 The 46 Blackstone Street renovation unified three 19th-century masonry buildings into an environmentally sustainable workplace for Harvard University Operations Services (UOS). A glazed 100'-long lightslot joins the buildings, and a three-story skylit stairway allows light deep into the building. Over 90% of occupants now enjoy daylight, fresh air and views from operable windows. Blackstone was Harvard's first LEED Platinum-certified building, and a model for environmental design on campus. At the time of completion, it was the highest-scoring LEED renovation in the nation, and the oldest building to earn Platinum certification. Energy-saving features include an innovative insulation system at the historic brick walls, a geothermal cooling system, and a heat recovery wheel. Energy-efficient, low-VOC equipment and materials were used throughout (including daylight sensors, occupant sensors, and an energy-efficient elevator). A landscaped courtyard, sculpted from earth excavated during construction, requires no irrigation; a bio-retention pond treats storm water runoff. 

Harvard University Blackstone Offices

Harvard's Blackstone Offices is the first LEED Platinum Building at Harvard.  The Architect shares the experience.  


 The building faces the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a landscaped parkland joining downtown Boston to the harbor. The 13 luxury condominiums feature 20-foot balconies and generous spans of glass, taking full advantage of the spectacular park view. Working closely with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Boston Landmarks Commission, Bruner/Cott`s design articulates three different periods in the history of this landmark Boston warehouse: the original Granite Style speculative warehouse structure by Gridley Bryant, the brick demising wall with small punched windows exposed by demolition for the Central Artery, and the new design. The design reorganizes this &ldquo;found fa&ccedil;ade&rdquo;; balconies and a timber trellis reinterpret the end elevation, truncated in the 1950s by construction of the Artery. 

Greenway Place

 At the heart of Harvard Yard, University Hall houses important administrative and meeting rooms &mdash; notably, the offices of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The large, symmetrical building was designed in 1813 by Charles Bulfinch, primary architect of the United States Capitol and the Massachusetts State House. A neoclassical icon, University Hall is one of the most important historic structures in New England. This major restoration transformed the aging landmark into a functionally modern, code compliant building. Work included extensive historic restoration and discreet insertion of all-new mechanical and electrical systems, with respect for the building`s historic context, proportions and materials. Lifts and concealed ramps were integrated within the building and with the landscape of Harvard Yard. Significant structural repairs included the restoration of spalling exterior granite and reconstruction of sagging entry stairs. In the original basement, excavation increased headroom for meeting rooms and offices, and provided a new sub-basement level for mechanical equipment. 

Harvard Yard

University Hall

 With the Holyoke Center (1958-1965), architect Jos&eacute; Luis Sert set a new direction for increased density and large-scale modern architecture at Harvard University. Working closely with Werner Gumpertz on construction details, the building introduced radically innovative design to the building`s exterior envelope. It exploited the full potential of the 100` zoning envelope in place in Cambridge at the time, and has became the model urban design solution for expanding an institution on valuable city real estate. The building was first renovated in 1995 by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates which expanded commercial uses and character on street level. In 2000, it was renovated by Chan Krieger and Associates who added new lighting, new interior finishes, automatic sunshade control and new signage system. In 2008 Bruner/Cott with the engineering firm Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger created a comprehensive analysis of the building envelope performance to emphasize energy efficiency, and suggested strategies to markedly reduce heat loss and solar gain, improve resistance to wind and rain, and increase user comfort. 

Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center

 It is rare and refreshing to see a museum architect collaborate with an artist in the design of a gallery for the artist's work. In this case, an abandoned textile mill served as a found object into which the art of Sol LeWitt was inserted. The three-story mill building was kept in its original state and any contemporary elements, such as ductwork and wiring, were concealed, which is reminiscent of Donald Judd's work in Marfa, Texas. As a result, the gritty existing materials form a physical and poetic setting for the sharpness and brilliant color of the artist's work. The jury recognized the restraint the architect displayed in creating these gutsy spaces, not unlike the studios in which LeWitt worked all of his life. Compelling and memorable. 

MASS MoCA

Sol LeWitt Gallery at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

Forty-four new loft-style residences in the early 20th century brick and timber factory at 35 Channel Center are helping to redefine a post-industrial Boston neighborhood as part of the vibrant, growing Fort Point District.

