To the South of the building at the Geology dept. entry, a striated paving pattern and schist "rock table" brings the interior programming out into the landscape. This is further extended into a "Geo Storm Garden", with drumlin like landform, "geologic rift" benches, and stone storm water weirs demonstrate the fluidity of geology, while simultaneosuly providing key sustainable stormwater infrastructure.

Native regional plantings and locally quarried stone were used to define miniature eco-tones throughout the site.

Completed as Manager of Landscape Architecture Department at Payette