We are pleased to announce two of our projects received BSA Design awards. The Science and Engineering Complex at Tufts University was recognized in the Honor Awards for Design Excellence program and the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex at Northeastern University earned a Sustainable Design award.
Having received 120 submissions for the Honor Awards for Design Excellence program, the nine projects selected by the juror were determined by design excellence that was informed by aesthetic, functionality, contextuality, sustainability, social and other characteristics. The Sustainable Design Award program assesses projects based on design excellence as manifested by contributions to environmental balance and energy efficiency. The ISEC was one of seven projects selected for this year’s award. The BSA will announce the tier of the award recipients at the annual Gala in January 2018.
Science and Engineering Complex | Tufts University
(Honor Awards for Design Excellence)
The new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) is the product of a strategic infill addition that creates space for interdisciplinary research in biology, environmental science and neuroscience while connecting two historic buildings to create a dynamic, community focused, high tech hub for open communication and cross-pollination. The resulting academic precinct addresses the institution’s desire for a critical mass of research and teaching space to support cross-departmental collaborations in an environmentally responsible manner.
This LEED Gold certified project, located three miles north of Boston in Medford, MA is an unexpected and innovative response to site and existing context. Rather than relocate or demolish one of the significant historic buildings on the site as the client’s initial project brief had proposed, the design team arrived at a solution for a smaller new addition that leverages and strengthens the existing buildings through adaptive reuse, creating an integrated complex. The project’s sustainable solutions are integral to its architectural solution, thoughtfully demonstrating the interdependence between sustainability and scientific research.
Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex | Northeastern University
(Sustainable Design)
Flow and Movement define the form language of this building. Dynamic movement systems permeate the project, expand a campus and bridge two Boston neighborhoods. This cutting-edge research facility defines a new academic and social hub for students and allows the University to compete as a premier research institution.
The Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex (ISEC) is the first academic and research building to expand a large urban campus to the south of a major rail corridor in the city of Boston. Bridging two diverse neighborhoods, the building was planned along with a new pedestrian bridge and landscape intervention. The architectural form linked with high performance architecture, along with the implementation of the innovative energy recovery and conservation systems will allow the ISEC to use 75% less energy than a typical intensive research building (103 EUI).
Related:
Celebrating the ISEC at Northeastern University
Northeastern ISEC Earns I2SL Award!
Payette Receives 2017 AIA NY COTE Award
Tufts University SEC Achieves Top Energy Ratings
Celebrating the SEC at Tufts University
Opening later this year, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA is an essay in the tuning of building façades for performance. The aluminum sunshades that veil the building began as a concept tested by scoring Bristol paper. The team utilized tools from all modalities: paper models, CNC-mills, parametric studies, solar analysis, wind and water simulations and full-scale mock-ups to inform the design and drive energy use down. The ultra-high performance building is tracking a 61% reduction in energy use compared to the 2030 baseline.
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