Two months before the second anniversary of Haiti’s devastating January 2010 earthquake, the vision of a dignified and productive life for Haitians living with disabilities reached a major milestone this week as construction began on the Center for Rehabilitation and Excellence in St. Marc.

When it opens next year, the 6700 sf facility will transform immediate and long-term delivery of rehabilitation services in central Haiti while dignifying and normalizing the daily lives of people living with disabilities. The center will establish new national standards for rehabilitative care in ...[more]

What is the value of design? Businesses and institutions struggle with this question on a regular basis as they weigh concerns about budget, timing, and a variety of other factors against the priority of design. Several organizations, like Apple Computer, have seen the benefit of prioritizing design, and have made it a part of their core message.

As the this Oct. 10 New York Times article points out, good design can have a powerful impact on the urban landscape. One city, New York, has lately taken the initiative to prioritize good design in new public buildings. As architects, we take the advantages of strong design for granted. How can ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch’s design of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is cited as a model of how to design for flexible implementation in Richard De Neufville’s new book, “Flexibility in Engineering Design,” pub- lished by MIT Press in September. The original design of the medical center, which opened in 1991, enabled subsequent vertical and horizontal expansion.

The book offers a high-level overview of why flexibility in design is needed to deliver significantly increased value. It describes in detail methods to identify, select, and implement useful flexibility. For Dartmouth-Hitchcock, that meant development and execution of ...[more]

Tad Jusczyk gave everyone at Shepley a remarkable new perspective as he journeyed from Xi’an to Venice this past summer as Shepley Bulfinch’s inaugural Howe Traveling Fellow. As Tad traveled we shared his discoveries and observations on his blog, The Long Road to Venice. Since his return, they have enriched our design dialogue.

His journeys were also documented in Tour de Force, a Boston Society of Architects’ online feature and slideshow.

The Howe Traveling Fellowship is a grant for travel and exploration for Shepley Bulfinch staff, supported by the firm to honor ...[more]

Saint Peter’s College broke ground on the MacMahon Student Center October 26 in a ceremony attended by members of the college community and civic and political leaders.

In his remarks, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healey noted that the 84,000 s.f. building would be transformative not only as Saint Peter’s first student center, but also in its wider role in the revitalization of McGinley Square and Jersey City.

Student Government Association president Venny Turner expressed the anticipation felt by resident and commuter students alike, and called it “Saint Peter’s ...[more]

Bishop Fenwick Place, Xavier University’s new residential and dining complex, was dedicated last month in a ceremony that celebrated the transformational residence and dining complex on the Cincinnati campus.

Fenwick Place is home to 535 sophomores with suite-style living in four connected wings that rise above a green terrace. The terrace also serves as the roof of Hoff Dining Commons, the university’s new central dining facility. The new Commons seats up to 700, while a retail dining component has seating that spills onto the patio outside. The 245,000 square-foot ...[more]

The University of New Mexico’s Science and Math Learning Center in Albuquerque has received LEEDGold certification from the US Green Building Council.

The LEED® for Schools™ rating system under which it was certified addresses core learning areas and requires higher performance standards for air quality, acoustics, daylighting, and thermal comfort than other LEED programs. 

The project deploys a wide range of sustainable design strategies and techniques that focus on enhancing the learning environment and fulfills the University’s commitment to establishing a green footprint.

The Science and Math Learning ...[more]