NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION
The Trailside Center is a new museum and nature center designed to
replace the existing Trailside Museum. The 30 year old facility
was no longer able to meet the needs of the visiting public, nor was it
the physical embodiment of the lessons being taught. The exhibits
were old and in poor repair and in some cases, dangerous to
operate.
The Master Plan for Trailside involved a multi-disciplinary group of
designers, scientists and educators who wanted to answer the question,
‘what should Trailside look like in the future?’ No
funding was immediately available, but it was important to come up with
an appropriate plan that answered the question and attach a price-tag
to it.
The Master Plan called for
a new 21,780 sf , two story, LEED, nature center building with
exhibits, offices, and auditorium space for demonstrations, lectures,
films and meetings. The 25 acre grounds were re-designed with
modern, immersive exhibits for species found on the Reservation; Otter,
Deer, Fisher, Red Fox, Skunk, Hawk, turkey, Snowy Owl, Barn Owl,
Turtles, Opossum, and Timber Rattlesnake.
Ursa was involved in the design process to offer a contemporary vision
for the facility, design criteria for the animal component and site
planning for the new exhibits.
The Master Plan was awarded a Planning Award from the Boston Society of
Landscape Architects in 2009. The project has been approved by
the joint venture and waiting funding from the Massachusetts
legislature and private sources. This can take some time.
Example of Concept Master Plan
Zoological diagrams for each exhibit
