The Richard A. & Susan F. Smith Campus Center at Harvard University was named the U.S. Building of the Week by world-architects!
Part of an ongoing university “Common Spaces” initiative, the new Smith Campus Center was designed to ensure its physical spaces foster the campus’s intellectual, cultural, and social experience and support the wider community. The project reconfigures the first, second, and tenth floors, reinterpreting the history and logic of Josep Lluis Sert’s architecture in a series of additions to, and removals from, the existing fabric to create a family of new internal spaces interspersed with a captured internal and external landscape.
Sert served as Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1953 to 1969, during which time he designed the Holyoke Center across the street from Harvard Square and the gates to Harvard Yard. Now the Smith Campus Center, the administrative building was renovated by Hopkins Architects with Bruner/Cott Architects.
Congratulations to MASS MoCA on being honored for excellence in museum building as this year’s “Buildy” award recipient by the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM)!
This national award recognizes the museum as an institution, its director and staff, and the building/design construction team whose completed museum construction projects demonstrate high achievement in the lessons of the Building Museums™ Symposium: careful, creative planning and diligent implementation, leading to institutional sustainability. It is awarded each year to the most outstanding recent museum building project. The purpose of the Buildy Award is to increase awareness within the field, and by the public at large, of the value of museums and the need for their ongoing rehabilitation and expansion to serve future generations.
The criteria for winning a Buildy includes originality of concept, advancement of the museum’s mission, high achievement in planning and process, green design and construction, community benefit and response, transformative impact, and much more. This award recognizes the museum leadership’s exemplary accomplishment through the three-decade process of completing their master plan for the museum.
MASS MoCA Director Joe Thompson will be accepting the award on March 1st at the annual Building Museums™ Symposium in Brooklyn, NY.
South by Southwest Conference & Festivals (SXSW) announced that it will include “Museum Town,” a character-driven portrait of the largest center for contemporary art in the world – MASS MoCA.
Directed by Jennifer Trainer Thompson and narrated by Oscar-winner, Meryl Streep, the film will make its world debut featured in the festival’s Documentary Feature category of the SXSW film festival as one of only ten films selected.
“Museum Town” depicts what Thompson calls a “rocky road” to the museum’s opening in the former Massachusetts factory town, including “a knotted confluence of politics and a post-industrial city in decline and the art world.”
The film delivers the magic of MASS MoCA and North Adams to a global audience for the first time, ever. The festival will take place in Austin, TX this March and is one of the greatest gatherings of creative professionals in the world.
In 2017, MASS MoCA became the largest center for contemporary art in the world. This is the story of a unique institution, the small town it calls home, and the great risk, hope, and power of art to generate cultural and economic rebirth. With original music by Wilco bassist John Stirratt and appearances by artists ranging from James Turrell to David Byrne to Bill T. Jones, Museum Town reveals how an idea becomes a reality, tracing the creation of artist Nick Cave’s monumental installation UNTIL, a reflection on gun violence, race, and the American Dream.
Soundtracked by Talking Heads, Sharon Jones, Big Thief, Wilco, Moses Sumney, and many more. With the voice of Meryl Streep.
The opening of the newly-renovated Richard A. & Susan F. Smith Campus Center has had the Harvard community buzzing with excitement.
A thoughtful, yet radical, reappraisal of the original architecture of Josep Lluis Sert (1902-1983), the new Smith Center is part of Harvard’s ‘Common Spaces’ program pioneered by Harvard President Emeritus, Drew Faust.
Recently, Robert Campbell of The Boston Globe had a chance to visit the Smith Center and share his thoughts;
“…you never lose touch with the city outdoors as your near neighbor, because you can see it looking back at you through so many glass walls and windows. Pedestrian bridges span the space and lead you to roof terraces. Most amazing are what Harvard calls the “green walls”: vertical gardens that hang on the walls and look like hedges but never touch the ground. You wander freely as if you were in an urban landscape rather than an enclosed interior.”
Ground has officially been broken at the Swift Factory in Hartford, Connecticut!
The vacant factory campus will soon be transformed into an “economic engine” for local job growth, healthy food production and distribution, and local business partnerships, all with zero displacement. It is expected to bring over 150 long-term jobs to the North Hartford Promise Zone, part of an initiative started in 2015 that provides federal resources to spur economic opportunity in communities across the United States.
Bruner/Cott celebrated this milestone with members of Consigli Construction Co. and Community Solutions, as well as US Senator Richard Blumentahl, Representative John B. Larson, Mayor Luke Bronin, and residents of the North Hartford community.
