Another Grand Plan for the South Boston Waterfront The redevelopment of Boston’s waterfront has been a start-stop affair in recent years. Now, another grand project is planned for the area, and this one is particularly ambitious. Images courtesy Gale International Seaport Square is a planned, 23-acre development featuring 19 buildings designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind, HOK, and CBT Architects, among others. In May, developer Gale International and partner Morgan Stanley filed a proposal for Seaport Square, a 23-acre mixed-used development featuring 19 buildings designed by the likes of Studio Daniel Libeskind, HOK, and CBT Architects. The 6.5-million-square-foot, $3.5 billion project—one
While officially neutral on green-building rating systems, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently parsed three of them in an effort to evaluate how well they align with the association’s sustainability goals. In its report, which was released in May, it carefully avoided picking a favorite of the three systems: t he U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED NC 2.2, the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes, and The International Initiative for a Sustainable Environment’s SBTool 07. The intent of the study was simply to assess their strengths and weaknesses, says Jessyca Henderson, an AIA staff architect. “The AIA is neutral,” she
The revival of a scenario first envisioned some 30 years ago could yield Boston’s tallest residential building. Simon Property Group has unveiled plans for a 47-story luxury condo tower atop its Copley Place Mall, an upscale shopping hub in the historic Back Bay neighborhood. The proposed project, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, would also add more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space to the retail center. Images courtesy Simon Property Group Elkus Manfredi Architects is designing a slender, 47-story luxury condo tower (pictured left of center in middle image) that will sit atop Copley Place Mall, an upscale shopping
The U.S. Green Building Council is giving the public a look at the first fruits of its sweeping revision of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. On May 19, the organization posted the working draft of LEED 2009 for a 30-day public comment period. LEED 2009 is the rating system component of a larger program referred to as LEED Version 3 (LEED v3), which will replace LEED 2.2. Other features of the new program include a revamped online project management tool and an expanded third-party certification process. In general, LEED 2009 increases the rating system's emphasis on
The first quarter of 2008 was a bleak one for architects—and conditions are not likely to improve anytime soon. The Architectural Billings Index (ABI), a key measure of the market for architectural services compiled by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), opened the year with a three-month skid, ending the first quarter at the lowest point in its 12-year history. March’s anemic ABI score of 39.7—a number over 50 indicates an increase in billing activity and below 50, a decrease—marks a 15-point drop from December’s 55. While some firms are still reporting high volumes of work, even the most optimistic
Columbia University, New York University, and other schools are planting ever larger footprints throughout Manhattan. But the Big Apple has plenty of company in managing tensions between academic institutions and their urban neighbors. Boston, the quintessential college town, is in for major changes as its schools accelerate their building programs. Although local officials generally welcome such projects, some plans are testing town-gown relationships. Photo courtesy Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Boston is in for major changes as Harvard University, Boston College, and Boston University all accelerate their building programs. The expansion of Harvard University’s campus in Allston, on the Boston side of
As economists track mounting evidence of a recession in the U.S., data released yesterday reveal that a key measure of the market for architectural services, the Architectural Billings Index (ABI), a survey of firms’ billings compiled by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), fell steeply during the month of February—the second tumble in as many months and the largest consecutive decrease in the ABI’s 13-year history. From its score of 55 in December 2007, the ABI dropped 4.3 points in January, ending the month at 50.7. This was followed in February by an 8.9-point plunge, for a score of 41.8.
In a ruling that could help bolster the enforcement of zoning ordinances that cap house size, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently upheld the authority of local communities to restrict overbuilding. Although the case is one of a handful around the nation to take up the issue so far, interest in smart growth and sustainability is increasingly focusing regulators’ attention on house size—and this could ultimately accrue to the benefit of architects. “It’s a very telling sign that the court is addressing the significance of mansionization,” says Lora Lucero, a staff attorney with the American Planning Association. “The justices focused on the
Some three years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita swept through the Gulf of Mexico, temporary housing provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) remains in the news. Earlier this month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported dangerously high levels of formaldehyde in some of the thousands of FEMA trailers sent to the Gulf, adding urgency to the agency’s efforts to resettle victims. As the fallout continues, federal and state agencies are weighing new approaches to emergency shelter. FEMA’s Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP), authorized by Congress in 2006, provides $400 million to Gulf states for the development