Jeffrey speaks to Exeter Garden Club about Rain Gardens "A Natural and Aesthetic Approach to Stormwater Mmanagement"

Lakes Region Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan

With  the transportation planning firm of Resource Systems Group Ironwood design group engineered solutions for 12 problem pedestrian and bicycle intersections in the New Hampshire Lakes Region. Each of these conflict areas was given a top priority for resolution by the Lakes Region Planning Commission staff in their efforts to complete the regional bicycle plan.  Within the framework of a short time line from the end of Novbember to December 21, our team made site assessments, suggested countermeasures and produced a technical memorandum  with a set of reccomendations including graphic and written responses for each area. We enjoyed meeting with representatives and helping to deliver solutions for the towns of:  Wolfeboro, Tilton, Laconia/Gilford, Bridgewater/Hebron, Bristol, Franklin, Moultonborough, Holderness, Meredith, Center Harbor, Sanbornton and Freedom!

Ironwood's Expertise with Stormwater Has Received National Recognition!

We are very pleased to announce that The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has just selected four case studies for innovative work in stormwater management in New Hampshire and ...we have been the design firm behind every one!  Each project below has a link to ASLA's website which gives  salient facts and points of interest.

State Street Reconstruction, Portsmouth
100 Domain Drive Parking Lot Renovations, Exeter
Concord Cooperative Recycling Facility, Concord

West Peterborough TIF District Improvements, Peterborough

Ironwwod Gets Approval for Timberland's Expansion

Last Wednesday evening, Jeff presented  improvements to Stratham's Planning Board for Timberland's expanded parking lot at its headquarters in the NH Stratham/Exeter Industrial Park. The design promotes greater visibility for the parking and safer access to the daycare facilty  with new crosswalks to help eliminate traffic conflicts to the daycare center which is used by about 100 patrons daily . New landscaping will also make the entry attractive in rain or shine, winter or summer!  Construction is expected to begin this  August/September.
The above image shows our company's signature tree, Carpinus caroliniana (Ironwood) naturally occurring at the site.

Exeter Criterium Peloton Passes by the Ironwood Design Group Office

Downtown Exeter was abuzz with activity as the 29th Annual Exeter Hospital Criterium Bike Race rode through town. The race consisted of multiple laps on a mile-long looping course that snaked through narrow streets with tight corners, creating an exciting event for spectators and riders alike. The race passed by the Ironwood design group office http://www.fewood.com/ on Front Street so we held an impromptu open studio and invited a few friends and colleagues over to watch the race. Below is a video of the Men's Pro-Am class riders racing past our office.

Workforce Housing Coalition Charette

Last Thursday and Friday I participated in a design charette sponsored by the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast http://www.seacoastwhc.org/home.htm.  The expedited design effort explored the feasibility of developing mixed use artist live/work affordable, market rate residential, and market rate office space on an undeveloped site on McDonough Street in Portsmouth. Taking part in the charette was rewarding and provided an opportunity to meet some new allied professionals, and reconnect with others. All in all it was a great experience, though by Friday afternoon I was exhausted.

Jeffrey Hyland, ASLA is the founding principal of Ironwood design group, a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm providing design services throughought New England http://www.fewood.com/

Bioretention Rain Garden Planting

Here is an updated video of the Rain Garden planting. To read more about the rain garden read the previous post from Elizabeth Dudley.

To learn more about Ironwood design group, the landscape architecture firm responsible for the design and project facilitation of the Founder's Park Bioretaention Rain Garden visit http://www.fewood.com/

Thanks to all who helped Ironwood design group make this model project become a reality.
Phyllis Duffy and the rest of the Exeter DPW Staff
Exeter Recreation Dept. Staff
Town Library Staff
Exeter Conservation Commission
Stratham Circle Nursery
Stonepost Nursery
Churchill's Garden Center
Seacoast Farms Compost Products
Students from Exeter High School
EXTV

Founder's Park Boiretention Rain Garden

Bright and early Monday morning Phyllis Duffy of Exeter's Department of Public Works assembled an energetic group of graduating seniors from Exeter High School to install a rain garden.  With the  design and direction of Ironwood, the garden is now in situ  to help capture significant flows of rainwater that pour down the hill of Chestnut Street into the  Exeter Library parking lot. The Founder's Park Rain Garden takes this stormwater collected from impervious surfaces of the built environment and returns it to the natural water cycle where it can be cleansed and added back to the groundwater. The Rain Garden collects the initial storm surge that flows down the street and used to travel unintercepted directly into The Exeter River. With its sandy soil mix, the Founder's Park Rain Garden will also catch and treat subsequent rain water flows by allowing the water to filter quickly.

This demonstration  rain garden is a collaborative project with the Town of Exeter, Seacoast Farms who supplied the compost,  and Stonepost Perennials, Stratham Circle Nursery and Churchill's Garden Center who donated many of the plants.  For more coverage of this rain garden please go the Town of Exeter's website. Hope you will check out the video, very instructive and courtesy of one of the students!

