PROPOSED PLANTING

This proposed plant list is intended for all newly planted areas and
is a simplified version of the NH SEMI-RICH RED OAK SUGAR
MAPLE FOREST ASSOCIATION. The only exception to this is the
Village Garden which includes a horticulturally rich small tree, shrub
and perennial palette of plants.
SEMI-RICH OAK / SUGAR MAPLE FOREST
TREES
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum
Red oak Quercus rubra
White pine
Pinus strobus
Black Birch Betula lenta
Hemlock Tsuga canadensis
Beech Fagus grandifolia
Ironwood Ostrya virginiana
Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana
SHRUBS
Maple-leaved viburnum
Viburnum acerifolium
Witch hazel
Hamamelis viginiana
Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius

SMALL TREE HOUSE OVERLOOK

GROUNDCOVERS
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Blunt-lobed hepatica
Anemone americana
Red baneberry
Actaea rubra
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
Violets Viola spp.
White avens Geum canadense
Patridgeberry Mitchella repens
Spinulose wood fern
Dryopteris carthusiana
Northern lady fern

Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum
Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
Wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis
Blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides
Wild ginger Asarum canadense
Maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum
Goldies fern Dryopteris goldiana
Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris

LARGE TREE HOUSE OVERLOOK

RAVINE PATH AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

DESIGN STATEMENT / APPROACH

Our vision goal for River Park is to fulfill the requirements of the competition brief in a dramatic way that creates a strong sense of place and instills a sense of mystery and a magical
quality to the experience of this beautiful landscape for the visitor, worker and resident alike. Topographically, River Park has steep escarpments defining flat terraces that are cut by a
ravine on the south end of the parcel. Walking above these 40 and 50 foot high escarpments, one gains a sense of almost being in the canopies of the trees that populate the slopes
above the narrow meadows below, recalling the perspective of a child in a tree house looking out and down at the world below. Our design goal is to engage these emotional responses
and amplify them by using a distinct family of structures such as bridges, suspended stairs and tree house outlooks to heighten ones experience of the site.
People understand the qualities of a place from the perspective of the path they take. There is a long and colorful history (FL Olmsted, Stanley Abbott, Gordon Cullen, Kevin Lynch, etc.),
of conceptualizing pedestrian paths as a linear narrative of place one viewing, resting, contemplation, education setting after another. River Park Parcel 6 lends itself to this method
of interpretation because it is a linear landscape marked with dramatic features the escarpment, ravine and the river. It is the purpose of our design to employ this serial viewing
experience in varied ways from theatric to secluded.
Along the series of paths, pedestrian structures are sited as a series of places (like charms attached to a bracelet), allowing one to experience the site in different settings in different
ways, alone with a book, lunch up in the trees, or together with a group of coworkers or friends gathering for a birthday celebration. The bracelet constitutes a network of pedestrian
paths creating a continuous river edge passage way while also creating a series of overlapping circuit pathways within the project area. All of this will be done in a manner that expresses
the most diverse and dramatic qualities of the landscape while transporting users to various destinations caf, boat launch, playground, play meadow, or simply passing through the
property to another destination.
The site structures proposed include bridges, suspended stairs, park loggia, picnic shelters, and tree house overlooks and have been studied schematically by our structural engineer
in a modern industrial esthetic incorporating wood posts, beams, crafted steel connections, handrails, and tension cables. This design approach is intended to create a common and
authentic identity within the River Park landscape that will be evident to users. These site elements are intended to be visually quiet in the landscape some discovered along the
paths situated within a stand of trees, but all of them closely coordinated in their material palette and structural approach. At the same time these site features are intended to be seen
in contrast to the verdant natural plant associations that comprise the site.
The open spaces, paths, site features, and park program are intended to engage all age groups, users, seasons, special events and be a memorable link or destination within the larger

regional circulation network.

SMALL TREE HOUSE OVERLOOK

RIVER PARK

richard burck associates + alistair mcintosh + david greenwold + tree specialists

