What went we out into this wilderness to find?

The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm capture the mystique of the forest. It is a habitat of “the unknown,” where individuals venture to discover truths and lessons they cannot derive from civilization.

Access to education is a challenge in the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston. The average commute to a public school is upwards of 45 minutes. Rather, the context is a patchwork of vacant lots, surrounded by neighboring houses, empty industrial fields, and a bustling interstate.

Using “the public school” as a driver, this project re-imagines the site as a methodology for re-purposing vacant sites in the city. It embraces the “unknown” character of the lots through robust urban forestry, blurring the lines between built urbanity and the wild nature of the wood.

Residential and commercial districts are situated across three acres along a pedestrian “Arbor Walk,” which cultivates circulation yet seen on the site. The expansive walkway weaves around dense forest commons, planted with trees to promote natural habitats and combat flooding. The walkway is designed with a series of urban follies: pieces of infrastructure that serve the local community as a combination of public and private investment.

At the center of the master plan  is a public school, a much needed program in Orient Heights. It is situated in its own dense forestry along with a series of tree house classrooms that serve as whimsical discoveries along the pathways.

Urban renewal begins with a return to the nature of the unknown. Imagine what might lie at the edge of the forest, hidden amongst the trees.