Beyond the Valley Blog
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Over the past few months our Core Team has been plugging away, focused on getting a site plan ready for final review by the Waitsfield Development Review Board. We are hoping to go back for the first meeting in February. In getting ready for that presentation, here's an overview of where we are at this point.
Yestermorrow Design/Build School Campus Master Plan
Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont teaches over 120 hands-on workshops, certificate programs and semester programs in sustainable design, construction, woodworking, and architectural craft. The intensive, hands-on courses are taught by top architects, builders, and craftspeople from across the country for people of all ages and experience levels, from novice to professional.
Yestermorrow currently employs 10 FTE staff and over 150 instructors. Short courses and certificate programs are currently taught at the main Waitsfield campus and the new Semester Programs started in 2011 are taught at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier.
Yestermorrow's Master Plan is designed to accommodate the school's growth over the next 25 years on its campus in Waitsfield, as the school expands its programs. The overarching goal of the process of campus development is to improve student experience, and demonstrate regenerative design principles that improve the site from the perspective of the natural systems, the students, staff and supporters, as well as the local community.
This plan is designed to accommodate up to 4 simultaneous courses and a maximum daily capacity of 100 people, with on-site lodging for up to 50 people.
Major themes: Some of the major themes of the plan include:
- Move the campus out of the floodplain and into the foot of the hillside, protecting wetlands and allowing for forest access for sustainable harvest.
- Slow the water as it travels through the campus, and make sure it is clean as it moves into the river.
- Create a gradient from public space to private space as you move from south to north, with the kitchen, dining and administrative spaces in the most public areas adjacent to parking, learning spaces in the middle of the campus, and lodging in the most private areas.
- Design buildings in residential-scale modules that will be designed and built by students using a variety of design and building techniques and technologies.
- Encourage the participation of the Yestermorrow community in the creation of the campus.
- Entrance to the site should point people to the main public building.
- Restore agricultural use of field adjacent to Route 100.
Construction Phasing: We have divided the plan into three main phases in terms of priority:
Phase I: Bring semester programs on campus (build classroom, shop and dormitory for 16 students), replace existing intern housing, and initial site infrastructure including access driveways.
Phase II: Expand classroom spaces through the construction of additional studio and woodshop buildings, together with lodging for students and faculty.
Phase III: Create new main administrative, kitchen, dining and studio space. Renovate former Alpen Inn building into studios, library and student lounge.
Design Process: Yestermorrow’s board and staff have spearheaded the master planning process, with support from the Regenesis design team (Bill Reed, JohnBoecker, and Joel Glanzberg) with input from many members of the Yestermorrow community.
The board constituted a "Core Team" in November 2011 to continue to develop the plan. The Core Team is made up of 6 members, each representing different stakeholders in the school (students, staff, donors, board, community and natural systems). This team has been meeting weekly to continue to research constraints on the site, convene additional "field teams" of experts and interested parties to help us develop various aspects of the plan (wastewater, energy, design, forestry/agriculture, and stormwater/wetlands).
Features of the Plan:
- Buildings will be oriented to maximize solar access, both for passive solar heating as well as photovoltaic electricity production on roofs.
- Culverts will be minimized, and stream flows returned to a naturalized state.
- Wastewater systems will include advanced pre-treatment and instead of building one large conventional septic system, we will build smaller cells to treat wastewater as each phase is developed.
- Heating systems will be distributed and use residential-scale technologies (vs. one large centralized unit).
- The parking areas will incorporate areas for growing (orchards, gardens) and potentially energy production via photovoltaic canopies.
- Access to the site's forest resources will allow for sustainable harvest, milling, and storage of lumber on site for campus use.
Through the campus development, a variety of minor structures will be deconstructed or moved as needed:
- Chalet (deconstruct)
- Pine Cabin (move to new location)
- Yurt (move to new location)
- Garden Shed (deconstruct)
- Lawnmower shed (deconstruct)
- Fabric formed concrete cabin (deconstruct)
- Composting Toilet and Solar Shower (deconstruct)
DR
Yestermorrow Campus Master Plan
Program by Phase with Square Footage
Phase 1
New Construction
|
#
|
Building
|
Square Footage
|
Capacity
|
|
5
|
Intern Housing
|
2000
|
8 interns
|
|
8, 4, 3
|
Semester Program Studio/ Semester Program Office (upper)
Tool Storage/Facilities Office (lower)
|
3000
|
16 students, 3 faculty
|
|
1
|
Semester Program Shop
|
1500
|
16 students
|
|
6
|
Semester Program Dormitory
|
4000
|
16 students
|
|
2
|
Outdoor Covered Work Area
|
1000
|
|
|
15
|
Bath House
|
600
|
For cabin/camping
|
|
24
|
Greenhouse
|
700
|
|
|
SUBTOTAL
|
12,120
|
Existing Infrastructure Plans
|
#
|
Building
|
|
25
|
Main Building- current functions to stay the same (studio, shop, office, kitchen, dormitory). Facilities office to move to new building.
