Inspiration
Designing Sophisticated Coastal Interiors
Arrowstreet’s interiors group is working with our architectural team to design a variety of spaces in a new, 230-unit residential development on the beach in Revere, MA. The concept developed for the exterior was successfully carried into the interior spaces, expressing a sense of sophisticated coastal living. The approach to the interior design was centered on creating an inviting, warm…
Cambridge Net Zero Breakfast
Join me as the USGBC MA’s Advocacy Committee welcomes Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Transportation and Environmental Planning for the City of Cambridge. Susanne will be speaking about Cambridge’s Net Zero Plan. Cambridge is leading the way for a net zero future in Massachusetts, and their policy can provide ideas for other municipalities to create successful plans for their communities. Listen as we discuss…
Visiting the Net-Zero Energy Test Facility
In Gaithersburg, Maryland the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has built a Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF), which I was able to visit while participating in Greenbuild DC. It’s home to a four-member robot “virtual family” and a lab to keep track of the energy data that their household produces. The house is used to demonstrate that…
New Tech at Greenbuild DC
Greenbuild DC introduced the next generation of user controlled systems that make environments more interesting and comfortable. In our studio, there seems to be a constant struggle to find a temperature on which everyone can agree. These new technologies allow users a whole new level of control, without the use of more energy. In some cases, they can even result…
Successful Public Spaces Are All About Edges
In the past few days I have attended three presentations about designing successful public spaces, two at ABX and one sponsored by Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance. I learned a new word, thigmotactic. A strict definition is something like contact-loving, but in the context of placemaking it is generally used to mean edge-seeking. When selecting a place to stop and rest,…
Lost and Found Blueprints
Many times when we are doing renovation projects, we are left to our own resources to figure out how the building was designed and built. We were recently across the street from our studio, walking through the basement of one of the buildings at the old Fidelity block, (which will become the new Congress Square project), when we came across some drawings of the buildings…
Adaptive Migration in Urban Planning
Last week, I attended the 3rd annual ACCO Rising Seas Summit, which brought more than 300 professionals together to highlight the interrelationships between sea level rise, climate change, and extreme events. One topic discussed that is particularly interesting was adaptive migration, which looks at the affects an influx of new residents would have on an outside community if they were…
Project Bread’s Fall Harvest Fest
The first Project Bread Fall Harvest Fest was held in support of their Chefs in Schools program, and we were honored to be in attendance. Our recently completed Fenway High School project is the test kitchen for the Chefs in Schools program with Boston Public Schools. The Fenway High cafeteria is where they are continuously trying out new recipes and…
Behind “The Science Behind Pixar”
This week, Lauren Haggerty and I had the pleasure of listening to the Museum of Science’s designers talk about “The Science Behind Pixar,” a traveling exhibit currently on display. The Museum of Science has spent the better part of the last few years collaborating with Pixar to accurately show the technical side of what goes into a Pixar movie. A…
Illuminus Boston 2015
It’s the second year an interactive light and sound event lit up the night in Boston. This past weekend, Illuminus, the last event of HUBweek, took over Lansdowne Street and the lower concourse of Fenway Park. This event showcases the creative and boundary-pushing abilities of artists and technology that is at our fingertips. I attended Illuminus last year and was…