Smith College
Photography by: Mark Lindhult
Smith College Boathouse Ramp
Northampton, Massachusetts
Animating the edge of Paradise Pond, the newly renovated (2020) Smith College Crew House was spotted reveling in its full splendor in Fall 2022. The original boat house, built in 1920 is a two-story structure with a dance studio on the upper floor and boat access on the pond level. Sitting almost 30’ below the rest of campus circulation, access was challenging. The project renovated the building’s interior and reshaped the arrival with a new stairway and 450 LF accessible boardwalk to navigate the adjacent steep hillside. The boardwalk and adjacent seating areas open up framed views of Paradise Pond and includes seating areas along its route for rest and reflection. The boardwalk continues beyond the boathouse to a pond dedicated seat edge, a favorite spot for sitting at sunset. The plant palette has matured in the two years since planting the native palette offering habitat, pollinator appeal, stabilizing the hillside, and softening the hard edges of the boardwalk.
Smith College Bechtel Environmental Classroom
Northampton, Massachusetts
Berkshire Design Group was proud to partner with Smith College on the design and construction of the Bechtel Environmental Classroom, located at the College’s MacLeish Field Station in Whatley, MA. The Bechtel Classroom was fifth project (and first on the East Coast) to achieve full certification as a Living Building, the most rigorous green building standard in the industry. Nestled on 250 acres of forest and meadow, the site provides environmental research, outdoor education, and recreation opportunities to the Smith community. The building, which was constructed from sustainable material that meet high standards of the Living Building Challenge, is sited such that visitors feel surrounded by nature both inside and outside within this unique extension of the Smith College Campus.