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MASTER PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN

SAFEdesign ™
REALvisioning ™ LA-EDUC-MAIN-1

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EDUCATION PORTFOLIO

Schenectady High School

Courtyard Succession Garden

Schenectady High School

Multi-Purpose Field

Little Falls High School

Site Improvements

FEATURED PROJECTS:Schenectady High School Courtyard Succession GardenSchenectady High School Multi-Purpose FieldLittle Falls High School Site and Traffic Safety Improvements Benton Hall Academy Site and Traffic Safety ImprovementsCentral Park School Site ImprovementsVan Corlaer Elementary School Site Improvements Elmer Elementary School Site Improvements Schenectady High School Campus Master PlanADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE:Colonie High School Courtyard/MemorialDolgeville Central School School Site and Safety ImprovementsDuanesburg Elementary School Site and Safety ImprovementsMoriah Central School School Site and Safety ImprovementsYates Elementary School Site Improvements

Benton Hall Academy

Site Improvements

Central Park School

Site Improvements

Van Corlaer School

Site Improvements

LA-EDUC-MAIN-2

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EDUCATION PORTFOLIO

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Schenectady High School

Courtyard Succession Garden

Schenectady City School District

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Award Winner:

2010 American Society of Landscape Architects

New York Upstate Chapter “Merit Award - Built Design”

Designed as an on-going scientific experiment in local ecology, the Succession Garden is also an artistic interpretation of human’s relationship to nature as seen through the lens of science. A pattern of meandering and overlapping pathways carries the individual from the entry plaza, through the lobby and into the courtyard to mimic the divergent forces of man and nature that ultimately coalesce as a partnership as we strive to achieve an ecologically sustainable future.Modeled on the northern hardwood forest found throughout the Mohawk Valley, the Succession Garden is a “woodland laboratory” that is rooted in natural science. The selection of native plants is representative of the variety of species found in the natural succession stages 4-6 of a northern hardwood forest. The intent of the garden is unusual in that it is designed to be maintained at a minimal level - clearing away leaves only along the pathways, leaving them to decompose naturally on the forest floor to encourage and foster understory growth. The role of the courtyard will be to serve as a gathering and resting place, while also functioning as a working laboratory and beautiful backdrop for students, faculty and visitors to observe and study for years to come.

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LA-EDUC-MULTI-PURPOSE-FIELD

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Schenectady High School

Mutli-Purpose Field

Schenectady City School District

Synthesis designed a state of the art multi-purpose athletic field as part of the 2009 Capital Project for Schenectady High School. As typical with many urban campuses, Schenectady High School has limited athletic fields. Previously, the campus had two practice fields and one ‘game’ field. To maintain the ‘game’ field in playable condition, the school only utilized the field for varsity games, which put tremendous pressure on the practice fields. Typically, multiple sports share the practice fields creating an overcrowded and unsafe environment for the student athletes.The durability and all weather nature of the multi-purpose synthetic field relieves the pressure on the practice fields by enabling all day year round usage. The field can be utilized throughout the day for gym classes and into the night for practice or team competition. In addition, the district will be able to generate revenue from the field by renting the facility to surrounding community based athletic clubs.The new facility also includes a resurfaced track and new infield track event zones. Synthesis designed the track improvements to reduce former cross slopes that exceeded regulation limits, thereby making the track safer and better suited for runners. New fencing will also enhance the security and aesthetics of the field. The project also includes new construction of bathroom facilities with adjoining maintenance and field storage bays.

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LA-EDUC-LFHS

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Little Falls High School

Site Improvements

Little Falls, New York

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Site and safety improvements for Little Falls High School / Middle School included the addition of bus loops, parent drop-off zones, speed tables (clearly designated raised crosswalks), reconfigured parking, enhanced entry plazas for both schools and wayfinding signage to direct parents and visitors. School board members, school officials and parents have commented that these new improvements have greatly improved the safety, clarity and efficiency of the campus.

