In a recent laboratory fit-out for a University, the client requested that we design a place for greenery within the common spaces. For universities and companies that are looking to design LEED certified projects, or bring existing projects into LEED compliance, Green Walls can be a key factor in earning certification. Considerations, however, need to be made for a successful installation.
One of today’s most active areas of construction lies in tenant improvements to existing buildings. Particularly in the life sciences sector, there is constant churn as companies mature and move into larger spaces to meet their growing space demands. Mark Reed talks with John Matuszewski, a principal at McNamara/Salvia structural engineers, and Andy Coull, president of JM Coull, builders from Maynard, about issues that tenants frequently overlook.
In Paul Goldberger’s article in the New Yorker, dated September 19, 2011, he concludes with the notion that there is a “lurking irony” in the way scientists have been collaborating with architects in shaping their research space.
As lab designers, we often have the chance to work with remarkable scientists. So we were thrilled, but not surprised, that one of our current clients, Prof. Matthew Nock from Harvard University’s Psychology Department, was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (aka the “Genius Grant”) in September.
In our practice, we’ve seen a healthy demand for test-fitting laboratory designs into new and existing buildings. In this article, we will describe how our use of BIM allows for powerful graphics and extractable information to benefit landlords, tenants, institutions and builders alike in unexpected and exciting ways.
Drawings are the dominant means of communicating design in architecture. Individual drawings tell different parts of the story and traditionally each had to be drawn separately. In recent years the notion of drawing, and what it can communicate, has changed.
One of our industry’s greatest mechanical engineers, Mario Loiacono, passed away last week. To all who knew him, Mario was recognized as a great and loyal friend, a bottomless source of insight and knowledge, a mentor, a collaborator, and a wonderful person.
While in India this past February, I made a visit to the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur. Conceived as the embodiment of astronomical instrumentation, the Jantar Mantar is a series of building-sized measuring devices set in a park. The structures are a wonderful example of the intertwining of design and function.
I read an article in this past weekend’s Boston Sunday Globe about the importance of physical proximity in successful research. Drawn from a wide body of information, the story highlights the importance of day-to-day physical interaction between researchers in the biosciences.
When Mark and I decided to form our own practice, we thought about what we wanted to be. We wanted to continue the very hands-on design that inspired us to become architects in the first place. We also wanted to work on a wide range of project scales — from small fit-outs to larger renovations and new construction.
