| Thursday,
June 10 & Sunday, June 13 |
On Thursday, June 10 and Sunday, June 13, Portola
Valley residents gathered to learn more about the process of
designing a new Town Center. On Sunday, participants were asked
to break into groups and create a site design of their own.
Take a look at what your creative neighbors have in mind for
the new Portola Valley Town Center.
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1. Project Introduction
Participants were introduced to the
project, learned about site conditions, and saw design
ideas at Thursday’s
session. |
2. Sustainable Design
At Sunday’s first session, participants
learn about sustainable design that will be used at the new
Town Center. |
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3. Site Planning
Participants learned about site planning and were shown sample
site plans to help get them thinking about what they wanted
on their site plans.
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4. Sample Site Plans
Participants study sample designs created by the Design Team
before sitting down in groups to create their own designs. |
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5. Site Model
Participants study a model of the Town Center site, complete
with grading, building locations, and tree locations.
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6. Team Work
Participants were divided up into random groups to design a
site plan. This activity took a lot of team work and compromise. |
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7. Design Materials
Groups were given scaled cut outs of fields, buildings, tennis
courts, the creek, and more to place (or chose not to place)
on the site.
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8. Team Work |
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9. Team Work
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10. Team Work |
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11. Design Presentation
A member from each group presented their site plan emphasizing
the important design characteristics the group focused on.
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12. Discussion
Participants discussed each site plan at was presented, and
got a close up look at the end of the meeting. |
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Puzzle Piece Legend
A legend of the puzzle pieces to help you identify the elements
of the designs below. Also note that baseball and soccer
fields are included in all designs and should be easily recognizable.
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Design Created by Table #1 |
Table #1 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Leave our fields alone!
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Minimal Disruption
•Cluster buildings in the NW corner of the site.
•Maintain existing fields and trees
•Create further open space, creek section, and natural amphitheatre
• Possible 2nd floor on Town Hall and Library
Estimated Cost: $12.7 million
3 Words to Describe the Architectural Style:
• Understated
• Green
• Nestled spaces
What would be built in Phase 1?: Town
Hall, Library, Classrooms, and Maintenance
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Design Created by Table #2 |
Table #2 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Fields As Is – Relocated Buildings
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Minimize costs by leaving fields as is
• Preserve as many trees as possible
• Move tennis courts
• Flexible MUR and classroom space
• Perimeter access and parking (to be sorted out by architects)
Estimated Cost: $10.8 million
3 Words to Describe the Architectural Style:
• Old barn style MUR
• Low key
• Rural/subservient to the landscape
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Design Created by Table #3 |
Table #3 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Table 3
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Preserve trees and views
• Preserve/create character
• Access
• Daylight part of the creek
• Utilities
Total Square Footage: 30,500 square feet (buildings only)
Estimated Cost: $14 million plus $228 for solar panels
3 Words to Describe the Architectural Style:
• Rustic
• Woody
• Open
What would be built in Phase 1?: Everything except the preschool
and baseball field.
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Design Created by Table #4 |
Table #4 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Western Hill Interactive Center
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Natural interaction of people and setting
• Maintain trees, views, and open space
• Open creek and naturalize the center of the site (across
and without corridors)
• Cluster buildings to maximize open space
• Keep parking around perimeter, hide from view
Total Square Footage: 31,425 Square feet
Estimated Cost: $14.4 million
3 Words to Describe the Architectural Style:
• Maximize Views
• Minimize footprint (less impermeable surfaces, more energy
saving)
• Encourage interaction (age/environment)
What would be built in Phase 1?: Town Hall, maintenance, and
the library
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Design Created by Table #5 |
Table #5 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Do it Right
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Access without filling the site with roads, especially in
the center
• Courtyard arrangement
• Best recreational facilities that would fit
• Preserve the best natural features; uncover part of the creek
Total Square Footage: 24,000
Estimated Cost: $14.5 million
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Design Created by Table #6 |
Table #6 Design Presentation
Name of Plan: The Gathering Place
Top 3-5 Design Priorities:
• Maximize open space
• Create community center (admin, classes, center)
• Accommodate playing fields (with North/South orientations)
• Protect the scenic corridor
Total Square Footage: 28,675 square feet
Estimated Cost: $14.1 million
3 Words to Describe the Architectural Style:
• Country (bare/agricultural) Contemporary
• Simple/Natural
What would be built in Phase 1?: The Town Hall, Maintenance
Facility, and library. But do all construction simultaneously
if possible in order to save costs.
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Alternate Design #1
An alternate design created by Robert Brown. |
Robert Brown’s
Design Presentation
Name of Plan: Common Sense Plan
Comments:
• Retrofit existing buildings instead of building new ones.
•Move the administration building to a site near the Historic
School House.
• Possibly build a new MUR at the site of the current administration
building (in a later phase).
• The nursery school could be moved to the current art classrooms.
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Alternate Design #2
An alternate design created by Karl Bizjak. |
Karl Bizjak’s Design Presentation |
