H+ Magazine | No. 5 | Fall-Winter 2017

THE

NEXT CHAPTER EDITION

PUBLISHED BY HACIN + ASSOCIATES

ISSUE NUMBER FIVE

DESIGN CULTURE

2017 Preservation Achievement Award Boston Preservation Alliance | FOUR51 MARLBOROUGH New infill amongst historic structures is one of the most difficult challenges architects face. Four51 Marlborough shows that careful consideration of context and significant detailing can be respectful and appropriately referential to historic design while creating a thoroughly modern building.

- GREG GALER, Executive Director Boston Preservation Alliance

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

11

Letter from the Editor

14

The Creative Workplace

60

Concept + Client

72

Culture +

A message from David Hacin on new beginnings at H+A and in the lives and businesses of our clients and friends

Conversations on the modern office and how we and our creative clients are moving, changing, and renovating for the next chapter

A Newton home's new chapter expressed with interior design material palettes and thoughts from the client and designer

A list of things we love, including what we’re listening to, reading, watching, eating, buying, and discovering

5

TABLE OF CONTENTS [continued]

Reinvention

78

FOCUS

94

List of 10+

106

A look at the South End's identity with the artifacts of an industrial past, and a vision rooted in the arts and community

A visual essay of architectural and interior design projects reimagined in graphic styles as books

Fresh Starts and new chapters for places and spaces around Boston from the new shop on the corner to the latest urban park

6

Yes, it's as cozy as it looks.

PHOTO ©MICHAEL STAVARIDIS

Visit Flour's new hot spot in Cambridgeport.

An H+A and BioMed Realty collaboration

www.flourbakery.com

DESIGN CULTURE

PUBLISHER Hacin + Associates EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David Hacin CREATIVE DIRECTORS David Hacin Emily Neumann PHOTOGRAPHY Trent Bell Gustav Hoiland Emily Neumann Bob O'Connor Michael Stavaridis Francine Zaslow COVER IMAGES Emily Neumann PHOTO STYLISTS Jennifer Clapp Darien Fortier Candace Gabel David Hacin Emily Neumann Matthew Woodward ADVERTISING media@hacin.com Printed in China

CONTRIBUTORS Scott Thomson David Tabenken Matthew Manke Jeremy Robertson Jennifer Clapp Eduardo Serrate Jeffrey Brown Matthew Arnold Hillary Faccio Rob Clocker Elizabeth Dame Dorothy Deák Aimee Epstein Norton Darien Fortier Candace Gabel Russell Higgins Michelangelo Latona Joshua Lentz Christine Rankin Manke Rebecca Rivers Matthew Woodward Luke Viscusi Cyrus Dahmubed Srishti Goyal Allbertrand Pierre SPECIAL THANKS FBN Construction M2L Hope's Windows IDEO Phil Johnson & PJA Francine Zaslow Nancy Ferry

H+

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

It's almost a year since the last issue of H+ and it has certainly been an eventful one! As you can see Walter, now almost 2, is bigger and more mischievous than ever; our kitchen was completed this past spring; and, as predicted, the stress of construction is just a dim memory as Tim and I enjoy all of the kitchen's new bells and whistles, customized to our particular needs and tastes.

At H+A, we have had our own big project—our move to 500 Harrison Avenue in the heart of the burgeoning SOWA district from our old digs on Shawmut. As I write this on a sunny Sunday, crowds of people are moving back and forth along Harrison between the food trucks and the farmer's market and then wandering over to an exhibit at the Laconia Gallery or to the new public space, Underground at Ink Block. I can hear music and laughter over the green canopy of trees in the courtyard at Cinquecento. It is no exaggeration to say that our new neighborhood feels alive and reborn as never before and we are so excited to be in the center of it!

It certainly feels like the beginning of our Next Chapter. In fact, when our work as architects and designers is done, a new chapter for our clients is just beginning. If the design process is well conceived and executed, the seeds for growth and inspiration are planted for many years to come— and, this year, I have shared in that excitement on both a personal and a professional level at home and at the studio.

