The Architect’s Newspaper is bringing the Facades+ conference series back to Boston on July 17. AN partnered with Chris Hardy and Emily Goldenberg, design directors from MASS Design Group, as the conference co-chairs. The event’s symposium will cover new and exciting projects in New England and feature conversations on daylight strategies, resilient housing, and fabrication futures.
A Downtown School: Josiah Quincy Upper School
The day will begin with a presentation from Matt LaRue, associate principal at HMFH Architects. LaRue will provide an update on the new Josiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) campus, a project that is not only community-focused and sustainable but also one of the first to open under the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools initiative. This innovative project and its neighbor, the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, serve as a gateway into the heart of Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, creating expanded opportunities for Boston students.
Resilient Housing is a Just Act
The next session of the day will highlight two projects north of Boston that blur the lines of enclosure to extend thermal comfort and address long-term flooding challenges. Megan Altendorf, a senior architect from conference co-chair MASS Design Group, will dive into and discuss the role of affordable housing as an act of justice and equity through the lens of resilience.
The Lewis Law Center at Harvard University
As the day continues, we will hear about TenBerke’s transformation of The Lewis Law Center at Harvard University, a project which won The Architect’s Newspaper‘s 2023 Best of Design Award for adaptive reuse. The annex of the existing law library building was originally designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott in 1957. Matthew Scarlett, senior associate at TenBerke; and Ben Shepherd, director at Atelier Ten, will describe the renovation in detail, focusing on a life cycle assessment that informed the team’s envelope strategy for the project.
Rivermark Reimagined: Residential Reclad and Deep Energy Retrofit without Tenant Displacement
Jason Jewhurst and Jackie Mignone, partner and architect, respectively, at Bruner/Cott Architects, will present the firm’s reclad of Rivermark, a 1970s precast concrete high-rise in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The renovation improves the building’s climate resilience through new prefabricated panels that provide much-needed insulation. To avoid relocation of occupants, construction was performed on a fully occupied building.
The View at The Prudential Center
The final presentation of the day will spotlight Perkins&Will’s addition to the Prudential Center: a three-story observation deck known as The View. Faced in glass curtain wall, The View’s presence is minimal as it was designed to facilitate views of the Boston skyline. To implement the observation deck the project team reconfigured the Prudential Center’s mechanical system, and removed ceilings, walkways, and panels to raise the tower’s ceiling height by 25 feet, providing better views and filling the interior with light.
Click here to view additional information and register for the conference.