Main Street
Clear Sight Line

Entry Sign

Clear Sight Line

Allee

Escarpment Path

Upper Play
Meadow

Suspended
Stairway

Village Green

Loggia

Small Tree
House Overlook

Village Garden

Pedestrian
Bridge

Large Tree
House Overlook

Elevator
Access

Crafts Avenue

Ravine Path

Connection to
Crafts Avenue

5
1

ALLEE

Play
Structure

Pedestrian
Bridge

Lower
Meadow Path
Elevator
Access

Lower Play
Meadow

Connecticut River

Tree House
Cafe

Picnic
Shelters

Boat Launch

6
Fishing Dock

Swimming
Area

RIVER PARK
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Village Green The Village Green is the key feature of the developed part of the project. It is designed having two parts: the Green,
an unprogrammed, oval-shaped lawn elevated slightly above the adjacent roadways. Four feet above the Green is the Garden
a smaller, more intimately scaled setting edged with ornamental plantings and featuring a small fountain. This elevated garden is
screened and more removed from the surrounding context. The Green would be designed with a high activity lawn capable of
supporting uses including farmers markets, informal sports activities, a winter skating rink and concerts. A loggia structure serves
as a gateway that both separates and connects these two landscapes becoming a key seating location for viewing into both open
spaces, a role similar to that of the Shadow House at Bishops Garden at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. The loggia
decking is at the Garden level and is therefore elevated above the Green. As such it provides a shaded overview of the Green and
its activities and can be used as a stage for more concert-type events.
Allee The allee is the key integrating element of the developed part of River Park. A generous width pedestrian / bicycle path
flanked by sugar maples and oaks, it assumes the role of connector and organizer, subordinating the vehicular roadway. The
allee begins at the entry sign and constitutes one of the key linear open spaces of the project.

Entry Sign The entry sign is the key identifier of the project while also being an important part of the pedestrian allee. In the
latter role, it becomes the threshold that signals the beginning of the project. In all, it combines a modern statement of place,
internally illuminated, sitting partially in a small pond with a misting cloud at its base. A bridge crossing the pond makes this a
pedestrian experience as well as a vehicular one and initiates the design vocabulary of the rest of the development.
Escarpment Path The high path of the river setting, this path offers the most dramatic experiences within River Park. Overlooking
the steep escarpment, grassy meadow below and Connecticut River beyond, it connects to steeply descending stairs, crosses
bridges and affords suspended walks out to tree house overlooks within the canopies of the forested slope.
Ravine Path The low path of the parcel, this path connects the Village Green to the Connecticut River in a dramatic way,
wandering down within the steep walled ravine among ferns, carpinus, witch hazel and rising tree trunks in a quiet and deeply
shaded corridor.

Lower Meadow and Path The ultimate destination of River, meadow and corridor. As part of the larger network of paths,
the grasses in the lower meadow are maintained at a taller height towards the north as animal habitat and shorter towards
the south to accommodate play.
Built Structures The proposed park structures are intended to amplify ones experience of the park the Green, paths,
escarpment, ravine, and lower meadow. This family of related structures, both in materials and engineering, along with a
consistent planting approach, help create a sense of place forming a strong and consistent identity for River Park.
Planting Three distinct kinds of planting are proposed for River Park. The first is the Village Green garden, a richly
planted intimate garden space. The second is the allee, a corridor of closely spaced sugar maples and oaks. The last is
the existing Semi-rich Oak - Sugar Maple Forest Association and the same rich plant association used for all other newly
planted areas including the Village Green, street edges and interstitial spaces between buildings.

richard burck associates + alistair mcintosh + david greenwold + tree specialists

PHASING STRATEGY
Phasing of site construction should be scheduled in direct
relationship to building projects to consolidate project
management efforts and as a strategy of dividing the site work
in discreet parts and tying the construction cost of those parts
directly to larger building projects. Such a phased approach
may look like this:
Phase I

Entry Sign

Village Green

Allee Phase I
Phase II

Ravine Walk

Boat Launch

Allee Phase II
Phase III

Escarpment Walk

Escarpment Bridges (3) and Staircases (2)

Allee Phase III
Phase IV

All Tree Houses (3)

Allee Phase IV
Phase V

River Walk

Play Structure

Picnic Shelters (3)

VILLAGE GARDEN AND LOGGIA

PICNIC SHELTER

Phase VI

Cafe

VILLAGE GREEN

RIVER PARK
PROGRAMMING
ALLEE
Sugaring maples
SIGN
Large, double sided internally lit blade sign
Frog pond with bridge crossing and spray
mist jets at base of sign

PLAY STRUCTURE

BRIDGE SECTION

VILLAGE GREEN PROGRAM

Loggia caf chairs and tables for lunch,
lap tops, chess
Loggia as stage for movies and concerts
(power points provided)
Wayfinding map for park and regional trail
system
Bicycle station (drinking fountain)
Croquet, ping pong
Farmers market, flea market, food trucks
Fire ring
Seasonal skating rink

PARK PROGRAM
Childrens play structure (zip line)
Tot lot (next to childrens play structure)
Boat launch canoes, kayaks, sculls, sailing
Fishing dock and fish cleaning station
Swimming at rock outcrop
Play fields
Picnic area, structures, bbq grills
Regional pedestrian / bicycle path and River
Park walking loop paths
Interpretive trail plant ID and bird watching
Cross country ski trail
Pollinator field
Composting area

VILLAGE GARDEN
PROGRAM
Loggia - rocking chairs and side
tables
Garden enclosure / planting
beds
Fountain
PARK STREET
Fitness course 7 stations at
sidewalk along side of street
opposite allee

RIVER PARK

richard burck associates + alistair mcintosh + david greenwold + tree specialists