In this 5th issue of H+, we take a look at the myriad decisions and perspectives that go into making a new chapter meaningful for our clients—and also for ourselves. Of course, collaboration is at the heart of what we do. As the magazine cover of the 'fun wall' at the H+A cafe so beautifully illustrates, 'we all add something' to the design process. Our main feature, 'Designing for the Creative Workplace', reflects on the process and the people involved in the design and recent completion of four new creative studios, including a virtual tour of our own studio; a look at the recent expansion of the H+A designed offices of PJA advertising; an in depth conversation with our colleagues at IDEO about the thinking behind their brand new Cambridge headquarters and, finally, we get a sneak peek at our design for a new photography studio for a talented friend and acclaimed photographer, Francine Zaslow. We also take a personal journey with our client, Nancy Ferry, as she and interior designer Jennifer Clapp reflect on the design of her home and how, when you plan a new chapter, timing is everything. The H+A team shares more great ideas about where to eat and travel, what to read and listen to, and what 'we're into right now'. In the spirit of new beginnings, graduate student intern, Cyrus Dahmubed, takes a closer look at our new/old neighborhood in an article titled 'Reinvention' and makes some surprising and insightful observations about our corner of the city, including a recent project, Jordan Lofts, which we see across the street from our new office. And finally, with a cheeky take on the 'next chapter' theme of our magazine, Candace Gabel, a new member of the H+A team, reinterprets some recent projects through the lens of book cover art, reinforcing my belief that good design is as much about storytelling as anything else.

PHOTOS ©EMILY NEUMANN / HACIN + ASSOCIATES

There are, of course, many good reasons to hire an architect and/or a designer. One of the best reasons to engage with us is very simply that we all dream about the potential of our next chapter in life or business—and architects and designers can help make those dreams come true. Design is the process of exploring possibilities and ultimately it's about reinvention. While putting this issue together[with the ever-astounding Emily Neumann], I learned about all of the different perspectives that people had on things that I may have only seen from my own point of view. One valuable idea came out of the article titled 'Reinvention', a story about the reuse of a building built over 100 years ago to house the stables for the delivery horses of Boston's iconic Jordan Marsh department store: Ebben Marsh, who founded the store, had a famous saying that ‘kindness leads to friendship, friendship to confidence, and confidence to success.'

Of course, at H+A, it all starts with friendship. As we begin our exciting next chapter, we wish all of our friends new adventures of their own. And by the way, come visit us at our new studio!

David[and Walter]

SEE DAVID'S KITCHEN IN THE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 ISSUE OF NEW ENGLAND HOME MAGAZINE!

David Hacin FAIA President and Editor dhacin@hacin.com

11

PHOTO ©MICHAEL STAVARIDIS

Featured in the June 2017 Issue of Interior Design Magazine!

BEST HOSPITALITY DESIGN 2017, IIDA NEW ENGLAND design awards

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NOW OPEN!

The vision of the modern workplace has been part of conversations among design professionals for decades, but increasingly so as technology offers new opportunities for ways of working and a ripple effect forces business models to adapt. Questions on how to maintain or build a workforce revolve around other issues more central to operations: How do you maximize performance while also ensuring employees are comfortable and relaxed in their work environment? What happens when your business model changes and your workspace needs to adapt? In an age where most work is digital, how do you showcase the company's work, and communicate the company's philosophy, services, and strengths to visitors? How mobile do your employees really need to be? And all this talk about collaboration - what does it really mean for your employees and clients and what are the requirements in physical form? What exactly is a 'Happy Workplace' and how do you design one?

Every company has its own set of criteria for what makes the perfect workspace. For creative businesses, the target is always moving and the solutions are as unique as each company's collective talent. In the past decade, H+A has partnered with other creative companies to design where they work. Our longtime collaborators at IDEO hired us back in 2007 to help with their first Cambridge office, and worked with us again in 2016 to design their home at 80 Prospect. PJA Advertising, aIso in Cambridge, was expanding at the same time, and since H+A designed their offices back in 2009, we were asked to come back and help them adapt their space to include some newly acquired square footage. Finally, longtime H+A friend, Francine Zaslow, moved her photography studio to Newton and we helped her optimize her space for better flow and added comfort and storage.

And while we were designers designing for designers and other creative professionals, we were designing for ourselves too. In 2016, H+A started the process of moving to a new studio that needed to be redesigned for our evolving business model. With these four projects happening almost simultaneously, we discovered some common themes…and learned a lot of lessons.

4 CREATIVE COMPANIES CHANGE SHAPE.

14

moving / renovating / expanding

designing for the creative workplace

[again.[ 15

creating a space for change

hacin + associates

We’ve begun a new chapter at H+A, having moved back into the heart of the SOWA District.

Embarking on this transition has been a true team effort! In collaboration with our general contractor, Studio FKIA, and a number of local South End vendors and artisans, our new studio was created to welcome thought, design, and creativity in a way that brings us into the next decade of H+A’s development.

With David Hacin leading the way, some of our multidisciplinary design team, including Darien Fortier, Jennifer Clapp, Matthew Woodward, and Emily Neumann, walk us through the new studio, reflecting on the goals identified at the onset of the project and how they were achieved throughout the space.

