Beauty may be more than skin deep, but when you’re talking about energy-efficient buildings, it starts with the building envelope.  Strategies for detailing and specifying for high-performance building enclosures are discussed in “Energy performance starts at the building envelope,” in the December 2011 issue of Building Design + Construction (BD+C).

The article features three members of Shepley Bulfinch’s in-house Technical Advisory Council – Greta Eckhardt, Mark Finneral, and Dan Salive – among the design and construction professionals who offer their insights and strategies regarding thermal performance and materials.

Energy performance ...[more]

Why do buildings last? How do we design flexible spaces that can change and adapt? 

A team from Shepley took on this question as part of the Open Building conference at Build Boston last month. The conference tasked three firms – Shepley, Payette, and Cannon – to propose a building that would evolve over time to house multiple uses on a large scale site in Somerville. We took the long historical view and, after a week of exhaustive debate, found that architectural systems which are designed to change rarely work or ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch was honored as one of 2011’s Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts in an event hosted by the Boston Business Journal and the Commonwealth Institute earlier today to honor Massachusetts’ largest women-led companies and their impact on the state’s economy.

Carole Wedge, who has been Shepley’s president since 2004, was on hand to receive the award.

Earlier this year, the firm was honored by the American Institute of Architects in the AIA’s Diversity Recognition Program.

The 100 firms honored today span the spectrum of business sectors, and included the TJX Companies, Sonesta International Hotels, and Constant Contact.

Boston Business Journal article – December 1, 2011

As a response to the ongoing quest to reduce energy consumption, chilled beams are experiencing a surge in popularity, according to “Chill Out: A look at passive and active chilled-beam systems,” which appears in the current issue of eco-structure magazine. In the article, Shepley Bulfinch’s Jonathan Baron discusses the importance of understanding a building’s thermal dynamics and the environments for which chilled beam systems are best suited.

In his interview with writer Judith Stock, Jonathan talks about strategies for addressing potential condensation issues, as well as the need for close coordination with ...[more]

It’s dedication day for Harvard’s innovation lab in Boston, but the buzz has been building all fall.

Shepley worked with Harvard to fast-track the creation of Batten Hall and the i-lab, transforming the old studios of WGBH into a high-energy space for campus and community. Say goodbye to the studios where Julia Child and Zoom! were filmed and hello to workshops and wide-open (and wired) spaces.

Or should we say ‘Hi,’ in the spirit of the i-lab’s signature logo, which Shepley created as part of the innovation lab’s brand?

Even before today’s events, i-lab director Gordon ...[more]