Watt Samaki

Acorn is working with Watt Samaki and Khmer Maine to provide civil engineering, landscape architecture, and permitting services for a proposed Community Center and Cambodian Buddhist Temple project on the northeast side of Cumberland Street in Westbrook, Maine. Architectural design was provided by Winton Scott Architects.

The approximately 9-acre campus will host a community center, worship hall, temple, and a myriad of other site improvements to support Buddhist and Asian American community programming as well as visitors from across Maine. Proposed site infrastructure includes a winding entry drive that transports visitors from busy Cumberland Street to the hilltop campus, as well as multiple parking areas, pedestrian crossings, stormwater infrastructure, and associated utility extensions.

Garden and landscape areas throughout the campus will support large, formal events, as well as passive recreation opportunities. In accordance with traditional Buddhist design, the site has been organized along cardinal directions, with clear site lines between the worship hall, community center, temple, and reflecting pond. These spaces are connected via a series of trails and walkways, while an open field area on the southern side of the site can host regular events and large ceremonies. As a tribute to the Buddhist religion and culture, site amenities will feature roundabouts, a reflection pond, and sculpture gardens that incorporate Khmer Maine’s collection of religious statuary.

Throughout the campus, native Maine shrubs and groundcovers will be coupled with tree species native to Cambodia, Japan, China, and other Asian countries to complement the site layout, supplement existing vegetation, and provide visual buffering between the project and adjacent properties.