Berklee School of Music, Haviland Street Courtyard

The acquisition and renovation of a new classroom and faculty office building anchored an important new open space for the Berklee College community. The project is located on top of a parking deck that has been refinished as a landscaped forecourt to the building, serving as Berklee’s only true outdoor communal space. Seat walls, movable seating, and an informal stage are arranged for social gatherings and small impromptu performances. A small grove of amelanchier trees set within a field of stonedust provides a much-needed canopy and softening effect from the surrounding buildings. Edge plantings of bayberry and perennial beds provide texture and celebrate seasonal change. Particular attention has been paid to working within structural loading restrictions and maintaining a shallow planting medium profile.