Planning & Design Meetings Landscape Subcommittee Meeting #4 3/18/2010 - Minutes
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 1
GUNN HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
PROGRAMMING AND PREDESIGN: MEETING NO. 4
DATE: 18 March 2010, 3:30-5:00 pm
SUBJECT: Landscape Subcommittee Meeting
ATTENDEES: See attached sign-in sheet
The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. Todd Young (TY) introduced today’s meeting agenda to present the revised
architecture and landscape.
2. Erwin Lee (EL) presented the revised architecture plan including the new concept for
the Student Activities Center and Music Building adjacent to Spangenberg and the
relocation of the bike racks to the amphitheater in front of Spangenberg.
Comment:
There are fairly large community gatherings at Spangenberg so it makes sense to
create an active outdoor space which is easily accessible.
Comment:
A Spangenberg lobby visible from the arrival zone makes a lot of sense.
Comment:
Signage for visitors will be very important.
Response (TY):
Lighting will also help guide people to the theater. Erwin is showing a beacon in front
of the new building is designing the building with a tower to act as an icon to draw
people into the space.
Comment:
Visitors do have difficulty finding the theater. It’s confusing and has been for a long
time.
Comment:
The current building layout makes sense because it consolidates the music, theater,
and student activities.
Response (EL):
This configuration also moves the Student Activities Center up on the budget
schedule. The existing Media Arts Building can have an option to modernize it without
having to rebuild it.
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 2
Question:
Would the new design for the Media Arts Building utilize the same footprint as the
existing building?
Response (EL)
We don’t know what the new footprint will look like yet. Note that the in new
configuration, demolition of the RC Building would move up as well.
Question:
What are the functions of the Students Activities Center?
Response:
Student government, clubs, ticketing. It is a good building to have next to the quad.
Question:
Where is food sold?
Response:
In the new plan food service would swing out to front of the quad. It could have doors
which open up to create an indoor/outdoor space. The Admissions Building functions
would flip so that admin would face the arrival zone and counseling may move.
Comment:
I like the more natural, random look of the plan.
Comment:
This concept saves more oaks. The only oak I see going is one near Spangenberg
and it is not as big as the ones that were going to be removed in the previous plan. I
feel that this plan addresses that issue well.
Comment:
With this plan the theater could hold events at the same time student activities are
taking place.
Comment:
The opening between the new building and the Admin building looks a little pinched.
Is it open enough to provide adequate flow?
Response:
This is a very preliminary layout. We still need to test sizes required for student
activities. One thing we are looking at is providing a roof deck overlooking the quad
where ceiling heights are not needed inside the building.
3. Todd Young presented the revised landscape according to the new quad concept
including a more naturalistic style to relate better to the foothills and woodlands. It
also includes the preservation of more oaks than the previous concept.
Comment:
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 3
You should consider ADA access at multiple points to create shortest distances for
people.
Comment:
Have you studied the grades?
Response:
We have but only at a conceptual level.
Question:
Are the rafts going to be made of wood?
Response:
At the Master Plan level we are not selecting materials, however wood does seem to
be the preference.
Comment:
Wood is warmer and more comfortable.
Comment:
I like what you did with the shapes. Concrete with not enough greenery is too sterile.
This concept is warmer. The concrete is broken up by plant material.
Comment:
The quad area becomes very hot and glaring. You may want to add more tree
canopy.
Question:
Can the tree in the middle of the RC building be saved?
Response:
Probably not with the demolition of that building.
Comment:
When demolishing or building around existing tree root zones you must be very
cautious. With new trees you have much more flexibility.
Comment:
It’s nice to create intimate gathering spaces beneath tree canopies. The filtered light
creates a comfortable feeling.
Comment:
It would be nice to add trees to the south and west sides of the new building as well
as in the arrival plaza to maximize shade.
Response:
Along the north side of the building near the arrival zone it is probably not necessary.
But maybe it makes sense to replace the flowering trees in the quad with large
canopy shade trees since that will be the southwest side of the new building.
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 4
Comment:
It is important to incorporate tree elements close to the buildings because it takes a
long time for them to grow.
Comment:
Has it been determined if photovoltaics will be used?
Response
It has not yet been determined. They will be suggested for the parking lot in the
sustainability guidelines.
Comment:
Perhaps some trees could be added to the southwest corner of the Student Activities
building.
Comment:
It would be nice to include trees near the roofdeck. It would feel like a tree house.
Comment:
We want to make sure we keep an outdoor space activities such as dances the size
like existing brick patio, which is about 30’ x 30’. It looks like what the plan is showing
right now would work really well.
Comment:
The students would like an elevated platform for events.
Comment:
A tree or small grove of trees in that plaza area, not right next to the building, could
create a nice shade area.
Comment:
The south side of the new Student Activities and Music building is a long stretch.
Architecturally it will need relief.
Comment:
I like the low seat walls and serpentine shapes.
Question:
What type of boulders will be used?
Response:
A native stone. It sounds like brown tones are the preference.
Comment:
David Gates talked about granite being vandal resistant. But I don’t think that
vandalism is a huge problem at Gunn and don’t think the design wants to be driven by
vandalism. Brown tones of fieldstone or moss rock are preferred.