Belmont NH Village Revitilization Project

Recently Ironwood design group collaborated with CMA Engineers of Portsmouth http://www.cmaengineers.com/ in the preparation of a proposal for the Belmont New Hampshire Village Revitalization Project. A significant amount of work goes into preparing a high quality proposal, below are several illustrative graphics that were prepared by Ironwood design group for the proposal.

Hopefully the Town's selection committee will appreciate the amount of thought and time spent creating these graphic visualizations and will award the project to the CMA Engineers Inc., Ironwood design group Team.

Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Form-Based Code Presentation to the Exeter Historic District Commission

On May 19th Ironwood design group's principal Jeffrey Hyland met with the Town of Exeter's Historic District Commission to discuss the benefits of a Form-Based Code to preserve or re-establish a community's sense of place. Below is a link to a video stream of the presentation.

http://www.townhallstreams.com/locations/exeter-new-hampshire/event/historical-district-meeting?start=201105191855&end=201105192300&tz=EDT&status=past

Jeffrey Hyland, ASLA is the founding principal of Ironwood design group, a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm providing superlative design services for projects located throughout New England http://www.fewood.com/

Home Spring Garden on the Lamprey

Early spring flowers are in full force!  Tulips and Forget- me- nots abound in the perennial garden. In the woodland entry garden come Bleeding Heart with Woodland and Moss Phlox and emerging Fragrant Daphne.  Fruit trees such as apples and pears are looking for pollinators not dissuaded by many days of rain!

Construction Begins - Bioretention Rain Gardens

Work has begun on one of several new parking lots and associated bioretention rain gardens at Bauer Hockey's new corporate headquarters in Stratham. The new parking areas utilize bioretention rain gardens to capture, attenuate, and filter 85% of all stormwater that falls on the new pavement and roadways.

Ironwood design group, a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/ designed all of the bioretention rain gardens and campus landscape enhancements.

Manchester Planning Board hears about landscaping at the new Laconia Savings Bank

On Thursday evening Ironwood design group's Jeff Hyland presented an illustrative landscape plan to the Manchester Planning Board. The plan depicted improvemnts proposed as part of a new Laconia Savings Bank on Hooksett Road.

Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/  



Ironwood Design Team Presents to the Laconia Planning Board

On Tuesday evening, Ironwood principal landscape architect Jeff Hyland was joined by Design Team members; Eric Palson and Anthony Mento from SMP Architecture and Kevin Dandrade from TEC Engineering in a presentation to the Laconia Planning Board.




The Team has been working since September 2010 on laying the groundwork for sound new smart growth planning regulations for Downtown, Lakeport, and Weirs Beach as well as the commercial corridor that connects these villages, The new regulations will reinvigorate the community, balance economic vitality, environmental sustainability, historic preservation, and enhance place-making objectives.

http://www.city.laconia.nh.us/index.php/departments/planning-inside/architectural-rewrite

Pizza Regina

Ironwood design group was recently hired to provide landscape design services for Pizza Regina's new Allston, MA restaurant.

If you've never had a pizza from Pizza Regina or seen the transformation made to their historic building at 353 Cambridge St. (formerly the Sports Depot) it is well worth the trip.

Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

City of Keene Infrastructure Projects

Recently Ironwood design group was shortlisted and interviewed with prime consultant CMA Engineers of Portsmouth for several infrastructure projects in the historic college town of Keene, NH. A significant amouth of work goes into preparing for an interview, below are several illustrative graphics that were prepared by Ironwood design group for the interview.

Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Portsmouth State Street Project Complete - Project Economy News Story - WMUR Manchester

See the recent TV coverage of State Street on WMUR.

Portsmouth State Street Project Complete - Project Economy News Story - WMUR Manchester


Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

State Street Project in Print

As work wraps up we thougt it would be fun to highlight a few recent articles that highlight the State Street Reconstruction Project.

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101207/GJNEWS_01/712079879/-1/FosNEWS
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101203/NEWS/12030408/-1/NEWSMAP
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101118/GJNEWS_01/711189670
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20101110-NEWS-11100384

Ironwood design group was the landscape architecture firm responsible for streetscape design. The firm's principal, Jeffrey Hyland, ASLA was the project manager. http://www.fewood.com/

State Street Ribbon Cutting

Finishing touches are being made with the goal of wrapping up work in time for the project Ribbon Cutting scheduled for Friday at 3:00 pm. If you are in Portsmouth Friday afternoon join CMA Engineers, Ironwood design group, Gove Construction, the Mayor, City officials and staff, and citizens in celebrating the culmination of this monumental project. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Field Site Analysis in Hill, NH

Last week in cool (and unexpectedly rainy weather) Jeff and Elizabeth travelled to Hill, New Hampshire to take in the merits of the site for a new residential project. The clients have a lovely woodland setting of many acres for a private second home away from the business of suburban Massachusetts life. Ironwood has been asked to prepare a Master Plan to be implemented in stages. Photos show the man made skating/boating pond at the bottom of the property entrance, a beautiful seating area within the forest near the home and prospective design areas adjacent to the house. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/  

