A Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design project:

TRIANGLE, INC.
Malden, MA

Project Goal

Maximize planting and environmental opportunities for a large group of adults with disabilities.  The site, a small industrial building with parking lot, is their workplace and job training center.  Staff, participants, and visitors will use new outdoor spaces for recreation, relaxation, and skill building.   

Description

Triangle, Inc. is a nonprofit agency which, for 35 years, has been providing employment, residential, health care, and social services to adults with disabilities to support their efforts to lead more dignified, independent, and economically self-sufficient lives. 

Staff and participants have a vision to create and care for beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces which are as welcoming, nurturing, and productive as the interior space of this vibrant community center.  Gardens will contribute a sense of accomplishment and pride to the many people who work at this special place.  The site is a small industrial building and parking lot along the MBTA line in Malden and is edged with empty planting beds and sidewalk strips.  Depending on soil conditions and expense, a large sloped area could become an orchard, everlastings garden, or other commercially productive growing area to be incorporated into Triangle’s training and employment program.  

The staff also requests interior container gardens to bring the outside in, and to be used as a skill building opportunity for participants.

Technical Details

  • surveyor’s plan available

  • suitable graphics necessary for publicity and fundraising

  • client requests container garden workshops and hands-on maintenance training for participants and staff

  • parking lot conditions include intensive snowplowing and sanding

  • hardy, ornamental, and low maintenance plants required

  • cost estimating necessary

  • minor vandalism in the past

Community

About 150 low-income adult participants work in Triangle Inc.’s Malden headquarters daily.  Participants have a range of cognitive and other disabilities including Down Syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injury, and sight, hearing, and mobility issues.  Both staff and participants are ethnically diverse representing a rich variety of nationalities.  Participants’ families and volunteers also visit the site frequently.

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For more information about designer opportunities for this or other community-based projects, please contact COGdesign at 781-642-6662 or info@cogdesign.org
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