Niles Bolton Associates’ Post

The Boston Planning and Development Agency’s board has approved Boston University’s real estate plan for its Charles River campus through 2026. Key renovations will improve Warren Towers, the university's main dormitory, with upgrades to bathrooms, HVAC systems, and the building’s exterior. Additionally, the board greenlit a lab complex on Wentworth Institute of Technology property, two office-to-housing conversions, and a 236-unit apartment building in South Boston. This approval is part of BU’s institutional master plan, which typically spans ten years; however, the university opted for a shorter version to allow incoming President Mellisa Gilliam to shape her vision. The Planning Department, established by Mayor Wu in 2024, aims to prioritize development that addresses Boston’s needs for resilience, affordability, and equity while ensuring transparent community engagement and effective use of public real estate. Read more: https://ow.ly/2NNi50Ttaz7 #bostonuniversity #universitymasterplan #bostoncre #studenthousingdevelopment #offcampushousing #oncampushousing

Big News! 🎉⁠ ⁠ We’ve won Capital & Centric’s competition for St Georges Wolverhampton!⁠ ⁠ Working with our friends Mikhail Riches we’re excited to be co-masterplanning the repair of this historic city district. We’ll also be looking after the design of a glorious new city park, a network of new public spaces and the remaking of several historic streets. While we’re doing that Mikhail Riches will be busy adapting the former Sainsburys building into high performance new homes while other parts of the site will host family housing at a variety of scales. The eponymous church will be re-proposed into community and work spaces surrounded by independent businesses at the heart of the scheme. ⁠ ⁠ Active travel focussed, super green (and blue) infrastructure, extremely high performance, low embodied energy buildings, places to work and play…..you want to see regenerative urban planning at a scale up from our work on The Phoenix, this is it. Watch this space (and our channels)! Roll on pre-app!⁠ ⁠ Capital & Centric (C&C) are a Social Impact developer who retain and operate their sites for the long term. In 2017 C&C co-founded the @regenbrainery, a mentoring programme designed to inspire young people from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds, so the places we create are better, richer and more reflective of the society we live in. ⁠ ⁠ Find out more, link in bio.⁠ ⁠ Capital&Centric RIBA Architects’ Journal ⁠ #periscope_uk⁠ #urbandesign #urbanenvironment #builtenvironment #urbanplanning #placemaking #urbanism #housing #architecture #density #scale #landscapearchitecture #citiesforpeople⁠ #urbanspaces #greenspaces #greeninfrastructure #blueinfrastructure #ecology #biodiversity #water #flood #suds #infrastructure #culturallandscape #citynature #natureinthecity #landscape ⁠#wolverhampton⁠

The Secretary of State has approved plans for the next phase of a mixed-use regeneration scheme at Cambridge North, on the derelict former railway sidings land next to Cambridge North Railway Station and Guided Busway Interchange. The development is being brought forward by the Chesterton Partnership, a venture comprising Network Rail Property, DB Cargo (UK) Limited, and development partner Brookgate. Since 2020, ACME has been developing the masterplan on this complex public brownfield site surrounded by a varied tapestry of development. It is a truly mixed-use residential-led development with life sciences at the heart of its identity. The scheme will deliver 425 mixed-tenure new homes and 5,000 sqm of flexible ground floor space for cafes, shops, bars, and community spaces. New public realm and green spaces will enliven an accessible new urban neighbourhood as a gateway from Cambridge North Station to the wider North East Cambridge area. The scheme will also deliver 53,700 sqm of commercial space, including provision for new laboratories and offices. The integration of landscaping will preserve the existing identity of the site in the Cam River Valley and its identity as a new urban quarter belonging to Cambridge. The scheme provides extensive green spaces and material improvements to biodiversity. It also responds to the climate change challenge with energy—and water-efficient buildings and by encouraging the shift to more sustainable means of transport. New, accessible public spaces, such as Chesterton Gardens at the heart of the residential quarter and a new civic space, Chesterton Square, will provide social spaces for all. A ‘wild park’ of planting, with a pond habitat, will be a green, biodiverse space for visitors as well as those who live and work at Cambridge North to enjoy. The proposals will see a significant net gain in biodiversity of over 80% and will involve planting in excess of 340 new trees and providing landscape areas on building roofs. Make Architects is designing One Cambridge Square and the lab buildings at 1-3 Station Row, while ACME is designing One Chesterton Square, Two Milton Avenue, a Mobility hub, a lab building and the Residential Quarter. Click the link to find out more about the Cambridge North Masterplan: https://lnkd.in/eYSjibV9 #cambridge #cambridgenorth #masterplan #lifesciences #residential #mixeduse #regeneration #architecture

Gridiron Street Pattern ++ [master planning] Thomas Holme was an early city planner and surveyor who laid out the original plan for the city of Philadelphia in the late 17th century. His urban design and planning principles were influenced by the grid pattern common in European cities at the time, but he also incorporated unique features that were specific to Philadelphia. 1. Grid layout: Holme designed Philadelphia on a grid system, with streets running perpendicular to each other at right angles. This layout made it easy to navigate the city and facilitated the expansion of the city as it grew. 2. Green spaces: Holme included several large squares in the city plan, which were intended to serve as public gathering spaces and provide green areas for residents to enjoy. These squares, such as Rittenhouse Square and Washington Square, still exist in Philadelphia today. 3. Waterfront access: Holme's plan included easy access to the Delaware River waterfront, with several streets leading directly to the river and a specific area set aside for a wharf. 4. Central location: Holme situated the city's central business district near the waterfront and the main government buildings, creating a focal point for commerce and administration. 5. Public buildings: Holme's plan included designated areas for public buildings, such as churches, schools, and government offices, to be located in prominent locations around the city.

