Waltham Watch

The Waltham Watch Factory was recently converted from an industrial building complex to a mixture of research and design, office, residential, and restaurant uses. This large site fronts the Charles River and generates substantial stormwater from its roofs, parking lots, and lawns. Richard Burck Associates collaborated with several consultants to developed innovative approaches to treat the site’s stormwater before it reached the river. Infiltration trenches, lined rain gardens, and porous pavement are carefully designed to structure the site design as integrated visual elements, interpreting the conveyance and mitigation of storm water in a public way. Within this approach, a series of courtyard spaces were designed to create social spaces while addressing the scale, texture, and materials of the surrounding industrial context.