Interiors feature restored rough timber framework, unique brick detailing, existing antique fire doors, and fragments of obsolete machinery. Open floor plans and slim-profile, wall-facing kitchens create expanses of space. Exposed ductwork and historically accurate, energy efficient windows deliver comfort while preserving the building’s character and existing industrial elements.

35 Channel Center

The Richard J. Resch Boathouse at MIT underwent a substantial renovation in 2020-21. The renovation aimed to enhance the experience of student-athletes in MIT’s Division 1 crew program, club rowers, and community groups.

The boathouse, originally designed by Anderson, Beckwith &amp; Haible and dedicated in 1966, began as the home of a single crew team. Over the years, MIT’s rowing program has grown considerably and now consists of four Division 1 varsity squads (80 men and 90 women). The renovation was aimed to support this growth and enhance the experience of the teams and the community.

MIT Boathouse

Richard J. Resch Boathouse

ABOUT THE BUILDING Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Hayden Building is part of a larger genealogy in the design of buildings leading up to the first skyscrapers. H.H. Richardson`s grand simple gesture of massive stone and grouped windows in sequence gave large buildings a sense of monumentality and nobility. Richardson showed architects how to express the scale of increasingly larger buildings without overusing ornament. The Hayden Building is one the last remaining and earliest built example of this significant change in the design of large buildings. -CUBE design + research, LLC ABOUT THE HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS It probably boasts the most muscle-bound architecture of any building of its tiny size in Boston. It's the Hayden Building, battered but still standing at the corner of Washington and LaGrange in the Combat Zone. The Hayden replaced a drugstore that exploded on this site in 1875, killing five and leaving the debris we see in the old photo. The greatest of Boston architects, Henry Hobson Richardson (his Trinity Church, in Copley Square, was under construction at the time) designed the building as four stories of office space above a ground-floor shop. He made its burly walls of rough brownstone, and its massive arches and lintels out of equally rough granite. Richardson's client was the estate of his wife's parents, and historians think that he may have employed the Hayden as an experimental prototype for a more important commission) the famous Marshall Field Wholesale Store, in Chicago (now demolished). In recent decades, the Hayden changed along with its neighborhood, housing a peep show on the ground floor and a gay bathhouse above, until being gutted by a fire in 1985. It is now jointly owned by Chinatown businessman David Wong and Historic Boston Inc., a private preservation group. They're about to scrub a century of soot from the masonry, which, in the case of the brownstone, is a rare salmon-colored variety. T'he Hayden is an official Boston landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. -Robert Campbell and Peter Vanderwarker, "CITYSCAPES - The Hayden Building",Boston Globe, 7 August 1994

The Hayden Building

Hayden Building

 Peabody Terrace Graduate Student Housing was designed in the 1960s by Jos&eacute; Luis Sert, then Dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Today, the high-rise towers are important examples of poured-in-place reinforced concrete modernist design; architects from around the world come to study the iconic housing complex. Thirty years of unfortunate maintenance decisions had left the towers in desperate need of repair and modernization. Exterior work included repairs to the concrete envelope, complete replacement of the original window walls, and a full accessibility review. Interior work upgraded all critical building systems. Collaboration with the student-tenants helped to define the issues and support a contemporary lifestyle in common spaces and apartments. Improving the function of modernist landmarks lets a new generation appreciate important 20th century modernist buildings. Today, Peabody Terrace is one of the most popular Harvard-affiliated housing sites 

Peabody Terrace

David Fixler discusses Walter Gropius's design influence on Harvard's campus. 

The MIT Sloan School of Management  is an integral part of the campus on many levels. The new building and master plan strengthens connections to the MIT Campus and Cambridge region, creates a social, academic and symbolic “Heart” within the East Campus and consolidates faculty to promote intellectual collaboration. This is achieved within an environmentally optimized building that allows for flexible programmatic implementation in the future. The 215,000 GSF project includes MIT Sloan faculty offices, MIT Sloan classrooms, executive education, dining, group study, related social spaces and below-grade parking.

The building is high-performance, providing superior energy efficiency and creating a healthy environment by design. Sustainable elements include an effectively insulating building exterior and window system, sun shading devices and is ready to accept photovoltaic panels. The third floor flat roof is designed as a “green” sedum roof that is attractive, low-maintenance and reduces peak rainwater runoff.

