A Home for the Huntington

We are pleased to announce that the plans to renovate and expand the historic Huntington Theatre (formerly the Boston University Theatre) have been approved by The Boston Planning & Development Agency. These plans include the development of a new, 32-story apartment tower, within which a refurbished and expanded Huntington Theatre would reside along the ground floor and on the adjacent site.

As noted in The Boston Globe, “the development group — QMG Huntington LLC — and the theater group reached a deal by which the Huntington would own the theater building itself, and get a low-cost, 100-year lease for much of the lower two floors of a tower QMG would build next door. That will give Huntington an additional 14,000 square feet to run programming.”

“This is an enormous, additional cultural asset for the city of Boston,” said Michael Maso, Managing Director of The Huntington Theatre Company.

Bruner/Cott is thrilled to be working with our partners, QMG Huntington LLC, Stantec Architecture, and the Huntington Theatre Company to renovate this cultural icon. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2018.

For more information on the Huntington Theatre renovation project, click here.

MASS MoCA Recognized as Northeast Building of the Year

The Robert W. Wilson Building at MASS MoCA (Building 6) has been recognized by The Architect’s Newspaper as Northeast Building of the Year in the 2017 AN Best of Design Awards. The jury selects winners based on several criteria – strength of the presentation, evidence of innovation, creative use of new technology, sustainability, and overall design. This year, the Architect’s Newspaper received over 800 submissions, including projects of all shapes and sizes from large and small firms.

The jury noted that “the massive reuse project skillfully renegotiates an old factory, which [we] found to be more successful and important than some other new buildings that might have won in the past.” In addition to being honored as Northeast Building of the Year, MASS MoCA also received an honorable mention in the adaptive reuse category.

Amherst College Powerhouse Featured in New Publication

Bruner/Cott worked with Amherst College to create a student gathering and event space in a tactful but raw reworking of a historic 1925 McKim Mead & White steam plant. The Powerhouse at Amherst College has been studied to emphasize novel approaches to natural ventilation and waste heat recovery from existing utilities, and is featured in a brand new publication by Jonathan Couldson, Paul Roberts, and Isabelle Taylor.

University Trends: Contemporary Campus Design introduces the most significant, widespread and thought-provoking trends that are currently shaping the planning and architecture of higher education institutions across the world. Within this completely revised second edition, Part One identifies current patterns such as hub buildings, large-scale expansions, adaptive reuse and innovation buildings. Part Two profiles these through recent, well-illustrated, global case studies. The essential guide to current and future trends in campus design.

The book is available for purchase here.

The Viridian Achieves LEED Gold Certification

The Viridian at 1282 Boylston Street has been officially awarded LEED Gold Certification by the USGBC.

LEED projects earn points across the following basic areas, addressing key aspects of green buildings; integrative process, location and access to transportation, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation, and regional priority.

Based on the number of points a project accumulates, it is then awarded one of four LEED certifications; LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED platium.

According to the USGBC, LEED certification means healthier, more productive places, reduced stress on the environment by encouraging energy and resource-efficient buildings, and savings from increased building value, higher lease rates and decreased utility costs. LEED-certified buildings will directly contribute $29.8 billion to U.S. GDP by 2018.