Shepley Bulfinch’s Worcester Trial Court (2007) is one of 95 courthouse projects nationwide selected for inclusion in Retrospective of Courthouse Design 2001-2010, published by the National Center for State Courts. The book was officially launched at Designing For Justice. the international conference on justice design, hosted in Boston by the AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice.

Worcester Trial Court is the first fully consolidated courthouse in the state, and was one of the first to employ court modernization technology and sustainable features.

The Worcester Trial Court is one ...[more]

As architects, making a positive environmental impact means being more than responsive to project needs: it means being active and deliberate in developing and applying research to make better, more energy-efficient buildings.

An important component of sustainability is the reduction of energy consumption. After all, less energy used translates to less fuel burned, which results in fewer emissions of global warming gases. In addition, less demand for energy results in a need for fewer power plants (whether coal burning or nuclear plants, or even photovoltaic arrays or windmills), using fewer natural resources for construction.

At ...[more]

A prime concern in the renovation of Gallatin Hall was the preservation of existing exterior masonry while ensuring the building’s energy efficiency. The masonry had behaved consistently through the freeze/thaw cycles of the previous 80 years, and we were concerned that complying with modern energy codes and LEED standards could have an adverse effect by moving the location of the dew point. Using energy modeling programs, we were able to determine that with 1” thick spray foam insulation, we could achieve an exterior wall assembly with an R-Value of 6 that didn’t drastically move the dew point from ...[more]

NORTHBORO, MA – Saint-Gobain marked the completion of the expansion of the firm’s largest international research center in Northboro, Massachusetts, with a ceremony on July 30 attended by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and company executives from around the world.

The $15 million R&D facility, which broke ground a year ago, provides 60,000 square feet of new lab, office and meeting space for 200 scientists and engineers involved in cutting-edge research into building materials, plastics, ceramics, and abrasives, as well as the development of state-of-the-art technology to promote energy efficiency in buildings. The Northboro site is the largest of Saint-Gobain’s four worldwide research centers.

The facility, which is targeting LEED Gold certification, ...[more]

The renovation of Gallatin Hall at Harvard Business School has received LEED-NC Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. It is the second residence hall and the fifth building at HBS to achieve LEED certification.

The renovation achieved a 98 percent recycling rate for construction waste management, diverting over 1,500 tons from entering landfills through salvage and recycling. As the project’s energy audit reveals, the renovation has reduced nearly 700 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to over 6 billion BTUs of energy or 1,000 barrels of oil. Low-flow plumbing fixtures will reduce domestic water use by nearly 30 percent compared to a standard building. Energy systems are tied ...[more]

Worcester, MA – The new Worcester Trial Court has opened to rave reviews, according to an article in today’s Worcester Telegram & Gazette. With the first of a series of staged moves from the old court facility to the new one, Worcester’s Juvenile and Housing Courts went into session on Monday.

The six-story building, which has 26 courtrooms, will eventually also house the Superior, Central District, Probate and Family Courts. The building’s design incorporates a range of sustainable features which will result in significant energy savings, and is considered a model for the state.

Worcester, MA – The recently completed Worcester Trial Court was among projects recognized in a feature on sustainable design that appeared today in the Worcester (MA) Telegram and Gazette.

The article made reference to the Action Plan for Green Buildings in Massachusetts State Construction Projects, published by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Division of Capital Asset Management in October 2006. The report cited the new Worcester Courthouse for its many sustainable design features, including .

Sustainable design features of the courthouse, include lighting, with designs that use natural light, and light and motion sensors, sophisticated heat exchange technology in its ventilation system, and other ‘green’ technologies.

The new ...[more]