Creating and strengthening connections at multiple scales is one of the project’s primary goals. The design establishes these connections, which range from urban and campus-wide connections to fostering greater interaction between faculty and students on an individual level. The daylight-filled Gallery on the ground floor provides a social heart to the MIT Sloan campus. Encompassed by the dining facility, student lounges, business center and breakout spaces, the Gallery embraces the river court, which connects the interior to the landscape. The MIT Sloan School of Management is a vital part of the connective tissue of the MIT campus as a whole, while simultaneously existing as an independent entity, unique in character.


MIT Sloan School of Management

 A three-story atrium forms the core of the revitalized Stratton Student Center. The new atrium lightens the building, allowing natural light into the deep floor plan &mdash; more than 300 tons of concrete were removed from the existing building to build the space. The atrium provides visual and immediate stair connections from the main retail level to second floor dining services and the third floor coffee house, reducing dependence on the building`s elevators. Working with MIT in a participatory planning process, Bruner/Cott developed a program response through a university-wide survey to identify the goals of user groups. Today students, faculty, alumni, parents, neighborhood residents and guests make full use of the Stratton Center`s informal sunlit lounges and retail spaces. The renovation included a 425-seat main dining room, two new kitchens and a food court-style servery, increasing choice and reducing wait times. Conference and dining spaces were added in key locations throughout the Student Center with associated systems for catering and tel/data support. 

Stratton Student Center

Gund Hall, home of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, showcases innovative architectural elements for its time such as a poured concrete construction and a stepped, trussed glass roof that covers a vast studio space organized on five terraces, also known as “the trays”. Notably, the building rises to meet its neighboring Memorial Hall and includes a covered arcade for pedestrians on the Quincy Street facade. Gund Hall brought together the different divisions of the Design School under one clear-span roof, promoting communication and collaboration between departments. With its unique architectural expression and functional design, Gund Hall exemplifies an innovative approach to spatial organization and integration of diverse disciplines, making it an iconic structure within design education.

The steel and glass roof construction was innovative for its time

Gund Hall

Memorial Hall was conceived by Harvard alumni in memory of Harvard affiliates who fell during the Civil War. The architects were invited in 1865. In 1870, the building was named Memorial Hall and the cornerstone was laid. The building went into use in 1874, and the tower was finally completed in 1877. There are many stained-glass windows inside the Memorial Hall complex, including four by John La Farge. The windows were installed between 1879 and 1902.

Today, Memorial Hall is used for large lecture classes, performances for the Harvard community and beyond, and as the Freshman dining hall. Visitors cannot enter the dining hall. In the basement is the Queenshead Pub, Harvard's student pub.

Dedicated in 1874, Alumni Hall was used as a dining commons until it closed in 1926. After a series of large-scale renovations funded by Walter Annenberg, it was renamed Annenberg Hall in 1996, and now serves as the freshman dining hall.

Designed primarily as an academic lecture hall for Harvard College, Sanders Theatre opened to student use in 1876. Throughout its history, Sanders has also hosted many musical and theatrical student groups on campus.

Memorial Hall

The Project Principal shares the history of Memorial Hall and the process of the renovation.

When you enter campus through the main entrance, take a left. You will pass the admissions building and the round Spingold Theatre building, both on your left. The Rose Art Museum will be on your left.

Boston University School of Law

University of Massachusetts

Bruner/Cott & Associates is an architecture and planning firm based in Cambridge. Recipient of the AIA National Honor Award for Design, projects include campus, cultural, and commercial initiatives as well as master planning, new construction, rehabilitation of historically significant buildings, and the adaptive reuse of mid-century modern buildings.  

Bruner/Cott & Associates

Simeon Bruner talks about the planning process of Mass MoCA

This is a podcast about the building of the Museum and transforming it from the mill buildings.

Carol Berens, VP of the Empire State Development Corporation, details the evolution of the Mass MoCA site in North Adams, MA, from a waterfront textile manufacturer to what is now the largest contemporary arts center in the US.  

The Project Architect shares the renovation process. 

The Architect shares some of the challenges faced in the development of this project.

Bruner/Cott & Associates

SITES

PLAYLISTS CURATED by Bruner/Cott & Associates