ARRIVAL GARDEN

Boylston, MA

Ryan Associates worked closely with the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill as part of a multi-year phased endeavor to expand visitor capacity, significantly improve accessibility, and reimagine the overall entry experience.

Fundamental to this effort was relocating the initial visitor interaction from a gatehouse at the edge of the property into the main building at the center of the campus. This move included a substantial lobby renovation and the construction of a lushly planted arrival garden.

The primary feature of this new garden is an accessible pathway that replaces multiple sets of stairs. The meandering design of this gently sloping connection navigates the considerable elevational difference between the parking lot and the hilltop lobby entrance. Based on the tenets of universal design, this pathway is intended to be used by all visitors and does not segregate the accessible route away from the primary circulation.

To better serve current and anticipated future guests, the capacity of the parking lot has been doubled. Overall improvements include enhanced pedestrian circulation, new lighting, and an extensive planting overhaul.

New rain gardens filter and clean the water while a detention basin and underground infiltration chambers reduce runoff into the nearby Wachusett reservoir.  

Photos by: Ryan Associates & New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill