As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the power of giving.

A ceremony on Hartford Street in Boston on November 12 welcomed 16 former US service members to the Pine Street Inn’s new Home for Homeless Veterans. Between them, the Home’s residents and staff have served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Others saw service at home or abroad during peacetime or in support of combat areas.

Shepley Bulfinch employees contributed to the renovation of the house as a transitional housing facility on a pro bono basis,  producing conceptual design schemes and preparing detailed construction drawings for the project.

We were one of a number of in-kind donors,  including ...[more]

The Icon Plaza at USC took home Silver in the LA Business Journal’s 2013 Commercial Real Estate Awards, which were announced on February 25. The 162,000 square foot student residence and retail development, which won in the mixed-use category, brings much-needed housing for USC students at the heart of the USC campus.

“In addition to creating a distinctive and prominent landmark, it was important that the design of the Icon Plaza reinforce a sense of connection to the USC campus,” said Jonah Busick, who oversaw construction and supplemental design.

Shepley Bulfinch led a series of major design modifications, including the reorientation of the central courtyard to align with USC’s principal pedestrian axis ...[more]

Beauty has been banned from the studio. She peers through cracks in boarded windows at the new architecture of performance. The story of her exile is one that spans two disparate events: Sullivan’s dangerous assertion that “form follows function” and the economic downturn that forced a restructuring of architectural practice in the 21st century.

The latter was the blow that erased Beauty’s place in public discourse. A capitalist economy relies on progress and growth, especially in times of duress; this necessity in times of dwindling funds produces a desire for cheaper, more efficient structures, where discussion of Beauty are seemingly moot. It appeared that for the contemporary client, a building’s ability ...[more]

Detroit celebrated its new home for pediatric specialty care today with blowing bubbles, a youth chorus, and a marching band at the Grand Opening of Children’s Hospital of Michigan Specialty Center on the campus of the Detroit Medical Center (DMC).

The $43 million specialty center represents the first completed structure following Vanguard Health Systems’ acquisition of DMC and marks the first major expansion for the campus in nearly 30 years.

The ceremony included remarks from DMC CEO Michael Duggan; Vanguard Chairman and CEO Charles Martin; and DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan ...[more]

Shepley Bulfinch is marking Arizona’s centennial with “Where were you in 1912?”, an exhibit of architectural renderings from the firm’s extensive archives that is now on display at the firm’s Phoenix studio. The selected works cover the period from 1910 to 1920, the decade of Arizona’s statehood. The exhibit’s highlight is a series of renderings of Phoenix’s Trinity Cathedral and Parish House.

Shepley Bulfinch’s presence in Arizona predates statehood, with the design of the Trinity Cathedral campus in 1910. The Parish House was dedicated in 1915 and the Cathedral was consecrated in 1920. Although its location in the Roosevelt ...[more]

The LINK received a Merit Award in Interior Design magazine’s Best of the Year 2010 awards, announced in New York on December 3. The Phoenix, Arizona, mixed-use building, which was renovated in 2008, is home to Shepley Bulfinch’s Phoenix design studio.

Located at the heart of Phoenix Cultural District, the 8,000 square foot building is a model of adaptive reuse, with a renovation that re-purposed the structural shell of this two-story mid-century commercial structure and transformed it into building stock for the 21st century. The design studio is located on the second ...[more]

The LINK took top honors in the 30th annual Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Awards, announced in Phoenix on October 2. The mixed-use building, which was renovated in 2008, received a Crescordia (first place) Award (Commercial/Mixed-Use) and a Merit Award (Historic Preservation).

In contrast to prevailing trends, the LINK boldly chooses to preserve the cultural identity of the structure’s facade and neighborhood while re-purposing it. Located at the heart of the Phoenix Cultural District, the 7,000 square foot LINK re-purposes the structural shell of this two-story mid-century commercial structure and, ...[more]

Construction continues on the new public library in Show Low, Arizona, with an anticipated opening this summer.

Designed by Merzproject of Phoenix, now a studio of Shepley Bulfinch, the library uses masonry and laminated timber construction that reflects the wood barn tradition of the region’s White Mountains. The design reflects an environmentally conscious approach to the project. A 150-foot long clerestory window brings daylight deep into the main hall, while other sustainable features include the use low-VOC and recycled-content finishes, high-efficiency plumbing and mechanical equipment, and regional materials, such as Arizona stone.

The new ...[more]