 

 

State Street Reconstruction, Portsmouth, NH

The masonry contractor is feverishly installing brick pavers. With the potential for winter weather at any time, everybody has kicked into high gear. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Invasive Species Talk at the Portsmouth Library

At the Portsmouth Library last night, Douglas Cygan, Invasive Species Coordinator with our New

Hampshire Dept of Agriculture spoke to the costly--to the tune of Trillions of dollars --international problem of invasive plants. We live in the heart of many invasives due to our area's early colonization and proximity to shipping. Mr. Cygan has devoted much of his life to the study of these plants and it showed! Now, in the late Fall, he explains, is a time to find where many of these plants lurk, since typically invasives-- highlighted by the illegals: Norway Maple, Burning Bush and Barberry-- retain their leaves later than their native counterparts. Find them now and eradicate them! If you need help with the specifics email Mr. Cygan at: dcygan@agr.state.nh.us.

Martin Luther King Memorial, Portland Maine

Ironwood design group was recently selected as a finalist in the design of the Martin Luther King Memorial on the Bayside Trail. Everyone at Ironwood design group is so excited to have the opportunity to further explore design concepts for this important memorial. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/  

A Fresh Approach to Zoning

Jeffrey Hyland, of Ironwood design group “Offers Laconia a fresh approach to zoning: focus on what you do want instead of what you don’t”, Laconia Daily Sun. Ironwood was selected by the City of Laconia to head up a team to develop a ”Form-based” Architectural ordinance for the City. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/  

Jaffrey Charette

On Friday and Saturday I volunteered with PlanNH conducting a public design charette for downtown Jaffrey. It was a fast paced and rewarding experience. I'll post more on this in the weeks to come.

Our Office

Our office is located in the heart of Exeter, New Hampshire in a beautiful, historic, mixed use building. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

State Street Portsmouth NH - An Example of Leadership in Green Urbanism

It is often what you don't see that is the most interesting, and this is the case on State Street in Portsmouth. Next time you are walking down one of the sidewalks and pass a new street tree, stop and think about what lies below the brick. One of the many "Green Ubanism" design details developed by the project's landscape architecture firm, Ironwood design group http://www.fewood.com/  was to integrate a new product Silva Cell  into each street tree planting pit to ensure a sustainable future for the street trees. State Street is only the second project in New England utilizing Silva Cell's (the first was Union Street in West Peterborough, NH, also an Ironwood design group project)

The Silva Cell is a modular subsurface integrated tree and stormwater system that holds unlimited amounts of soil while supporting traffic loads beneath paving and hardscapes.The Silva Cell meets H-20 loading standards and can be used in a wide variety of tree and stormwater management applications of any size. They make it possible for streetscapes, plazas and parking areas to support healthy, thriving trees without compromising above ground surface areas. The healthy soil housed within the Silva Cell serves two important functions: growing large trees and treating stormwater on site. The integration of green utilities like soil, trees and water into our urban areas substantially improves their design sustainability and helps alleviate some of our most pressing ecological challenges – including air and water quality, rising temperatures, flooding and erosion from daily rainfall events. Ironwood design group, a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm providing superlative design to projects throughout New England from a studio in Exeter, New Hampshire http://www.fewood.com/

A Drive Down Union Street

Take a look at the recently completed Union Street Improvements Project in Peterborough, NH from behind the wheel. Notice the numerous trafic calming elements; lane separation islands, roadway constrictions and bumpouts, tabled crosswalks, accent paving, on-street parking, and large street trees. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Green Green Grass of Home Plate

Is there anything as pleasant as new turf on a ball field? The wonderful way it feels under your feet, and the sweet smell of the grass mixed with fine loam. It is fantastic.
Anyway, that is what the parents and administrators working with the Town of Newmarket's Recreation Department have said. They have waited patiently for the turf to be laid at the Leo Landroche B Field.
But wait! Do not call the pitcher in from the bullpen to close this project yet. The turf's fibrous roots network will need a few weeks of regular watering and growth before the playing field can withstand the rigors of the Newmarket girls softball team.
So for now, please sit and enjoy the smell of the green green grass of home plate.

Leo Landroche B Field Improvements - Week Three

As week two of construction drew to a close ledge was found in the southern end of the site. Work continues on other parts of the site while a blasting contractor is brought in to remove the ledge. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Leo Landroche B Field Rendered Design Plan

The illustrative plan (left) depicts the design for B Field. Ironwood design group is a landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning firm based in Exeter, NH http://www.fewood.com/

Leo Landroche B Field Improvement Project - Week Two

As week two of construction begins rain slows progress. Existing loam has been stripped and stockpiled, the layout of improvements is scheduled for Thursday.

Leo Landroche B Field Improvements Project - Week One

Day one of construction begins with the stripping of existing loam.