KARINA MILCHMAN URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING WORK SAMPLES
CONTENTS
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GULESIAN WAREHOUSE
RE-ENERGIES: INDUSTRY & ST. LOUIS
Proposal for the redevelopment of a historic industrial building and adjacent structure in Cambridgeport, MA, into affordable housing, completed at MIT’s Center for Real Estate
Urban design studio coursework completed in association with a multinational gas and oil corporation produced a proposal for an energyproducing facility on the site of a former oil refinery in Sauget, IL
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CAMBRIDGEPORT SKETCHES
WINTER HILL NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN
Observation-based hand-drawings aimed at capturing existing physical conditions in Cambridgeport, MA, including open space and block, building, and street typologies
Practicum project comissioned by the City of Somerville and outlining a vision and key recommendations for the Winter Hill and Magoun Square community
KARINA MILCHMAN
2013
milchman@mit.edu | 201 230 2594
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MAPPING NYC’S MIDDLE CLASS
CHARLES RIVER COMMONS
Excerpted from graduate thesis titled “The Forgotten Class: Reconceptualizing contemporary middle-income housing in New York City,” submitted to MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in City Planning
Studio project transforming 380,000 square feet of underutilized commercial space in Cambridgeport, MA, into a mixed-use development including retail, housing, and public and outdoor space
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PLEASE NOTE
Proposal for the redevelopment of a historic industrial mill in Lowell, MA, into mixedincome and -use housing completed for the Architectural Heritage Foundation, Boston, and submitted to the Affordable Housing Development Competition 2012
While work samples included herein were produced independently, the thinking behind them reflect dialogue with peers. For that, I must acknowledge Bernard Harkless, Caroline Bird, Micah Davison, Jocelyn Drummond, Noah Koretz, Jared Press, Dan Rinzler, Ali Sheppherd, Rachael Tanner, Samira Thomas, Alexis Wheeler, and others who collaborated with me on group projects.
GULESIAN WAREHOUSE My team identified the historic Gulesian warehouse on Brookline Street in Cambridge, MA, for a lowand moderate-income housing development aimed at preserving socioeconomic diversity within the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Cambridgeport. Our proposal first establishes the context for developing
DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES + PLANNING, MIT
mid-rise affordable housing in this area, including neighborhood, demographic, and market information. Next, we provide a zoning analysis; a design scheme at the site, building, and unit scale; and financial information, including sources and uses and an operating pro forma.
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GULESIAN WAREHOUSE The development features 60 affordable units spread across two buildings on a site with a shared courtyard and permeable parking at grade. A portion of the parking lot is flexible and can be closed off for community events requiring greater space, such as block parties or outdoor movie screenings. The historic warehouse at 130 Brookline features a modern third-level addition, slightly recessed to preserve the original cornice. A rooftop deck provides additional outdoor space to
residents and views across the Charles River to Boston. At 55,020 square feet, 130 Brookline Street features 50 rental units, including studios and two- and threebedroom units, at 60% AMI. 17 Tudor Street is 15,600 square feet and includes 10 2-bedroom, for-sale units at 80% AMI and 6 at market rate. Both buildings are affordable in perpetuity, providing a long-term place in Cambridgport for low- and moderate-income families.
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DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES + PLANNING, MIT
CAMBRIDGE, MA
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1 130 Brookline 2 Roof deck 3 Courtyard 4
Permeable parking
5 Flexible parking 6 17 Tudor 7 Stair 8 Elevator
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RE-ENERGIES: INDUSTRY & ST. LOUIS
The 2012 Shrinking Cities studio centered on a former oil refinery and transfer station in Sauget, IL, that had been decommissioned in the early 1990s. Students were charged with envisioning possible futures for the site, with the added challenge of abstaining from residential programs for safety reasons. We began by conducting research on 20 aspects of the East St. Louis region, which could be categorized as social, geographical, and infrastrctural phenomena.
I studied the area’s history of racialized space. Findings—including a doubling of the African American population between 1970 and 2000—were presented graphically. Research such as this ultimately informed proposals for contemporary land uses and schemes that suit the site and benefit the broader area. Our work was assembled in a book, which I worked with a small team to design and produce.