|
|
33, 53, 32
|
3 cabins remain (Strawbale, Timberframe, Slate)
|
|
34, 52
|
2 cabins to be relocated (Pine Cabin and Yurt)
|
|
42
|
1 cabin (Fabric Formed Concrete) to be removed
|
|
45, 46, 47
|
Composting Toilet and Solar Shower to be removed
|
|
48
|
Chalet to be removed once new intern housing is built
|
|
43
|
Trilithon to be removed
|
|
49
|
Driveway and parking area to remain in current location
|
Site Infrastructure
|
#
|
Building
|
|
Develop drive/fire access to residential zone
|
|
|
30
|
Develop drive/fire access to semester shop and studio
|
|
Initial sitework/earthmoving to create terraces so that each structure has entry on both ground floor and 1st floor.
|
|
|
Remove culvert to daylight stream in cabin area
|
|
|
56
|
Wastewater systems (phase 1)
|
Phase 2
|
#
|
Building
|
Square Footage
|
Capacity
|
|
1
|
Woodworking Shop/ Woodworking Drafting Studio
|
2300
|
10 students
|
|
9
|
Carpentry Shop
|
1500
|
10-12 students
|
|
2
|
Outdoor Covered Work Areas
|
1000
|
Adjacent to/between shops
|
|
14
|
Student Housing
|
3000
|
24 students
|
|
13
|
Instructor Housing
|
2000
|
6 instructors
|
|
SUBTOTAL
|
9,800
|
||
|
24
|
Vehicle Storage (unconditioned)
|
800
|
4 vehicles, 10x20 each
|
|
8
|
Wood Storage (unconditioned)
|
800
|
|
|
23
|
Parking Area
|
9000
|
60 spaces @150 s.f. ea
|
Existing Infrastructure Plans
|
#
|
Building
|
|
25
|
Main Building- Existing Woodshop and Dormitory functions to move out into new space. Kitchen/Dining area expands on 1st floor into design studio, offices expand on 1st floor into conference room, conference room moves to South Studio space, classroom space developed on ground floor in former dormitory rooms, lounge area developed in former shop space.
|
|
23
|
Redevelop tennis court area as parking and redefine entry drive.
|
|
38
|
Remove storage shed (“carrot hut”) on edge of tennis courts.
|
Site Infrastructure
|
#
|
Building
|
|
56
|
Wastewater systems (phase 2)
|
Phase 3
|
Building
|
Square Footage
|
Capacity
|
|
|
New Entry Building including:
|
|||
|
17
|
Administrative Offices
|
1440
|
8 staff, 8 interns
|
|
19
|
Conference Room
|
250
|
16 people
|
|
20
|
Entry/Lobby
|
400
|
|
|
18
|
Dining Area
|
900
|
60 people
|
|
18
|
Kitchen & Kitchen Office
|
700
|
|
|
Storage
|
200
|
||
|
Toilets
|
500
|
||
|
Outdoor Dining Area
|
300
|
||
|
Bus Shelter *if bus exists*
|
100
|
||
|
SUBTOTAL
|
7,990
|
Existing Infrastructure Plans
|
#
|
Building
|
|
54
|
Remove garden shed and garden
|
|
25
|
Move office, kitchen/dining functions out of existing main building. Alpen Inn building renovated for design studios, library, student lounge
|
Site Infrastructure
|
#
|
Building
|
|
26
|
Build Mad River Path connection pedestrian trail
|
|
56
|
Wastewater systems (phase 3)
|
Yestermorrow Campus Master Plan
Landscaping, Screening and Lighting Guidelines
Exterior Lighting
Exterior spaces, parking lots and walkways and entrances shall be well lit to provide safe access for site users while avoiding off-site lighting and night sky pollution. All outdoor lighting (on the buildings or in the landscape) shall minimize light pollution using approved semi-cutoff or full cutoff fixture designs. Signage shall be designed with top-mounted fixtures shielded to shine light only on the sign itself.
Screening
Landscaping within the 225’ setback shall screen structures from the road to the extent required to maintain the integrity of the natural context of the scenic road, except in cases in which vegetation may inhibit solar gain, natural lighting within buildings, and solar power production.
Parking
A minimum of 60 parking spaces shall be provided. Design elements within the parking areas may include but are not limited to pervious paving, vegetated islands, and bioswales. Solar collectors shall also be incorporated to provide shade in the summer and reduce snow removal in the winter. All parking areas shall be accessible by well-lit paths.
Parking design shall allow for the maximum flexibility in size and number of vehicles, accommodating single cars, small and large buses, and large delivery vehicles. Allocation of parking spaces shall be at the discretion of the school and may vary seasonally. The entire parking area shall be maintained for fire truck access and snow removal throughout the year.