Bruner/Cott earns Just Label 3.0

We’re excited to share that Bruner/Cott Architects has earned the JUST 3.0 Label from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), a milestone that reflects who we are and how we work, both inside and outside our studio.

Nine years ago, we became the first company in New England to receive the JUST Label. Back then, it was a bold step toward greater transparency and accountability. Today, earning the 3.0 version shows how far we’ve come and how committed we are to building an equitable, inclusive, and purpose-driven practice.

Think of JUST as a “nutrition label” for socially responsible organizations. It publicly shares our performance in areas like diversity, equity, employee well-being, and community engagement. For us, it’s more than a scorecard—it’s a way to keep ourselves accountable and ensure that we design with purpose, making choices that align with our values and help create a more just future.

You can explore our JUST 3.0 results and see what we’re working toward next: View Our JUST 3.0 Profile

Wesleyan University Celebrates Dedication of Fries Arts Building

The completion and dedication of the Fries Arts Building at Wesleyan University was officially celebrated on May 24, 2025. This milestone marks a bold new chapter in the university’s long-standing commitment to the arts and stands as a model for the transformative power of adaptive reuse.

Located at 56 Hamlin Street in Middletown, Connecticut, the Fries Arts Building reimagines a historic former factory complex as a vibrant, interdisciplinary arts hub. Through a thoughtful process of transformation and expansion, Bruner/Cott repositioned the existing industrial structures into a dynamic 19,155-square-foot center for creativity, preserving the site’s industrial character while integrating contemporary architectural elements and sustainable design strategies.

The new facility brings together visual and performing arts, maker spaces, and a flexible commons to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and spontaneous interaction. The reconfigured T-shaped complex retains the robust bones of the original buildings while seamlessly integrating a new addition.

Named for Mike Fries ’85—a devoted Wesleyan alumnus and longtime supporter of the university—the building honors his extraordinary commitment to the campus and the arts. As university leadership noted during the dedication ceremony, “Through his financial support and visionary spirit, Mike Fries has once again catalyzed a transformative initiative on campus—the largest expansion of arts facilities at Wesleyan since the creation of the CFA in 1973.”

The Fries Arts Building is more than a facility—it is a catalyst for connection, invention, and expression. Bruner/Cott is honored to have partnered with Wesleyan University to help bring this vision to life through architecture that reclaims the past to shape the future.

New Staff Licensure: Rima Abousleiman

Congratulations to Rima Abousleiman, RA, for receiving her Massachusetts Architect’s license!

Rima is a graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Master of Architecture. Since joining Bruner/Cott in 2018, Rima has become passionate about leveraging her place in the architecture profession to design a just and equitable future for all, with sustainability and social justice at the forefront of her work.

Rima has been an integral team member on several of Bruner/Cott’s cultural and institutional projects including MIT’s Pierce Boathouse and the renovation and expansion of Boston’s historic Huntington Theatre. She is an active leader in the firm’s internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and currently serves as Treasurer for BosNOMA, the Boston chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects as well as Co-Chair of the BSA’s Emerging Professionals Network (EPNet).

Congratulations, Rima!

Construction Begins at Huntington Theatre

The Huntington Theatre is undergoing a major transformation along Boston’s “Avenue of the Arts.” On Thursday, March 25th, the Huntington Theatre Company held a virtual press conference to announce the start of an 18-month renovation period that will restore, revitalize, and modernize the historic performance venue. The Huntington’s Managing Director Michael Maso, Theater Manager Kat Herzig, and Board Chairman David Epstein each gave remarks.

Bruner/Cott Partner and Principal Jason Forney, FAIA, presented new renderings of the reimagined theatre, including a video flythrough.

Construction will be completed in two phases. Phase one will consist of theater renovations and upgrades to enhance the audience experience and create state-of-the-art backstage and technical facilities. Phase two will expand into the adjacent new construction project and will offer 14,000-sf of added amenity space, including ticketing, a café, balcony, bar, and event space.

The Huntington Theatre is expected to reopen for the start of its 2022 season.

For more information about the Huntington Theatre renovation and expansion, click here.

 

New Staff Licensure

Congratulations to Carolyn Creemers for passing her exams and obtaining her Architect’s license! 

Carolyn joined Bruner/Cott as a designer in 2017 and holds a Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Washington University in St. Louis as well as a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Michigan.