From gold leaves to green leaves, the Swift Factory will house a 35,000 sf indoor farm run by FreshBox Farms, as well as a commercial kitchen and incub
ator for developing local food business. Two historic houses on the property will also be repurposed for community use.
“Today is a historic day for the North End of Hartford. Today’s groundbreaking is a step forward for the revitalization of the Historic Swift Factory. Its new role as a hub for food business, health, and jobs will make a huge impact on this community. I would like to congratulate Mayor Bronin and Community Solutions for all their work on this project,” – US Representative John Larson, CT
To learn more about the Swift Factory redevelopment, visit the project website at www.swiftfactory.org.
Photos courtesy of Bruner/Cott Principal Jason Jewhurst, AIA.
On July 25, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the recipients of this year’s affordable rental housing awards, which will provide $57 million in direct subsidies for 19 high-impact projects to fund the development, renovation and preservation of much-needed housing opportunities throughout the Commonwealth.
Among this year’s awardees is Frost Terrace (1791 Mass Ave.), a transit-oriented new construction project for families. Bruner/Cott is working on this 40-unit affordable housing project in the Porter Square neighborhood of Cambridge, MA with sponsor, Capstone Communities. All units will be affordable to households earning less than 60% of the area median income (AMI), with four units reserved for households earning less than 30% of AMI.
Additional project funding for Frost Terrace will derive from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and subsidy funds via the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and city trust funds through the City of Cambridge.
“Across our Commonwealth, more and more young families are finding they are not able to put down roots, seniors are not able to age in their communities, and hard-working residents are spending more of their paychecks and precious time traveling further to get to their jobs,” said Housing and Community Development Undersecretary, Janelle Chan. “Today’s awards will enable communities to grow with their residents, and be a part of a state-wide and regional response to the affordable housing crisis.”
Thank you to the Baker-Polito Administration for this award and your continued commitment to creating affordable to low- and middle- income housing across the state of Massachusetts. We are thrilled to be among the 19 deserving recipients who are transforming their communities and providing vital resources for their neighborhoods.
To learn more about the affordable rental housing awards, click here.
Bruner/Cott completed a comprehensive study for a new regenerative ‘Living Village’ at Yale Divinity School (YDS), in association with McLennan Design and Andropogon. Designed to meet the Living Building Challenge 3.0 at an unprecedented scale, the new residential complex for living and learning would demonstrate environmental leadership at the highest level and serve as a replicable model for other divinity schools, places of worship, and academic institutions worldwide.
In December, Yale Divinity School received a $2 million contribution from supporters George and Carol Bauer to bring the 127,000 sf residential community to fruition. This gift has allowed YDS to re-engage Bruner/Cott and McLennan Design to design and create the detailed plans for a net-positive housing complex intended to educate its students on sustainable living practices. The project aims to transform how every college and university thinks about residential buildings in the future.
“We are deeply grateful to George and Carol for their generosity in supporting the vision of the Living Village… Thanks to the generosity of the Bauers and the talent and commitment of the design team we’ve assembled, YDS is poised to make history.” – Yale Divinity School Dean Greg Sterling
As described in the 2016 study, the complex is being designed to meet the various imperatives of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous green-building certification program, created by project partner Jason McLennan of McLennan Design. The Living Village is expected to house 150 students in below-market-rate residential units, ranging from single “monastic” rooms to two-bedroom apartments for families. Additionally, the complex will likely include classroom space, a small chapel, study areas, a fitness center, and other community spaces such as yoga and meditation rooms, small-group kitches, a cafe, and community dining rooms.
Bruner/Cott and McLennan Design will present conceptual designs to the greater YDS community at Convocation and Reunions in October.
“Above all… we expect the Living Village to stand as a resounding expression of our theoretically rooted commitment to conserving the Earth’s resources and creating a more sustainable future.” – YDS Dean Greg Sterling
Having just received Living Building Certification for the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College, Bruner/Cott is extremely excited to progress with this landmark project and is honored to be a part of the design team selected by YDS.
Outgoing Harvard President, Drew Faust, took some time to reflect on her favorite spaces on campus. She shared with The Harvard Gazette the places, times, and ways Harvard marked her, including times of joy, laughter, sorrow, and poignancy. From the recently-renovated Lavietes Basketball Pavilion to the Smith Campus Center currently under construction, Bruner/Cott is responsible for many of Faust’s favorite and most memorable spaces during her ten years as president. The following 360° videos will allow you to experience these projects through her eyes.