PHOTOS BY GUSTAV HOILAND/FLAGSHIP PHOTO

17

E NT RY H A LL, W IT H NICHE PICTURE D BE L OW

18

TH E G AL L ERY WAL L

WELCOME

DH: When we had the opportunity to expand and

start fresh with an office design, it made me think

the overall message when you are trying to solve practical problems like maximizing employee seating for future growth. It was important to me that the new space continue to be a welcoming and friendly environment, and that we create a space where people want to work. I also wanted it to be a place where our guests could learn something about what we do and how we do it, and feel like a part of the family while they are here.

MW: An overarching theme of the office was an idea of

domesticity. We wanted to take something that can sometimes seem unapproachable, i.e. “high design,” and make it into something that is approachable for everyone. We did this by introducing residential elements to the space that invite an immediate feeling of being ‘at home’.

THE DETAILS

a lot about the type of studio that we are and want to be in the future. It’s easy to lose sight of

JC: It’s important to give a first impression that’s authentic to

our firm. We want to convey that we’re design-focused, we’re approachable, and we care about big and small details.

DF: The existing infrastructure made the entry

First Impressions

sequence a bit challenging to achieve. We freed the original wood columns by moving an existing wall 15 inches; that may not seem like a lot but it had a big impact. With the visual continuity of the rhythm of columns, the introduction of a glass corner on the conference room that opens up your view, the angled flooring, and a clearly demarcated front desk, the entry became inviting, dynamic, and clear to guests on how to interact. Lighting was another key element in creating the warm, residential vibe.

DF: For creative companies that consistently produce new work, showcasing current projects and the latest content is a challenge..

We wanted to be able to keep it fresh, not just for our guests but also for ourselves. The custom steel display structure in the gallery was designed and fabricated in collaboration with Bartek Koneiczny and Studio FKIA. The panels are movable, the stands can stack in different ways, and the imagery can be big and bold, or staggered to create a layered effect.

EN: It’s also a nice way to go back and look at a finished project, its palette of materials, and the things that influenced its design.

Showing the phases of a project and all the decisions that were made amplifies the value that design services add to a finished project.

SHOWING MORE

THE "TOUR" ROUTE

ESCAPE HATCH

LIVING ROOM

MEETING

ENTRY MEETING LIBRARY

LOUNGE

DESKS CAFÉ

SWISS ROOM

19

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

MW: We looked for opportunities in the studio to employ

residential detailing. In the Living Room, the initial idea was to insert this mid-century “stage set” into the office as both a nod to our passion for modern design but also as a gesture of hospitality to our clients and guests. We imagined it almost as if we were commissioned with a set design for "Mad Men"— to make a very distinct moment within a large, open studio environment. As we made selections for the space we were conscious of wanting to showcase our ability to blend midcentury design with contemporary elements and rarer pieces with more affordable ones.

JC: One detail that I noticed at the Museum of Fine

EN: There’s concept everywhere and it's very visible, making

the way you engage with the space very different from another kind of workplace. Just by walking through the studio you immediately understand that our creative process is both tactile and technological, and that we’re constantly collecting inspiration from everywhere.

THE DIRECTOR

work | flow

20

JC: Many creatives can work remotely now, so there's a big push toward making people feel more comfortable in their workplace.

There needs to be flexibility within that workplace to support different types of work flow and allow for flexibility as the team changes and grows over time.

DF: Our studio accommodates a team of multiple disciplines and a range of project types that all have different needs. Some people are exclusively working with technology, while others are working with materials or large drawings that require extra space. The goal was to create a desking layout that simultaneously gave individuals sufficient personal space and larger teams room to collaborate, while incorporating standing desks and making sure all electrical cords were out of the way. We came up with a solution that was a hybrid of bench-style seating and an L–shaped cubicle that provides a variety of desk shapes and allows for flexible seating configurations.

MW: We purchased a number of pieces of mobile furniture, like small chairs that tuck under desks for impromptu collaboration and rolling carts for material palettes. The carts are great because they cut down on the time that people used to spend moving everything, piece by piece, from their desks and into meeting rooms for presentations, and then back again DH: In the old studio, I felt a little too separated from what afterward – which also held up transitioning rooms from was going on and I never wanted my own enclosed office one meeting to the next. We space. I’m very happy being in the studio but still having a don’t have that problem now. space that feels a bit discrete, that feels like people can come and talk to me. I think that if I sat in a space like everyone else’s, it might be confusing to the team, and to visitors.

