We are excited to announce that three of our projects have received 2017 AIA New England Design Awards. The annual award program recognizes design excellence in projects in New England or by New England architects.
Harvard Real Estate project at the Harvard Memorial Church
2017 AIA New England Honor Award
One of Harvard University’s most treasured landmarked structures, Harvard’s Memorial Church is a multi-denominational Protestant Church in the midst of Harvard Yard that serves as a place of spiritual refuge to the entire community. The Church stands opposite Widener Library as a visible reminder of the historical and spiritual heritage that has sustained Harvard for nearly four centuries.
Initially conceived as a project to provide year-round climate control to the sanctuary, the scope evolved to include expanded accessibility accommodations and revitalized the lower level of the Church as a destination for those seeking a moment’s respite during the day.
National University of Ireland, Galway Biosciences Research Building
2017 AIA New England Merit Award
Sited in a rolling meadow near the River Corrib in Galway, Ireland, the Biosciences Research Building (BRB) is the first phase of the new North Campus Science Precinct at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). Housing high tech science laboratories dedicated to cancer research, regenerative medicine, chemical biology and BSL-3 animal research, the BRB offers a transparent and collaborative lab environment that connects the new science precinct with the university’s historic campus. Among the world’s most energy-efficient buildings to support intense scientific research with a 125 KBTU/SF net pEUI, the BRB was constructed for a remarkably low cost per SF ($413) as compared to similar facilities, which typically cost $600-800 per SF.
Boston University, Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering
2017 AIA New England Citation Award
Boston University’s newest research facility, the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (CILSE), occupies a former parking lot along Commonwealth Avenue. The nine-story, 170,000 SF building supports a wide range of research modalities to serve existing and future scientific communities.
The design for CILSE provides targeted flexibility. Nesting supply and exhaust ducts, the team designed each research floor plate to be identical and provided zones of varying vibration, cooling and air handling intensity so that each floor can accommodate a broad array of research pursuits. The location of the mechanical equipment on the second and third floors further supports the research floors’ adaptability. Placing the mechanical systems on these floors instead of the conventional practice of locating the mechanical spaces on the roof (where they are visible from the street) or below grade (where they are susceptible to flood damage) permits optimization of vertical distribution and mechanical infrastructure, allowing each floor plate to yield the same amount of net-assignable square footage regardless of location.
Related:
Renovation eyes evolving mission of Memorial Church
Harvard Memorial Church Earns LEED Gold
AIA COTE names Ntl. Univ. of Ireland, Galway as a Top Ten Recipient
Designing Science: Newest BU Research Center is Built for Collaboration
The 2025 OpenLAB Boston studio work will be exhibited at Virginia Tech Monday, March 2nd through Wednesday, March 4th.
Please join us for the following events on Monday, March 2nd:
11:00am - Lecture with Parke MacDowell
1:00pm Lobby talk with Kevin Sullivan
This year’s studio identifies seven sites along the frayed edges of Boston’s Greenway. The Greenway is a one-mile-long linear park running through the heart of the city, reconnecting downtown Boston with its waterfront. Many of the parcels along its edges remain undeveloped and present mute, blank facades to the public realm. Addressing and repairing these edges through acts of infilling, layering, grafting, framing, and placemaking is the core focus of the studio—SUTURE.