Four of Shepley Bulfinch’s academic library clients topped the rankings for “Best College Library” in the 2010 Princeton Review survey of students at 373 top US colleges and universities. The four current or recent clients are Harvard (#1); Duke (#2); Princeton (#3), and Colgate (#4). In addition, Furman University, where the firm completed the 2004 LEED Gold Duke Library addition and renovation, was ranked #12.

Rankings were determined by responses from over 122,000 students to the survey question “How do you rate your school’s library facilities?”.

Colgate also came in ...[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]

BOSTON, MA – Harvard Business School celebrated the newly renovated Gallatin Hall the old-fashioned way – with an all-night party. As the HBS Bulletin notes, what better way to “road test” a dorm than to invite 73 friends over to sleep in its rooms and test its light switches, windows, and shower heads?

The gut renovation that stripped Gallatin down to its brick walls and concrete slabs transformed the McKim Mead and White building’s warren-like accommodations into the envy of the campus. Gallatin Hall is now ADA compliant, with universal access through a newly restored courtyard, teak rocking chairs and benches lining its elegant brick terrace. A glass-paneled second-floor footbridge ...[more]

PRINCETON, NJ – The result of the Princeton Review’s survey of 120,000 students at 368 top US colleges and universities ranked four campuses with recent or current Shepley-designed libraries on its “Best Library” list. The four are Princeton (#2), Duke (#3), Furman (#13), and Colgate (#18) universities.

Duke Library at Furman University was awarded LEED Gold certification by the US Green Building Council earlier this year, and the latest phase of the renovation of Perkins Library at Duke University is scheduled for completion at the end of the summer

Agnes Scott College in Decatur, where the firm’s projects include the school’s science center, was ranked 19th in “Best Classroom Experience”.

In a related ...[more]

Harvard University is marking the 75th anniversary of the completion of Memorial Church with a series of concerts, exhibits, and services. In honor of the occasion Shepley Bulfinch presented the Church with a framed gallery-quality print of the poster the design firm produced for Harvard’s tercentenary in 1936. The poster shows Memorial Church and the grandstands and banners also designed by the firm for the celebrations of Harvard’s 300th anniversary held in Harvard Yard.

Other events include “Heralds of Light: John Harvard and the Memorial Church”, an exhibit at the Pusey Library, and a concert by internationally renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma.

The Church, which was dedicated on Armistice Day (November 11, ...[more]

Six Shepley Bulfinch projects were among those showcased in the 2007 edition of Real Estate and Construction Review’s New England edition, published in October.

The projects that were highlighted were:

Amherst College, James and Stearns Residence Halls (Amherst, MA): Reconstruction of residence halls on historic quad

Dana Hall School, Shipley Athletic Center (Wellesley, MA): new athletic and student center

Harvard Business School, Baker Library (Boston, MA): renovation and expansion. Library programming, in association with Robert M Stern, prime architect

Keene State College, Zorn Dining Commons (Keene, NH): New campus dining facility

Redwood Library and Athenaeum (Newport, RI): restoration and renovation of historic library

Worcester Trial Court (Worcester, MA): new six-court judicial complex

Cambridge, MA – Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology held a 70th birthday celebration for Bessie and Victoria, the pair of life-sized bronze rhinoceros sculptures by Katherine Lane Weems that flank the entrance to Harvard’s Biological Laboratories. Featured speakers at the celebration included noted biologist E.O. Wilson. The two rhinos were adorned with makeup, jewelry and skirts for the festivities.

The Biological Laboratories were designed by Coolidge Shepley Bulfinch and Abbott in 1931; over 75 years later the building continues to be a central element of Harvard’s biology teaching and research programs.

In addition to sculpting the Labs’ beloved rhinos, Ms Weems also designed the entrance door panels and the ...[more]