Lavietes Basketball Pavilion
“I remember very soon after I became president, attending a women’s basketball game and celebrating with them my ascension to female power.”
First constructed in 1926, Lavietes Pavilion is the second-oldest active basketball facility in the United States; a major goal of the project is to celebrate the intimacy and historic charm of the building and showcase the history of Harvard Basketball and Harvard Athletics. Bruner/Cott has been a part of the growth of the Lavietes Pavilion since its first renovation in the 1980s when it was the Briggs Athletic Center. Read more.
Memorial Hall
“It’s hard for me to believe that this wonderful building and that wonderful space was left almost to disuse.”
In collaboration with Venturi, Scott Brown, Bruner/Cott restored the historic shell and upgraded the building to contemporary standards. The restored space boasts hammerbeam trusses, stained glass windows, stenciled ceiling details, walnut paneling, new flooring and custom-designed furniture. Bruner/Cott was responsible for the entire 15,000 sf food service operation, including a total kitchen redesign, new serveries, and Loker Student Commons on the lower level.Read more.
Knafel Center (Radcliffe Gymnasium)
“Radcliffe alums not only used that balcony as a track, they had to learn how to lower themselves on a rope from the balcony onto the floor because it was believed that it would be important for women to know how to use a rope to get out of a burning building.”
Radcliffe Gymnasium was designed in 1898 by McKim Mead & White as a gym for students at Radcliffe College. The reinterpreted gymnasium is now a lecture and event salon for the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Radcliffe Yard. The Gymnasium’s versatile, multi-use spaces are popular with the entire Harvard community. The large second-floor lecture space — used every day for informal gatherings and study — can be easily converted into a formal setting for social events, with full provisions for catering. The upper-level former running track is now a “walking and talking” track for discussions and informal viewing of presentations and lectures. Read more.
Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center
“A university-wide space, in which people could bump into each other, share ideas, find spaces in which to have meetings for their organizations and groups, and embody the sort of unity that I felt would strengthen the university.”
The 1960-65 Holyoke Center by Josep Lluis Sert in Harvard Square is undergoing a major transformation to attract and mix the varied constituencies within the university – faculty, undergraduates, staff, graduate students, and engaged visitors. Bruner/Cott is working with the Harvard client team and design architect, Hopkins Architects of London on extensive programming and sensitive transformation of this campus icon. Construction work, including façade restoration, additions, and interiors, began in the spring of 2016 and is slated for completion in 2018. Read more.
To read the entire Harvard Gazette article, click here. Congratulations to Drew Faust on a wonderful career at Harvard University!
Last month, the 1791 Mass Ave/Frost Terrace project was unanimously approved by the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal. This development will create 40 new, long-term, completely affordable homes for families and individuals in the Porter Square neighborhood. It is transit-oriented, providing future tenants with immediate pedestrian and bicycle access to the Porter Square T and commercial district, reducing the need to own cars.
The hearing lasted 3.5 hours, with deliberations surrounding issues such as lack of parking spaces. However, the design team did receive praise for its responsiveness to the comments of the Planning Board and the project’s ability to house “40 families who otherwise wouldn’t be able to live in Cambridge.” By the end of the evening, all five board members voted in favor of the permit.
Bruner/Cott is working with Capstone Communities and Hope Real Estate Enterprises to transform and expand an existing run-down 19th-century home into new housing. 1791 Mass Ave will provide long-term affordable housing for families and individuals with a design that complements the existing neighborhood and historic context, incorporates environmental sustainability, and promotes alternative transportation.
Of 149 firms that submitted entries, Bruner/Cott is thrilled to be named #14 overall in the 2017 Architect 50. This ranking is based on scores in three separate categories; business, sustainability, and design. From there, each firm’s performance is calculated relative to the performance of other firms, and ordered by highest composite score.
This year, Bruner/Cott scored a 260.5 overall, ranking 48 for business, 20 for sustainability, and 38 for design. This is a significant jump in rankings from previous years, and the firm is extremely grateful to be recognized for its hard work and overall growth.
Previous Years’ Rankings:
2017
Top 50 Overall: #14
Business: #48
Sustainability: #20
Design: #38
2016
Sustainability: #38
2015
Top 50 Overall: #46
Sustainability: #39
To learn more about the ARCHITECT methodology for computing this year’s ranking, click here.
To view Bruner/Cott’s firm page on the ARCHITECT 50 rankings, click here.
