Boston Public Library’s new new torchieres for the iconic John Singer Sargent Gallery are celebrated in a feature in the January/February 2010 issue of Architectural Lighting magazine. As Joe Bille, the project’s interior designer, notes in the article, “Conceptually, Shepley’s design goal was to create a fixture that was not so much ‘in’ the space as ‘of’ the space … We used the Sargent murals themselves as a guide and source of inspiration.” The firm worked with Lam Partners of Cambridge on the lighting installation.

The gallery lighting is the ...[more]

Bloomington, IL – Site preparation is now underway at Illinois Wesleyan for the newest addition to the university’s main quad: a technology-rich classroom building with a wide array of classroom, study, and social spaces.

Sustainability is the watchword from project outset, as construction waste and debris from the site is recycled. The brick-clad building will be highly energy-efficient, with generous use of natural light and a geothermal field below.

The new classroom building is Shepley Bulfinch’s third project on the Illinois Wesleyan campus, following the Ames Library, which opened in ...[more]

The design team of Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Lake|Flato Architects of San Antonio has begun schematic design for Austin’s New Central Library.

A destination and a city landmark in the making, the New Central Library will welcome residents to a facility that emphasizes the delivery of information in both electronic and book formats, and includes a mix of lively and contemplative spaces. Collections will be displayed to encourage discovery, supported by state-of-the-art technologies integrated throughout the facility.

“What will the library need to be 30 years from now? In 2009, we could not have envisioned the astonishing development of e-books, tablets, and smartphones in 2010,” said Sid Bowen, managing principal of ...[more]

AUSTIN, TX – Austin, TX (December 11, 2008) – In their meeting today, the Austin City Council selected the team of Shepley Bulfinch and Lake|Flato to design the city’s new $90 million Central Library.

With 250,000 sf of space, the new library wil more than double the space of the city’s 110,000 sf John Henry Faulk Central Library, which was built in 1979.

As part of the design process, Austin Public Library in conjunction with the Library Commission and the Austin Public Library Foundation will actively seek citizen input through a series of public design charrettes. The library is scheduled to open in mid-2014.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Collaboration and research were key words at the dedication of the University of New Mexico’s Centennial Engineering Center today where Figaro, a student-built robot, cut the ceremonial ribbon.

“The Centennial Engineering Center will enable us to serve students in engineering and CS by giving them the hands-on experiences that are critical for the 21st century,” said Dean Joseph Cecchi in remarks to 400 invited guests. “The Center will increase the School’s capacity for innovation, multidisciplinary research, developing patents, creating new businesses, and economic growth.”

The New Mexico Business Weekly called the Center ...[more]

AUGUSTA, ME – The new home of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center at the University of Maine was dedicated today in a moving ceremony attended by Holocaust survivors, dignitaries, and members of the University community. Governor John Baldacci spoke at the event, as did German Consul-General Wolfgang Vorwerk.

This center for Holocaust education is sited on a hill on the University’s Augusta campus. Shepley Bulfinch’s design was the result of an open international competition in 2004. The design concept is based on the metaphor of a flower: curved petal forms create a sense of shelter, with the copper-clad walls pulling away to define a light-filled exhibit space.

The Center opens to ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch’s open and collaborative Boston office and design studio wins kudos in the newly published book, Innovations in Office Design: The Critical Influence Approach to Effective Work Environments, by Diane Stegmeier (John Wiley & Sons, Inc).

The firm’s Seaport District office is cited as an exemplar of workplace design, inspiring collaboration, information exchange, and the generation of new ideas. Attention is drawn to the office’s clustering spaces for scheduled and spontaneous interaction, where staff members cross paths while arriving for a planned project meeting, an impromptu team brainstorming session, or a casual one-on-one dialogue. The open environment fosters a culture in which Shepley staff can easily leverage the creativity ...[more]