Shouldn’t the design of a healthcare facility begin with creating a healthy environment? That’s the argument Angela Watson makes in her article, “LEED by example: Using sustainable design to create a healing environment,” which appears in the January 2010 issue of Healthcare Design magazine. In the article, she discusses the process behind Concord Hospital’s 2008 expansion and renovation, and the hospital’s subsequent receipt of LEED certification, the first in northern New England to be so recognized.

Healthcare Design article

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]

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]

Shepley Bulfinch was “three for three” in surveys that appeared in Architectural Record and Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazines this week for top design and green design firms, and top firms in the US, based on firms’ 2008 revenues.

Architectural Record put Shepley at #89 in its survey of the 250 leading design firms in the US, while ENR’s survey of the 500 top firms, which placed Shepley at #338 (2008 rank: #359) included all responding firms’ architecture, engineering, and construction revenues.

ENR ranked Shepley Bulfinch at #54, up from #59 in 2008 in its annual survey of Top 100 Green Design Firms. Rankings are based on 2008 revenues from projects registered ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch was one of 30 charter firms to sign up for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2030 Commitment Program, which was launched today at the AIA National Convention in San Francisco. The national initiative targets carbon neutrality in the built environment.

Shepley Bulfinch and other firms are working with the AIA to address the fact that buildings are the largest single contributor to the production of greenhouse gases. The AIA 2030 Commitment’s signatories make a pledge, develop multi-year action plans, and implement steps to advance the AIA’s goal of carbon neutral buildings by the year 2030.

Being among the first firms to sign up for the AIA 2030 Commitment is ...[more]

CINCINNATI, OH –Two prominent academic buildings now under construction will create a dramatic new gateway for the Jesuit university campus, according to today’s Cincinnati Business Courier.

The Williams College of Business and a Learning Commons are part of the first phase of construction of the Hoff Academic Quad, a project that Bob Sheeran, the university’s vice president for facilities management, told the Business Courier is “really a transformational project for the campus.”

The two 85,000 s.f buildings are being designed to LEED Silver standards with sustainable features including materials sourcing and selection, thermal and lighting controls, and a high-performance building envelope.

The first phase of the 12-acre project, which broke ground last fall, ...[more]

NEW YORK, NY – The October issue of New York Construction magazine includes a feature on Yale-New Haven Cancer Hospital, which is now under construction.

The feature, part of the magazine’s Healthcare Overview, provides details of the 14-story building’s construction including the terra cotta exterior, which incorporates a water drainage system, or rain screen. The project, which includes a range of sustainable design and construction features, is targeting LEED certification.

The hospital will be the most comprehensive cancer care facility in southern New England, with 112 inpatient beds, outpatient treatment rooms, expanded operating rooms, infusion suites, diagnostic imaging services, and a women’s cancer center, as well as floors for diagnostic and therapeutic ...[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]