With all the talk about #CityOfYes coming down the line, today I want to take a look at a zoning throwback... Height Factor The first iteration of the modern NYC Zoning Resolution did not look much like what we have today (even before #CityOfYes). In fact, it did not have any version of 'infill housing', otherwise known as Quality Housing, which came around in the 1980's. Development of all residential buildings depended on the Height Factor formula, which balances the total square footage of a building with the amount of open space provided on a lot, and results in taller buildings with lots of open space around them. In addition to the tricky calculations required, Height Factor buildings provide much less FAR on almost every property in the City. However, we do occasionally run into lots that actually get MORE FAR by using Height Factor. Usually, this involves large lots which run very deep or through the entire block, where Quality Housing height and setback limits make it very difficult to squeeze in all of the floor area. In these cases, we have found that by using Height Factor you can 'break free' from the envelope, and max out your floor area. Additionally, because the required 'open space' can go on top of a commercial or community facility building, Height Factor also opens up the possibilities for mixed use development, to maximize your development rights. We love working with challenging sites because it brings out the best in us, and we always have chances to learn new things about the zoning and development in NYC. Reach out if you have a site that you have not yet been able to crack and give us a shot 👌 #zoninghacks Meltzer/Mandl Architects., P.C.

Member Tone Wheeler, President of the Australian Architecture Association, writes about the challenges Environa Studio experienced delivering two recent infill housing projects for clients in busy Inner West locations and why developing housing on Parramatta Road may be more complicated than the PM expects - “At first, it seems an ideal place for more residents. It’s in the city’s “missing middle” where TOD, or Transport-Oriented Developments, can take advantage of existing public transport, infrastructure and services. Inner West Council has made the eastern part more attractive to smaller developers by zoning it as “shop-top housing”. But new housing developments are thwarted at every turn as the combination of design challenges, council demands and builders’ restrictions create almost insurmountable obstacles. Two recent projects I designed and managed show how devilishly hard building infill housing can be. Both are less than a kilometre from where Albo grew up, but are a million miles from the halcyon days when good social housing – the kind he called home – was well supported and easy to achieve.” What do you think? What could make developments like these possible and keep project costs and lengthy delays down? Comment below👇 Read Tone’s opinion piece (paywall): https://lnkd.in/grXqiQ4k And read the original story: https://lnkd.in/gJjzHbE9 #planning #infill #socialhousing #affordablehousing #boardinghouse #parramattaroad tone wheeler

We've posted another blog covering the SSMUH initiative and cities' responses to it! Read our blog to learn more.

Society requires a specific level of density. AIA Cincinnati recently featured KZF Design in a discussion focused on understanding the ideal urban density, and strategies for achieving balance. #cities #planning #density #urbanplanning #architecture

Ackroyd Lowrie’s proposal on behalf of Major Housing Association for a development of 91 affordable homes, plus a new community space was unanimously approved by Barking and Dagenham Council’s planning committee earlier this week.     A 2,400m² brownfield site on Church Elm Lane will be redeveloped with 91 one-, two- and three-bed apartments, car parking, children’s play area, roof terraces and ground floor community and commercial spaces.     Ackroyd Lowrie's director, Oliver Lowrie comments: “The building uses a palette of varied brick colours and textures, that reflect the existing character of the area as well as the emerging design language of the rapidly transforming Borough.”    Major Housing Association’s director, Sandeep Singh comments: “The existing site contains vacant buildings in a poor state of disrepair and does not positively contribute to the neighbourhood.     “An existing planning consent for a development of 75 homes was secured in 2020, but after re-evaluation, our newly approved scheme will increase that number by more than 20%, including the much-needed, three-bedroom provision, whilst also ensuring all housing is delivered as affordable units for the local community.    “The redevelopment will provide safe spaces for children to play, employment opportunities and a new community space, all within a highly sustainable and accessible location.     “With affordable housing needed now more than ever, the unanimous approval of this development will be very welcome news for those wanting to live and work in Dagenham,” concludes Sandeep.     Andrew Bonner Hybrid Planning & Development     #planninggranted #planningapproval #urbandevelopment #urbanregeneration #towncentre #architecture #design #affordablehousing #newhomes #ukhousing #brownfielddevelopment #regeneration  

Why do people buy a grapefruit from Borough Market rather than their local store? How do we craft joyful, authentic architecture that creates experiences and serves people, place and community?   In this episode of Building Insights, Trevor Morriss talks to James Parker about our approach to masterplanning large complex schemes and designing experiential spaces that inspire. He reflects on his involvement in transforming London districts, a city he describes as "the DNA of who I am as a person."   Trevor shares his insights on: - Community engagement: Lessons from the exemplary community consultation process at OlympiaUK and a recent planning meeting that brought into question the way the housing crisis is being tackled - Heritage: Adopting a conservation, rather than preservation, approach to give historic buildings a modern lease of life   - Improvement vs. gentrification: Understanding the nuances between enhancing an area and gentrifying it - Joyful yet measured design: The thoughtful integration of elements needed to ensure our building stock is not all ‘vanilla’, but also features ‘raspberry ripple’ moments   Don’t miss this insightful conversation on the transformative power of architecture with the right approach and community involvement!   Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eyqZ-EmK #SPPARC #spparchitecture