The Lovett School’s Portman Middle School in Atlanta has received LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council in recognition of the school’s highly sustainable design and construction.

The project’s highly sustainable attributes include a green roof, which features an outdoor classroom and demonstration garden for water harvesting; a water collection and recycling program; the use of rapidly renewable materials; the recycling of construction waste; and a “Building Dashboard.” In addition to its LEED Gold certification, the project has earned an Energy Star rating from the US Environmental Protection Agency and ...[more]

Many of the papers of the late US Senator Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in US history, will be housed in the archives of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

The Center, which was designed by Shepley Bulfinch in association with Ellerbe Becket, was opened in August 2002.

It houses reference works pertaining to the study of Congress and the US Constitution, and includes archival research facilities, offices, classrooms and a 100-seat auditorium. The Rotunda Reading Room is used by ...[more]

One of Northern Ireland’s newest landmark buildings – the McClay Library at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland - was officially opened today by one of the University’s most famous alumni, Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney.

Speaking at the event, Dr Heaney lauded the new library, saying, calling it “a lightship for scholarship…” He went on to comment on how the library represents the role of technology in transforming how students learn. 

Illuminated by a multi-story open atrium, the 196,000 square foot building accommodates 2,000 reader places and 1.2 million volumes. Ground floor facilities ...[more]

Lovett Magazine, Spring 2010

A cover story in the Spring 2010 of Lovett magazine, the Atlanta school’s publication for alumni, parents, and friends of the school, celebrates the new Portman Family Middle School.

The school was dedicated in the fall of 2009.

ATLANTA, GA – The Portman Family Middle School was dedicated at The Lovett School today in a ceremony that drew attention to the school’s commitment to environmental stewardship. From the building’s design and operations to its students’ curriculum, sustainability is integrated throughout the 75,000 s.f. school, which opened for classes in September.

The facility provides sixth through eighth grade students with a technology-rich learning environment, including science labs, a computer lab, art and drama studios, collaborative study rooms, and a 500-seat multi-purpose room.

The school’s garden roof is an interactive learning space, with native plantings ...[more]

PHOENIX, AZ – The renovation and addition of O’Donnell Hall, home to New Mexico State University’s School of Education, was named “Best of 2009 New Mexico” by Southwest Contractor magazine. The annual competition, now in its 12th year, recognizes design and construction excellence in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.

Project teams will be honored at an awards ceremony in Albuquerque December 8. O’Donnell Hall will also be among the winning projects profiled in the December 2008 issue of the magazine.

At O’Donnell Hall’s September 2008 dedication, Michael Morehead, the College’s interim dean, called it “a magnificent building and… a place where future educators can learn and thrive in a tremendous facility”. He ...[more]

BROOKLYN, NY – Principal Alexander (Sandy) Howe, one of Shepley’s senior designers, received an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College as part of the school’s commencement ceremony earlier today. The degree was awarded in recognition of his design achievements in academic architecture, including the Brooklyn College Library, which was completed in 2003.

In addition to Brooklyn College, Sandy’s recent and current clients include the University of Notre Dame, the University of New Mexico, and Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

His design for the recent expansion of the Boole Library at ...[more]

CHICAGO, IL – Boole Library, the postgraduate research facility at University College Cork, Ireland, has received a 2008 International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

Built on the site of an ancient settlement the Library’s red sandstone exterior is a contemporary continuation of the settlement’s stone wall, while copper cladding and glass complete the façade. The design also responds to several massive specimen trees from the Victorian botanical garden that once occupied the site. The expanses of glass facing north offer views into the University’s Victorian quad, to the ...[more]