Inspiration
Stair Reconstruction
In the center of the Edward Brooke Mattapan Charter School is a unique egress stair, an anomaly compared to what is a necessary, yet nondescript, element of many buildings. In much commercial construction, egress stairs are designed solely for the logistical purpose of getting occupants out in the event of an emergency. In schools, however, while still providing that code-required functionality, egress stairs also serve as arteries for student movement. Since these stairs are central to a school’s vertical circulation patterns, considering the spatial qualities of an egress stair is just as important as making sure that it is code-compliant…
Brooklyn Boulders Grand Opening
We’re so happy to join Brooklyn Boulders at the Grand Opening of their new rock climbing gym tonight. The 38,000-square-foot gym has 45-foot tall climbing walls (the largest bouldering walls in the Northeast!), yoga, weights, treadmills, and copious ways to join in the fun – from kid’s programs to climbing classes to commercial incubator space for business start-ups…
Windmills
I recently came back from upstate NY and got a chance to revisit my extended family’s windmills. My sister-in-law’s family scaled back their farming over ten years ago and now rent out part of their land for seven windmills. Most of the land around the windmills is still in rotation, so it’s a relatively fluid and symbiotic relationship…
It Starts With Light
Recently, I had the chance to visit the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The little art museum by Louis Kahn is one of those master works we study in architecture school, learning by re-drawing its plan, section, and details. It seems simple. Six rows of barrel vaults with some space left out in the middle for a small exterior garden. Concrete, travertine marble, and some drywall. But what Kahn did with those few things! …
Rebuilding Together
I recently participated in a volunteer event organized by Rebuilding Together Boston. Rebuilding Together’s mission is to provide critical repairs and renovations for low-income homeowners across the United States. The organization gathered about 300 volunteers to participate in building rehabilitation projects throughout the city. The site I visited was a Dorchester home owned by a 63-year-old single woman who suffers from…
Women’s Lunch Place Volunteer Session
On a recent Saturday morning, Arrowstreet sent three volunteers to help staff the early shift at the Women’s Lunch Place. A privately funded, non-profit organization operated almost entirely by volunteers, the Women’s Lunch Place provides meals and other services on a daily basis to the homeless and underprivileged women of Boston. Their kitchen and cafeteria are housed in a pleasant and brightly-lit space which Arrowstreet helped renovate in 2011 in the basement of the Church of the Covenant on Newbury Street…
Sustainability is Good Business
Last month I had the opportunity to attend the Boston Chamber event “Making the Business Case for Sustainability”. This was a panel discussion of the integration of sustainability into business with representatives Johanna Jobin from EMD Millipore, Carolyn Kaplan from Nixon Peabody LLP, and Tony Calandro from VOX Global. The panelists represented varying industries, from service to production, which provided a range of perspectives on what sustainability means to various sectors…
Rechler Corporate Headquarters Wins EDC Award
We’re happy to announce that the Rechler Corporate Headquarters has been awarded EDC Magazine’s Excellence in Design Award in the Commercial Renovation category. The award honors the building’s unique sustainable strategies, such as its highly efficient, super-insulated building envelope. The project will be featured in EDC Magazine’s June issue, along with a podcast on their website.
Check out the video above (1:50 – 2:50), and for more information on this project and the other winners check out the awards webpage.
Four Season Commuting
With the onset of spring, many people focus their attention on spending more time outdoors. A popular choice is cycling, particularly here in New England which has a strong history of mountain biking and road riding. I’d like to share some advice about combining a few passions many of us share – as my son says, “saving the world”, exercise, and something we all need to do: commuting to work…
101 Main Street
Arrowstreet recently designed Biomed’s new Cambridge offices. The 9,300 square foot space on the 16th floor at 101 Main St. features a display wall spine that curves through the space with interactive large screen and pin-up displays of current projects. The wall draws visitors past conference rooms that overlook Biomed projects in Boston and Cambridge. Other features include a central café bar, open and visually transparent work spaces, and exposed ceilings with acoustic treatment. The project was a great team effort, with construction by Moriarty.