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Vehicle /
Equipment Storage & Stockroom (VESS) Facility
Cambridge, MA
DiMarinisi & Wolfe was commissioned by the
Cambridge Housing Authority to design a new 5,700 square foot
storage building for its vehicles, equipment, repair and
maintenance stock. The new building sits on a prominent corner in
Cambridge, adjacent to the Washington Elms Housing and across from
a commercial office complex. In addition to being very visible, the site
is relatively small, access to it is tight for truck and
semi-trailer deliveries, and the soil conditions are poor, necessitating
the use of a pile supported foundation.
The D&W design for VESS is to provide an
"L"-shaped brick masonry building set back at an
interior corner of the site. The location of the building allows the
site to be serviced through two curb cuts by large trucks,
while at the same time screening the nearby housing and its pedestrian
pathways from the facilities delivery yard, The brick masonry of
the building matches that of the adjacent housing and the
gabled roofing provides a proper transition in scale between the
single story storage building and the multi-story housing. Metal grilles
over the buildings clerestory windows serve double duty as
attractive decorative elements and as protection against vandalism.
At the street corner where truck passage is not needed, there is a
small landscapes seating area - a "pocket park" - to make
the facility an urban amenity in its neighborhood. |