Getting off track - only to find a new one

Today as I was gathering my sectional drawings of the dam entry - I was attempting to determine where the entry from Community Street (the street that runs parallel to the paper mill on the east side of the river) should be.

In order to determine this, I decided to explore old photographs of the site.


Red: Dam Building (existing)
Blue: Former Mill (relocated)
Green: Former Community Building

It occurred to me that the footprint of the former Community Building would be an ideal location for the offices/housing/dining part of the program - which would allow me to adaptively use the existing paper mill as the indoor climbing gym/NOLS classrooms.

Investigating this idea further - I attempted to extrapolate from old photographs and plans where the main buildings (footprints) once were on the site.


Red: Dam Building (existing)
Blue: Paper Mill (existing)
Green: Former Mill Footprints

Looking closer (zooming in) at the site - and looking at the relationship of the former Community Building to the existing mill.



If I use the old footprint, this would change the entry configuration for the east bank of the river - I would create the new main entry to be at this location.

A quick study of entry points...possible places to create entrance sequences.



Investigating the path with new footprint in mind:


Site


Should the path follow the river? Perhaps a dock within/along the path. Path leads to main entry building.


Should the path run perpendicular to the dam building?(or perpendicular to the paper mill or main entry building)


Should the path cross the river and then follow alongside the edge (top of east bank)?

Considering the three explorations - I further examined the last option: to cross the river and follow along the rivers edge.


If paths were created crossing the river from the dam, up to the east bank, then following alongside the rivers edge to the main building, the path could then cross to training facility (NOLS). Trees could frame the walkways as well as Community Street (where the people arriving via car would arrive)

I think that by making a connection of having the path cross OVER the river, then ALONG the rivers edge - there would be a strong connection to the river itself. It would be a main visual component between the buildings. In addition - if part of the program included a kayaking element - the pedestrians along the path could observe people in the water, interacting with the river.

The purpose of the trees along the path, would do the following:
-create a link to the historical aspect of the town (logging)
-help to bridge "old berlin" to "new berlin" (once the town chopped the trees down, now the trees will be grown on site: the new "identity" can be about GROWTH - growth of the new town, growth of the citys reputation, growth of trees on the site)
-trees can be used throughout the site as well as the town (perhaps trees planted on Main Street, Community Street will match the same species of trees surrounding the paths)

Views from the path:
Looking from the main building (river and dam building below on left)


Looking down from path to dam building