Comment:
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 5
Those stones feel mellower and they recall the natural feel of the oaks.
Response:
Perhaps the design could have natural stones toward the edges and more defensible
stones near higher use spaces.
Comment:
The current plan takes out two “A” trees (Oaks). What is the mitigation approach?
This plan saves more tree than the previous version but we would still be losing two
oaks.
Comment:
We could add two new oaks in the arrival zone.
Comment:
We need to have a mitigation approach. Perhaps we could add more trees along the
side of Spangenberg.
Comment:
You could add two in the arrival zone and at least a half dozen along Spangenberg.
Comment:
It is a good idea to keep a record of what’s coming down and what the mitigation
approach is going to be. A record similar to the previous tree evaluation graphics
would be helpful.
Response:
We are currently identifying tree mitigation efforts for the Classroom Building A project
and will continue to provide supporting graphics to document the process.
Question:
Will you be making benches out of the trees that come down?
Response:
We had an idea to use the trunks to create new plant and animal habitats, a type of
restoration process. This would not only create naturalized habitats, but it would also
reduce waste.
Comment:
That’s a great idea. Could you do the same with the oaks?
Comment:
It’s like reincarnation, the giving tree.
Question:
Could you also create such habitats at strawberry hill?
Response:
Sure, I don’t see why not.
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Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 6
Comment:
They should be placed thoughtfully, with the purpose of reuse on site.
Comment:
Our biggest mitigation priority should focus on the trees to remain. We need to
ensure that our existing trees are properly taken care of. For example, the Oak in the
existing amphitheater is not healthy due to irrigation right up to the trunk. What is the
plan to get the summer water off the oaks?
Question:
Is there a budget item which includes this?
Response:
We can include a sustainability cut sheet for how to take care of oaks but we don’t
have control over the budget priorities.
Comment:
Our existing trees which have taken decades to grow should be more important than
planting new trees.
Comment:
Our Oaks are our campus gems, like the historic buildings are the gems at Paly.
Comment:
Prevention is key. We don’t want to lose anymore oaks. It is a priority on this
campus, which we’ve shown with the buffers we created around the Oaks at the
athletic center.
Comment:
Up front prevention is essential, not to mention we don’t want branches falling on
students.
Comment:
We need to hold on to what we have now because trees take so long to grow. We
need to plan for a succession of oak trees.
Question:
Is there any kind of funding that goes with these buildings which we could tap for tree
care? Do we have enough landscape budget in the grant to address existing tree
care this summer? I am especially concerned with the two trees in the amphitheater.
It might be worth investing in an arborist to care for our trees.
Comment:
We need to make it a priority this summer including the trees with lawn around them
along Arastradero.
Comment:
Do we need to know what parameters are involved in building around trees and do we
need an arborist for that.
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 7
Comment:
Dave Doctors can give straightforward recommendations, specific to each tree.
Comment:
Bob Golton is the person to talk to in regards to maintenance budget. It’s better to
address mitigation priorities earlier rather than later.
Comment:
It also makes sense to act now because of the favorable construction atmosphere.
Comment:
Out school’s signature is the oak trees. We have built around them and preserved
them. Some of the same architectural team is still around today.
Comment:
There’s a public program where entities can receive rebates up to $2000 for removing
turf. If the district signs up ahead of time prior to construction it may be a possibility.
It involves adding drought tolerant plants and drip irrigation. The website gives more
details.
Comment:
The swamp area where the dog owners go may be a great location to replace turf
with drought tolerant riparian plants.
Comment:
Perhaps the riparian planting could be part of the tennis court project? While the
existing courts are being demolished the irrigation could be taken out and we could
get a rebate.
Comment:
We need to be cautious about regrading around the oaks.
Response:
The driplines will be respected and mulched.
4. TY recapped the upcoming direction including adding trees in the plaza and arrival
zone, reuse of tree trunks for naturalized habitats, and creation of a riparian zone
where water patterns exist.
Comment:
I love the river concept in the campus core. It brings the concept together.
Comment:
The plan has come together really quickly. The positive feedback given to staff
shows.
Community:
It feels like a community plan. The way everyone has listened has been great. It
feels like a grass roots effort rather than a dictated design.
PALO ALTO HS LANDSCAPE
Programming and Design
Palo Alto Unified School District
16 March 2010 | Page 8
Comment:
The best designs come about that way.
5. Aimee Lopez recapped the upcoming project direction including the following:
• We will be continuing forward with landscape details of the individual projects
including potential limit of work and mitigation needed.
• We will be holding one more meeting to discuss the entire master plan
including areas extended outside of the core shown today.
• The master plan will then be taken to the steering committee, which will
provide recommendations to the board.
Sign-In Sheet
Chuck McDonnell cmcdonnell@pausd.org
Aimee Lopez ailopez@pausd.org
Gina Chavez-Larudee gina@dgates.com
Todd Young tyoung@dgates.com
Alex Morrison amorrison@gilbaneco.com
Mary Gordon rgalfonso@earthlink.net
Ruth Gordon rgalfonso@earthlink.net
Anne Ingel aeingels@yahoo.com
Tom Jacovbowsky tjacovbows@pausd.org