River Valley Club
Lebanon, New Hampshire
In the early 1990’s, Dartmouth College Real Estate Office assumed full responsibility for the development of the Centerra Resource Park, a mixed-use retail, commercial and light industrial complex near the Hanover – Lebanon line. In an effort to allay citizen’s concerns about the aesthetic erosion of the Route 120 corridor, the Real Estate Office incorporated a set of design covenants that placed a premium on responsible site design with an emphasis on the preservation of corridor’s rural character.
Saucier + Flynn, working closely with a private developer and UK Architects, led the master planning and site design process for the River Valley Fitness Center, one of the first projects developed within the park. The building’s large footprint and demand for 175 parking spaces necessitated an extensive clearing of the wooded lot. However, rather than clear-cutting the site, the design team preserved its character by organizing the site plan around an existing stonewall and row of ancient oak trees. The trees and wall were vestiges of a country lane that once ran diagonally across the site. By focusing the design effort on the preservation of this historic trace, the design team capitalized on the site’s unique character while also resolving pragmatic issues related to circulation and parking.
