mrld.net blog

The concept plan for the Rockland Harbor Trail and Park continues to evolve. One portion of the park includes a set of “floating” stairs leading to a cantilevered deck overlooking Lermond Cove. A vertical green wall / scrim introduces plant material in the narrow space without blocking views of the harbor.

KING KAHN

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 19:40:26 +0000

MRLD’S design for an amphitheatre / council ring for Louis Kahn’s seminal First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York has been fully approved and construction begins fall 2010. The design combines the various ministerial needs of the church, Kahn’s ideas regarding architecture - specifically his thoughts on the ideal relationship between architecture and Unitarianism - and the role Jens Jensen’s Council Rings played in his park designs. The result is a dynamic solution that bridges philosophical and physical topographies.

uu-kahn-design-development.pdf

WESTBROOK UNCOMMON

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:22:25 +0000

Westbrook retained MRLD to redesign an existing park and two building facades on Main Street created during a period of urban renewal in the 1970’s. The entire complex is a suburban business park dropped in the center of a dense urban area. Neither the buildings nor the park have the proper form, scale and orientation required for vital urbanism.

The new design includes a glass pavilion at the front of the space, which better defines the streetwall and creates a dynamic contemporary hybrid building supporting four season activities. The facades of the buildings, which face the park (not Main Street), have been redesigned with new glazing, entry ways and signage more typical of street frontage buildings. Behind the glass pavilion is a grove of trees with conversation seating that is a flexible space.

RECOGNITION FOR MRLD PROJECTS

admin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:26:18 +0000

The Rockland Downtown Revitalization Master Plan has been awarded the 2010 Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association’s “Plan of the Year”. The Master Plan has leveraged over $800,000.00 in grants for downtown improvements. MRLD is currently completing the Rockland Tillson District Master Plan and designing the Rockland Harbor Trail Park.The Town of Standish was awarded the 2010 Greater Portland Council of Government’s ”reCOGnition” award for “Sustainable and Innovative Community Planning”. MRLD has been working with Standish for over three years in the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan by first creating a Master Plan for Standish Corner and then developing the enabling Form-Based Codes. MRLD most recently worked with Standish on a series of grants for extensive public realm improvements.Congratulations to Rockland and Standish and the many dedicated citizens and fellow professionals involved with these outstanding projects.

FORM-BASED CODES - WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:58:55 +0000

Pompeii - 4th Century BC. The ideal 1:2 building height to street width ratio. 0′ Build-to-Line, sidewalk, curb and on-street parking

MRLD was retained by the Town of Kennebunk to demonstrate how Form-Based Codes can be used as a tool to revitalize the Lower Village on Main Street and establish appropriate development patterns in the more rural West Kennebunk. The office developed different scenarios for these areas showing how Form-Based Codes can be a strategic method for creating appropriate and predictable forms, infrastructure efficiencies and distinct development patterns.

Form-Based Codes are a more precise way of creating livable communities and neighborhoods because the “use” of the land is secondary to the quality of the overall built environment. The emphasis on use in traditional zoning has failed to produce places of distinction. Form-Based Codes are a return to the fundamentals of creating human-scaled, mixed-use environments, while allowing for innovations in architecture, transportation and green design.

Form-Based Codes also have the potential of replacing comprehensive plans and land use ordinances by simultaneously implementing standards and policies.There are now several new ways by which communities can establish sustainabile, vibrant and predictable development patterns and buildings including the USGBC LEED for Neighborhood Development program, SmartCode and variations of Form-Based Codes as noted at the Form-Based Codes Institute website.

Use visualizations to help communities develop a place specific Form-Based Code. Example of a gas station on Main Street redeveloped with a building in keeping with the context.

BELFAST DOWNTOWN-WATERFRONT MASTER PLAN

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:35:11 +0000

The City of Belfast has retained MRLD to prepare a master plan for the downtown and waterfront integrating economic development, green infrastructure, pedestrian and vehicular mobility, shore and harbor improvements, open space, streetscapes, light rail, branding / wayfinding and architectural / efficiency guidelines. The project team members include Smart Mobility, Urban Harbors Institute, Scott Simons Architects and Fore Solutions. Belfast is a unique Midcoast community with a great vibe and sense of place. Visit now! It is a regional hub for the arts, organic farming, businesses such as the Colburn’s, the oldest shoe store in the country (with great new inventory) and the restaurant / market / gallery, Chase’s Daily. The City is defined by it’s striking architecture, topography and panoramic views of Penobscot Bay. We are pleased to be taking part in one of the most dynamic urban design opportunities in Maine.

ROCKLAND HARBOR TRAIL AND PARK

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:07:52 +0000

MRLD is pleased to begin work on the design of a critical section of the Rockland Harbor Trail connecting Tillson Avenue with Lermond Cove. Improvements will include LED lighting, gardens, green vertical walls, sitting areas, a footbridge and scrims / slattings for the wastewater treatment facility buildings. The entire project is being carefully coordinated with the full redesign of the wastewater treatment facility - including the use of gray water - and the concept plan MRLD is preparing for the Thorndike Block on Main Street.

Terry Pinto, New Urbanist / Director of the Wastewater Treatment Facility