The Sunderland Riverside Park improvements were initiated by the director of the Sunderland Public Library who wanted to provide patrons with the ability to check out kayaks and enjoy access to the Connecticut River. Over time, the project evolved to include not only a place for the kayaks, but a storage area to replace the existing shed for the park landscaping and maintenance equipment, storage for Sunderland Youth Baseball, and a renovation of the existing restroom facilities.

The bathrooms were originally built in the 1960s. Keeping the existing foundation and framing, the interior and exterior finishes and fixtures were replaced and the privacy screen on the exterior was designed using a similar design vocabulary to the Kayak Kiosk. One of the biggest challenges of the project was getting approval from the state plumbing board to allow two all gender restrooms, both with a toilet and urinal as currently girls rooms do not allow urinals.

Awarded
2024 AIA Western Massachusetts Citation Award
2025 AIA New England Award
 

Project Team

Naomi Darling - Principal

Ray Mann - Principal

Nicole De Araujo

Electrical: Owl Engineers

Plumbing: R.W. Hall Consulting Engineers

General Contractor: Eastern General Contractors

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Photography
Sean Kernan