Book cover photograph by Eagle Eye Aerial Photography, 2012
MULTINATIONAL OIL & GAS CORPORATION
SAUGET, IL
SPRING 2012
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segregation in the st. louis region As of 2010, there was little mixing of race in this area, above, in part due to a history of white-flight, bottom
RE-ENERGIES: INDUSTRY & ST. LOUIS My proposal for a composting plant was combined with my colleague’s schemes for a waste-to-energy facility and urban agriculture research facility. Each benefits from its proximity to the others, constituting a plan that is both site-specific and regional.
corporations. The scheme also offers the opportunity to learn about the composting process and gardening techniques through an observation and education area.
The waste-to-energy facility sources waste from landfills and illegal dumpsites, transforms it into power that The composting plant sources biowaste from the supports all on-site operations, and sells it at a discount greater St. Louis region and sells compost to the throughout the city. area’s agribusinesses. A portion is donated to a pilot community garden program established in vacant The research facility features a vertical farm and parcels and maintained by community development greenhouses, which utilize compost produced next door.
re-energizing a region The demonstration community garden, left, and R&D urban agriculture facility, bottom
MULTINATIONAL OIL & GAS CORPORATION
SAUGET, IL
SPRING 2012
11 CONTEXT
re-energizing a region Surrounding land use context, site programming, and circulation of materials and vehicular traffic
PROGRAM
Waste-to-energy facility Compost facility Urban agriculture r+d
FLOW OF MATERIALS
Steam Electricity Ash Waste Compost Water
VEHICULAR CIRCULATION
Public access Authorized access
MAPPING NYC’S MIDDLE CLASS CITY’S BROADEST MIDDLE CLASS RANGE
My Master in City Planning thesis, titled “The Forgotten Class: Reconceptualizing contemporary middle-income housing in New York City,” examines publicly subsidized affordable housing for the middle class in high-cost markets. Research focused on whether the City defined middle class in such a way that it targets a population genuinely in need of subsidized housing and whether its plan to reach this DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES + PLANNING, MIT
group serves the target demographic it claims to. One of my primary findings is that the existence, size, and needs of this population depends on the income parameters by which it is defined. This was supported by a series of maps demonstrating that when defined broadly, blocks that are home to a significant portion of the city’s middle class are both numerous and dispersed. NY, NY
SPRING 2013
13 NARROW MIDDLE CLASS RANGE AROUND MEDIAN INCOME
When defined narrowly as a range around the city’s actual many neighborhoods that are affordable at their income median income, however, blocks that are home to this levels. Meanwhile, true middle-class households face group are fewer and more geographically constrained. increasingly restricted housing options throughout the city. Ultimately, the thesis concludes that much of the new “middle-class affordable housing” will likely be home In response to these findings, the thesis proposes a to upper-middle-class households that have the means definitional narrowing of the middle-income range to to live in New York City, but is disinclined to locate in more effectively target housing subsidies.
CHARLES RIVER COMMONS
Charged with redeveloping 380,000 square feet of underutilized commercial space in Cambridge, MA, my team conceived of a dynamic mixed-use development. Bordering Magazine Beach along the Charles River, the site currently houses isolated commercial spaces and vast bands of parking. Our proposal for Charles River Commons retains existing retail anchors while adding new boutique outlets, a range of housing options, and new outdoor spaces. With infill development, the site would become a vibrant new community center and a vital force of connectivity in the neighborhood. The proposal aims to engage with both the waterfront to the west and the residential community to the east. It
DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES + PLANNING, MIT
uses streetscaping and pedestrian crosswalks to accomplish the former, and transitions from mid- to low-rise scales to achieve the latter. An effort was made to activate the space. Vast swaths of under-utilized impermeable parking are reduced and replaced with street parking and smaller permeable lots. A town square includes a water feature for wading during warm seasons and ice skating in the winter. Housing features common green space, roof decks, or private yards, offering an alternative to Magazine Beach across Memorial Drive.
