Add as a preferred source on Google

Smith College, MNLA Partner for 20-Year Landscape Master Plan

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/29/22

Smith College in Northampton, Mass., recently partnered with landscape architecture firm MNLA to complete a 20-year landscape master plan for its 147-acre campus. The original campus of the private women’s liberal arts college measured 27 acres and was planned and founded as a botanical garden, according to a news release. The new plan is set to modernize the design to meet the current and future needs of the campus, students, faculty and staff.

The news release reports that the new plan “recalibrates the relationship between humans and their environment” and builds off of four foundational pillars of inclusive, adaptive, educational and connected landscapes. MNLA and Smith involved collaboration with Smith community members, including on-campus engagement sessions and interactive student projects, to get input at each stage of development.

The three districts of the Smith campus—River, Core and Town—will have its own aesthetic based on its own history, locality, cultural influences and ecology. “Mutually dependent landscape systems—circulation, land cover, hydrology and cultural systems—form a matrix within the campus, grounding the landscape and connecting it to its regional context,” said the press release. The new master plan will bring out the uniqueness of each district while still weaving together a cohesive campus feel.

Many of the plan’s individual projects have already been developed in detail, while small pilot projects are ready for implementation as a proof of concept and to test certain space transformations that could lead to longer-term initiatives.  Larger-scale projects will lay the seeds for the future of the campus and landscape.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • California K–12 District Opens New Athletic Complex, Gym

    The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) in San Mateo, Calif., recently announced the completion of two new athletics facilities: a new gymnasium at Burlingame High School, and a new athletic training complex at San Mateo High School, according to a news release.

Digital Edition