Accessibility
The passage of federal universal accessibility
standards has advanced the rehabilitation of
several ANP facilities. At Sieur de Mont Springs (‘The
Birthplace of Acadia’), the grounds of the nature
center were reconstructed to provide barrier free
access to the building, expand outdoor program
space and improve area wayfinding. In 2006, an
accessible trail was developed at the summit of
Cadillac Mountain linking the accessible parking
area with the summit interpretative platform. The
design and implementation of the trail involved
minimizing disturbances to sensitive summit
vegetation and integrating the paved route into
the existing terrain. Recently, steps leading to
Sand Beach, one of the most popular sites in ANP,
were reconstructed to improve access and visitor
safety. Large granite treads of inconsistent width
and height were replaced with steps of consistent
dimension within the existing footprint to preserve
adjoining vegetation. The granite treads were
re-used as a retaining wall to stabilize an eroding
slope adjacent to the stairway.
The planning and design for ANP projects follow an
iterative NPS process, engaging project designers and
NPS personnel in developing context appropriate,
cost effective solutions. The design process is typically
divided into discrete phases of service, beginning with
programming and conceptual design, advancing
into detailed design and construction documentation
and then construction phase services. Project budgets
are established in preliminary design and validated
through subsequent design phases. The process is
designed to ensure that projects meet or exceed
current NPS design criteria for sustainability (similar
to LEED™), accessibility, and life cycle costing. This
includes state of the art energy and material science
for structures, locally sourced materials where possible
and practical, low impact site development practices
(LID), dark sky compliant lighting, and re-vegetation
with locally indigenous plants.
Samuel R. Coplon, FASLA, is a landscape architect and principal at
Coplon Associates in Bar Harbor, Maine. Sam has over 30 years of
experience in the a wide range of public, institutional, conservation,
and residential projects and has been involved with the design of
improvements in Acadia National Park since 1998. Coplon Associates
is the lead firm in the current multidisciplinary Indefinite Quantities
design contract for ANP. He was elected a Fellow of the American
Society of Landscape Architects in 2012.
2013 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
19