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1 Parking garage, gym, rooftop tennis bubble 2 Relocated Microcenter & large retail 3 Existing Marriott Hotel 4
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Alley connecting with neighborhood fabric
5 Artist work/live lofts and commercial studios 6 Street-level retail 7 Renovated Memorial Drive path 8 Permeable parking for Trader Joe’s
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9 Single-family row houses 10 Town square 11 Water feature convertible into ice skating rink 12 Connectivity to existing Morse School 13 Relocated Trader Joe’s 14 Mixed use tower 15 Memorial Drive residential lofts 16 Entrance for residential lofts 17 Connectivity to Riverside Boat Club, pool
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CAMBRIDGEPORT SKETCHES
This study of the Cambridgeport neighborhood of Cambridge, MA, establishes street and building typologies and open space design. Rapid hand-drawn representations are based on direct observation during
DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES + PLANNING, MIT
hours spent walking the site area. Based on this, hypotheses regarding the area’s land uses, demographic composition, and larger role within the city were posited, which subsequent research supported.
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open space A relatively new neighborhood park is likely the result of development incentives for Harvard University
building types Buildings reveal the area’s industrial and residential uses
street types Traversed by several primary circulation routes providing access to Boston across the Charles River, the area serves as an important hub
WINTER HILL NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN Working as a class for the City of Somerville, MA, we created a community plan encompassing two adjacent neighborhoods. Under the overarching theme of community growth and land use, I joined a small team dedicated to the urban design of public spaces. After much analysis, we agreed on general recommendations that
CITY OF SOMERVILLE
SOMERVILLE, MA
could be implemented at low cost and at multiple points throughout the site area. Going forward, I focused more independently on specific changes to one major corridor. Here, a proposal to convert an over-sized and under-used parking lot into a flexible space with both vehicular and pedestrian uses.
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Pedestrian-only space
flexible space
Bike lane
Public space featuring off-street parking and passive pedestrian uses is augmented and activated by plantings and surface treatments
Flexible space + permeable parking Landscaping
GATEHOUSE MILL In 2012, as part of a nine-person team working with the Architectural Heritage Foundation, Boston, I competed in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Development Competition. After being assigned a site in Lowell, MA, we reached out to the community and established development goals. We next devised a proposal that included neighborhood context, physical design, an environmental sustainability plan, and a financial model. I attended weekly group meetings and site visits,
and participated in conceptual work from vision to execution. I also worked on zoning analysis to ensure our proposal would be in compliance. My primary responsibility was the book we would ultimately submit and be judged by. I designed the format and layout, including structure, composition, and color palette. Additionally, I assumed a managing editor role, tasked with ensuring all materials were received by internal deadlines so that our submission was also on time.
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JAM district - 1/4 miles radius Gatehouse Mill is located in an area rebranded as the JAM District, named for Jackson, Appleton, and Middlesex streets. Gatehouse Mill sits at the southern edge of downtown and the northern edge of the JAM. This area has undergone a significant transformation in the last decade. Sonith Peou of Metta Health Center remarked that in 2000 there was a lot of refuse, no sidewalks, and unsafe streets. Since then, City and private investment have transformed the JAM District into a clean, safe, and walkable area.
introduction
context
healthcare parking garage schools trolley route trolley stop bus route bus stop restaurant childcare grocery store 0
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150’
300’
600’
introduction
context
community response
physical design
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1. rainwater collection
5. bicycle share
2. green sedum roof
6. combined heat & power
3. PV array
7. permeable pavers
4. EV charger
8. natural cross-ventilation
rooftop solar power
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A 60 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic array provides additional electricity. While solar thermal doesn’t comport as well with historic considerations due to its visibility, solar PV has been installed on historic projects in the past, and our flat roof has an ideal orientation. Leasing our roof as part of a power purchase agreement (PPA) allows us to generate clean and affordable electricity while minimizing our risk and upfront cost. In a conversation with DeWitt Jones, President of Boston Community Capital’s Solar Energy Advantage program, we learned that leveraging New Markets Tax Credits has helped BCC offset their costs for installing solar systems and allows them to offer us a competitive price per kWh.