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LA-EDUC-BENTON HALL

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Benton Hall Academy

Site Improvements

Little Falls, New York

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Benton Hall Academy is an historic, monumental elementary school located in the heart of Little Falls, New York. The site, situated on a steep hill, posed a number of challenges. Our design focused on creating a series of plazas near the main building entrances that would create gathering spaces for students, teachers and parents; mitigate cross-slopes and drainage issues at major thoroughfares; foster a stronger connection between the school and the adjacent playground and park; and aesthetically enhance the building in a manner befitting the historic character of the building.

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LA-EDUC-CENTRAL-PARK

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Central Park School

Site Improvements

Schenectady City School District

This project involved the conversion of the Central Park Middle School to a K-8 school. The addition of elementary students made pedestrian and traffic safety a top priority for this urban neighborhood school. Through creative design Synthesis was able to modify the existing main entry stairs to allow for the creation of a dedicated bus loop. By separating the buses from the cars, pedestrian safety was greatly enhanced and congestion of the neighborhood street was greatly reduced. Through coordination with the City and local utility agencies, Synthesis was able to relocate existing utility poles to create a new dedicated parent drop-off zone, which provided safe pedestrian routes to the main entry of the building. Synthesis reconfigured the existing parking areas to increase parking capacity and provide safer vehicular circulation. The project also included improved access to the playfields and the transformation of a dark underutilized courtyard into a vibrant accessible playground.

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LA-EDUC-VAN-CORLAER

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Van Corlaer Elementary School

Site Improvements

Schenectady City School District

BEFORE

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As typical with most urban neighborhood schools, Van Corlaer Elementary had significant conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians that created an unsafe environment for students especially during pick-up and drop-off. This was largely due to the large paved areas without curbing or sidewalks and the lack of separation between cars and buses.Synthesis softened the harsh and ‘over-paved’ environment of the school by creating a welcoming main entrance, a well defined bus loop and a dedicated parent drop-off within the expanded parking area. These enhancements included pedestrian zones that safely link the students to the appropriate entries and surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to creatively solving the safety concerns on the site, Synthesis also enhanced the beauty of the campus with inviting landscaping and decorative lighting that transformed the school into the jewel of the neighborhood.

AFTER

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AFTER

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AFTER

LA-EDUC-ELMER

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Elmer Elementary School

Site Improvements

Schenectady City School District

Synthesis developed a creative solution to address the serious issues associated with cars, buses and handicap accessibility on and around the school property. The Schenectady City School District (SCSD) was so pleased with the aesthetic enhancements and creative solutions tha Synthesis addressed for the Elmer Avenue Elementary School that SCSD proclaimed this school as the standard for all other City Schools should be measured against.As with most urban neighborhood schools the greatest conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians occur during pick-up and drop-off. In this case, parents were parking along the curb line of busy Elmer Avenue causing significant traffic congestion and dangerous crossings. Synthesis reconfigured the existing teacher parking area to create an internal parent drop-off that would relieve congestion on the street while providing safe pedestrian connections from the surrounding neighborhood. Synthesis also aesthetically enhanced the campus and neighborhood with the design of a beautiful fence with brick columns around the reconfigured play area as well as enhancing the main entry, site accessibility and overall landscaping.

BEFORE

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LA-EDUC-SHS-MASTER-PLAN

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Schenectady High School Master Plan

Schenectady City School District

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Synthesis worked closely with the Schenectady City School District to design the Schenectady High School Campus Master Plan. The plan comprehensively addressed the safety, function and programming for future expansion and included measures to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles by reconfiguring the large parking area in the rear of the school to accommodate a bus loop, which would effectively separate buses from the cars in the parent drop-off at the main entrance. In an effort to enhance the school’s identity, Synthesis designed a new main entrance and entry plaza that clearly identifies the primary entrance while dramatically enhancing the architectural appeal of the school and neighborhood. In addition, Synthesis addressed the lack of athletic fields on campus by designing a multi-sport synthetic field that would allow every day usage throughout the year, effectively reducing the pressure and over-usage on the remaining turf fields.

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