Main Street Landing

The Main Street Landing Project

Main Street Landing Co. is committed to private development that welcomed a diverse public. During the Main Street Landing Project they engaged several design firms to collaborate with the clients on a master plan which would embody a variety of visions. Six months were devoted to site analysis and meeting with interested public and private groups to solicit their visions of the waterfront. The Site Analysis Document emphasized historical patterns, linkages between city and water's edge (including paths, gateways, edges and focal points) as well as the physical, historical and psychic context. Another six months was spent developing the Master Plan Document which defined a mixed use project reflecting historical patterns and the need for linkages identified in the analysis. The three design firms were each assigned a portion of the master plan and began work independently on their projects while continuing to work as a group in order to develop individual visions and approaches that still related to each other and the whole.

Site Plan

Below is the site plan that was initially developed for the Main Street Landing Project.

The overall siting is determined by a series of public paths moving across the site to create clear linkages between city and water's edge. Union Station sits like a rock in the stream of Main Street; the CornerStone Building is inflected to allow movement to flow around the building. The main entry aligns with the axis of Lake Street. The addition to Union Station acts as both a public viewing terrace and a grand staircase. The Wing Building defines the edge of the bike path and commuter rail on one side and a service alley on the other side. Various terraces, bridges and stairs further connect the three buildings with each other and allow a variety of linkages through the site. Parking is hidden from view under the CornerStone Building.

Multi-Modal Transportation Building

Union Station: A one-story addition to the west will transform Union Station into a Train Station which will use facilities for a commuter train and serve as a connection point to bus (with bike carriers), taxi, ferry and pedestrian links. Shower, storage, and bike rack facilities will allow bicyclers to take advantage of the bike path and connect with other modes of transport. The building will also continue its role as an incubator office space for artists and small businesses.

Wing Building: This two-story, 10,000 square foot, wood framed, metal sheathed structure contains artist studios, shops and cafes on the first floor. Spaces front directly on the bike path or service alley as well as an internal street. The second floor contains four affordable condominiums and one office. All have private entries and exterior decks overlooking the lake. The Wing Building's forms, colors and materials recall ships, trains and aquatic life forms.

CornerStone Building

This three-story, 32,000 square foot, steel framed building sits atop a two-story, 95 car, 40,000 square foot parking garage. Two stories contain retail, offices and a restaurant while the third consists of four luxury condominiums with exterior terraces. The massing, setbacks and material changes scale the building to its immediate neighbors. The brick sections are further broken down in plan and fenestration to relate to the historical buildings on Battery Street. The cedar shingled portions relate more in form to the ferry boats plying Lake Champlain. The overall effect of the building is as if a wooden ark were embedded in a traditional historical block; finally at rest or perhaps struggling to break free.

Green Construction

During this project, we strived to be as green as possible, using recycled and environmentally friendly materials wherever possible.  Please see a list of the building materials below:

Materials

• Recycled concrete, metal and wood created from demolition and during construction
• Saved structural steel to be reused within the project
• Ground up asphalt and reused it throughout the project
• Lumber from removal of old shed given to a person who used it to build his house in Charlotte
• Fly Ash was used in the concrete
• Recycled Rigid Insulation was used throughout the project
• Dense Pack Insulation was used in all exterior walls - it is made of recyclable materials and has a high insulation value
• Glidden 2000 paint is used which has no VOC's and is non-toxic
• Water based products are used - no petroleum based products
• Non-toxic milk paint was used in our common areas
• Materials of local origin have been used
• Recycled tire material was used for roof pavers
• Non-toxic cleaning supplies are used
• Sheetrock scraps were recycled

Construction Approaches and Considerations

In addition to the materials we used, we also strove to construct the building in such a way that it is energy efficient and environmentally friendly.  We did so by:

• Installing heat mirror windows in the Wing Building, which allows solar gain in the winter and reflects the sun in the summer
• Installing 4 PC Free Carpet - which means there is no Latex backing that would emit fumes
• Creating a central mechanical room for all the buildings which allows for the efficient and conservative use of fuel
• Using ducted air returns which keeps the air fresh and pure because we are ducting directly to the unit with return air instead of using the space above the ceiling
• Creating an energy efficient design of electric consumption
• Developing a storm water garden to treat the storm water runoff from all the buildings allowing for clean run off to enter the City's system before it gets to the Lake
• Planting over 80 trees on our two-acre parcel called Phase One and making abundant use of other plant life such as shrubs, ferns, and flowers.
• Contracting the State of Vermont to create a train station at Union Station to accommodate passenger rail into Vermont. We support public transportation.
• Creating a pedestrian friendly site that allows the public plazas, walkways, bridges, sidewalks, art gallery and exhibit space, performance space, and ATM and lobby.
• Installing an electric car charging station in our parking garage.

Continued Construction and Tenant Use of Buildings

In an effort to ensure that our green efforts were successful, we made sure that our environmental principles are distributed to all contractors, subcontractors, and tenants who continue to work on and use our buildings.  We require that our tenants use our on-site recycling for glass, paper, cardboard, plastic, and trash and that our restaurant tenants compost their food scraps which are taken to the Intervale and turned into compost.  The compost is then sold back to the public. Vegetables grown from the compost are sold at a minimal cost to the restaurant.  Finally, we rent to locals only, not nationals.