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combined heat & power system
opportunities
Any rehab of the mill requires a new HVAC system. We consulted with four geothermal installers and found that a closed-loop ground-source heat pump is infeasible due to a lack of open space for boreholes. A consultation with mechanical engineer Jack Carter revealed that a combined heat and power system (CHP) is the project’s best option. Conventional electricity generation converts only 30% of the energy in fuel into useful power and loses the rest to waste heat, whereas CHP uses natural gas to produce electricity and useful heat simultaneously at 85% efficiency (compared with independent heat and power systems at 55%).
density of amenities, services, and transit canal provides beautiful amenity area zoned for dense development proximity to new developments
constraints set back from main road, limited visibility from street lack of green space historic preservation regulation and process
sustainability
finance
gatehouse mill sustainability strategy
There are a number of amenities within a quartermile radius of Gatehouse Mill, including CVS, Market Street Market, Lowell Public Charter School, 13 restaurants, one natural waterway, and three canals.
other residential mill project
sustainability
physical design
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
The City of Lowell continues to target this area for development and make strategic investments such as the Early Municipal Parking Garage, located on Jackson Street. Existing bus routes connect riders with the commuter rail station and the rest of Lowell. A new trolley expansion, overseen by the National Historic Park, will stop just southwest of Gatehouse Mill, increasing connectivity. Currently, Lowell is not very bike-friendly. Though the high and increasing density of the downtown and JAM area make Lowell ideal for biking, roadways do not include bike lanes and bike racks are infrequent.
gatehouse mill
community response
finance
CHP schematic
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introduction
context
fuel [natural gas]
public power transmission tower
CHP is particularly well suited to large mixed-use buildings like ours that have thermal loads and power demand throughout the day and year-round, and benefits from a $750 per kW Massachusetts incentive. An 80 kW microturbine-style CHP unit meets about 70% of the building’s average power demand, allowing the unit to run at close to full capacity all of the time and maximizing its efficiency. Since individual apartments can be submetered in a master-metered building, tenants are incentivized to conserve while the CHP system ties to one meter and offsets much of the load that would otherwise come from the largely fossil fuel-powered grid. Given the fuel mix for electricity generation in Massachusetts, CHP will save about 230 tons of carbon dioxide every year.
community response
gas engine
domestic current
hot water heater
domestic heat
generator
electricity
hot exhaust
meter
POWER
physical design
hot water exhaust gas heat exchanger
CHP
HEAT
sustainability
finance
Renderings by Alexis Wheeler; map by Thomas Conley; sustainability strategy diagram by Nick Welch; CHP schematic by Karina Milchman ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION, BOSTON
LOWELL, MA
FALL 2012
21 Downtown Urban Mixed-Use District Urban Mixed-Use District Traditional Neighborhood Multi-Family Urban Nieghborhood Mixed-Family Traditional Multi-Use District Traditional Neighborhood Two-Family Hamilton Canal Development District Smart Growth District Artist Overlay District
lowell zoning code
by right
in project 27,833 s.f.
site area max FAR
5.0 (139,165 s.f.)
3.8 (105,370 s.f.)
height limit
7 stories / 95’
7 stories / 91’
minimum frontage
none
minimum lot area
none
set back & sideyards
N/A
required parking stalls required loading zones
1/DU within 400’ 0 non-res. if within 1,500’ of municipal parking
90 stalls (municipal garage attached via sky bridge)
0 if structure > 60 years old
land use
Downtown Mixed-Use District (DMU) Smart Growth District
overlay districts
Priority Development Site Artist Overlay District (DMU)
housing affordability
min. 20% DU must be affordable
100% affordable
design & construction
unit distribution required
units distributed
min. average DU area
750 s.f.
805 s.f.
max. non. res. use* affordable housing restriction *measure to promote density, which is met & exceeded
District requires over 101 DU 49 DU + 52 DU in adjacent property 30 year minimum
90 DU + 52 DU in adjacent property in perpetuity
zoning analysis Multiple overlay districts made zoning complicated, but the proposed development needed little relief