Currently, Carolyn is working on a new cadet housing project at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and on the mixed-use Speedway project in Brighton, MA. In the office, Carolyn leads internal initiatives centered around technology and organizes fun, monthly office-wide contests.

Congratulations, Carolyn!

New Staff Certification

 

Congratulations to Karno Widjaja on becoming a PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant!

Certified Passive House Consultants (CPHCs) are well-versed in designing to the

PHIUS+ climate-specific building standard and are leading the adoption passive building from coast to coast.

Karno completed several phases of online and in-person trainings and exams focused on the principles of passive building design, including heat transfer, air-tightness, thermal bridge free detailing, super-insulation high-efficiency ventilation, and moisture control. We are excited to implement these high performance building science principles into our ongoing and future residential, commercial, and renovation projects like the 288 Harrison Avenue Residences project in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood.

Congratulations, Karno!

MASS MoCA Building 6 In June Issue of ARCHITECT Magazine

Recipient of a 2020 AIA Interior Architecture Award MASS MoCA’s Building 6 is featured in the June 2020 issue of ARCHITECT magazine.

“Deep in the heart of New England’s Berkshire Hills, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) showcases some of the boldest and most challenging work of our time in a setting far removed from the typical exhibition environment. Its home since 1999 has been the Arnold Print Works complex, a defunct factory in the town of North Adams. Boston-based Bruner/Cott & Associates has driven the adaptive reuse of the 20-building industrial campus into a world-class arts facility in several phases over the last 20 years. But the recent transformation of Building 6 encapsulates the intrepid spirit of the whole institution in a single, sprawling interior.”

Read the full article here.

New Staff Certifications

Congratulations to Shaun Dempsey and Christopher Nielson on becoming PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultants!

Certified Passive House Consultants (CPHCs) are well-versed in designing to the PHIUS+ climate-specific building standard and are leading the adoption passive building from coast to coast.

Shaun and Christopher both completed several phases of online and in-person trainings and exams focused on the principles of passive building design, including heat transfer, air-tightness, thermal bridge free detailing, super-insulation high-efficiency ventilation, and moisture control.

We are excited to implement these high performance building science principles into our ongoing and future residential, commercial, and renovation projects like the 288 Harrison Avenue Residences project in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood.

We are extremely proud of Shaun and Christopher for their hard work and commitment to designing a sustainable future!

A Message from Bruner/Cott Architects about COVID-19

updated February 3, 2022

A Message To Our Clients, Colleagues, and Friends About Covid-19:

Our Boston office is open, however, as a continued abundance of caution, the majority of Bruner/Cott employees are continuing to work remotely. We are requiring Covid vaccines and boosters in order to work in our studio. The health and wellness of our people, clients, and communities remains to be our top priority.

Our goal always is to maintain an open line of communication throughout this uncertain time and provide the same level of service and responsiveness associated with our firm. We have a robust technology infrastructure that fully supports virtual working throughout our practice with no impact on our delivery of design and service to our clients and partners. If we foresee this changing in any way, you will be notified in advance by our principals and project leaders.

Thank you,

Jason Forney, Dana Kelly, Jason Jewhurst
Partners and Principals, Bruner/Cott Architects

Contact us at info@brunercott.com.

 

 

Jason Forney Elevated to AIA College of Fellows

Bruner/Cott Principal and Partner Jason Forney has been elevated to the AIA College of Fellows!

As the AIA’s highest membership honor, the fellowship program recognizes individuals for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. Those elevated to Fellowship represent a standard of professional excellence at the national level–only 3 percent of AIA members have this distinction.

His work demonstrates a commitment to securing a new future for the built environment through sustainable and regenerative design and the transformative reuse of existing structures. As a Bruner/Cott principal and partner, Jason has expanded the firm’s mission to include exemplary contemporary architecture whose ecological performance and emotional resonance are informed by lessons of the past.

Jason joined Bruner/Cott in 2002 and has played a major role in the design of many of Bruner/Cott’s notable projects, including the second and third phases of MASS MoCA, the Living-Certified R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, the Powerhouse at Amherst College, the Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College.

He will be honored among his newly-elevated peers in May at a ceremony during the AIA Conference on Architecture 2020 in Los Angeles, CA.

Congratulations, Jason!