The Charlton School, Burnt Hills, New York
The Charlton School (TCS) is a not-for-profit residential treatment center and special education school for girls in the 8th to 12th grades. As the Charlton School approaches their 125th anniversary, Wagner Hodgson was brought in to develop a 20-year Master Plan to reshape the physical campus in coordination with proposed and updated buildings and major utility improvements. The overarching goal of the landscape master plan is to create a centrally focused campus for pedestrians that will also foster a nurturing environment for both day and residential students. The landscape master plan looks to build upon this by further relocating parking to the perimeters of campus and downplaying the significance of automobiles in the campus core. By expanding the residential quad across the main campus drive, the new cottages will be unified with the renovated Sheibly Cottage and the new Dining and Student Commons. A portion of the entry drive where student drop-off will be realigned to reduce the angle of the turn and to allow more room for the new cottages to be built. The new master plan provides space for new buildings or for existing or proposed buildings to be expanded without sacrificing the quadrangle concept. Outside of the campus core it is proposed to introduce a multi-use recreational path that would ring the campus, giving the campus community an internal way to recreate with minimal vehicular conflict. The periphery landscape is enhanced with high meadow grasses to move your eyes away from the road and creating a visual barrier. Additionally, a track, refurbished tennis court, and basketball court are shown to the east.