There’s a need to find this right balance between expressing that there is a creative director, but that he’s part of the creative studio, too.

FLEXIBLE DESKING

Arts was that they had taken traditional fabrics and wall-coverings and framed them out as background for some of their antique furniture. With that staged approach in mind, we created these flexible panels that we could wallpaper or upholster and change over time. We picked this wallpaper from Makelike that highlights our love of all things designed. It shows our sense of humor and that we’re interested in the design of everything, be it a logo or a building or a chair. It also has an underlying sketched quality that again reinforces our concept that this space is soulful and human and authentic. People are drawing, making, and being creative here.

It's not all about computers.

THE L IVIN G ROOM & CON F E RE NC E R O O M

D AVID ' S D E SK I N T H E ST UD I O

In the studio, we're Up and down, side to side, sharing ideas; it's collaboration made easy.

- DARIEN FORTIER

23

T HE L I B RARY A ND LOUNGE

24

TH E ESC AP E H ATC H

THE MATERIALS DH: Implementing multipurpose spaces throughout the

office also became a major way to promote inspiration. In the back of the office we have a library for the architecture and interior departments that is stocked with beautiful materials,

a lounge, which acts as secondary living room, and a space often referred to as the Escape Hatch. Design libraries have moved online, so now you have to think about what it is you really need in a library. What are the things you need to see and touch versus the things that you can see online? What is it that we’re working with? This takes a lot of the pressure off the studio space. If all of these materials were sitting on someone’s desk (or the floor), it would be a nightmare! Also, in our old studio, the architecture and interiors libraries used to be separate, and now they’re not. I like that an architect working on a building might think of leather as a material.

We design in an integrated way, so it makes sense that the libraries are together now.

MW: It’s really great to bring a client back to our

resource library to include them in the design process. Rather than taking something that’s already defined and presenting it to the client, we

can actually have working meetings with them because we have all this space to do it in now. We can develop a palette with a client in this space, which removes any sense of the design process being intimidating.

DF: People really use all of our breakout spaces! You kind of

take a gamble when you include auxiliary spaces that are not the traditional desk and conference rooms. It’s been incredible to watch the spaces being used in different ways by different people. Whether it's to make a phone call, do some quiet work, eat lunch, or even take a nap, it really helps the creative process.

EN: The lounge is a surprisingly intimate space for being so

large and open. You can have meetings back there and also very private conversations, even while someone is working in the adjacent material library space or escape hatch. At the same time, the area is also perfect for our monthly social hours, so it doubles as an internal event space. It’s the most multipurpose space in the office.

PuTTING OUR FEET UP

really changed over time, and so much of what we need has

DH: I like that we can see the skyline and two of our own

buildings from the lounge windows—there’s a connectedness to our city, our work, and our history. I also like that there’s a collection of artifacts that have been with us for years that somehow feel right here. Like these mid-century chairs, in the lounge—I’ve had those for 20 years. There's a sense that we've picked up stuff along the way, like we all do in life.

a space for everything EN: We all use it when we need to escape the open office for a bit, but still need to get work done. It’s hidden, but you can’t close it off, so you know if someone needs you, they’ll eventually find you.

DH: Let’s face it—it's also a ‘back door’, and we all need to slip out of the office once in a while without being theatrical about it.

ESCAPE HATCH

25

We're investing differently— in people and culture, rather than stuff.

- DAVID HACIN 27

A BIGGER WATER COOLER

we all add something...

JC: In our old office, we didn’t have a big enough kitchen, so

A VIEW FROM THE ALPS EN:

the increasing need to break away, make a personal phone call, or collect your thoughts. It has contributed to the overall atmosphere of the studio by allowing us an opportunity for a quick respite from time to time. Like other areas in the studio, this space also demonstrates a sense of levity. We took this idea as far as we could with the large wall graphics depicting the Alps and, of course, a cuckoo clock. Obviously, it’s a nod to David’s heritage, which is nice, given that he is

this was a priority; a place to be collective. Now, we can all eat together, which has been an opportunity for more casual design dialogues and idea-sharing. The chalkboard and magnet wall is a way to represent those goals visually. As we say at H+A, ‘we all add something’! Much of the stuff stuck up there is personal so it gives us a lot to talk and laugh about.

DH: The Swiss Room was something that I just had to do.

MW: We stretched the budget for the kitchen by blending

then the picture that she found that could be blown up to this

affordable, but clean-lined, cabinetry from IKEA with some upgraded items including the marble-topped tables and the Emeco stools. The result is something that feels balanced— sophisticated, but approachable.

DH: I describe this cafe space as the

game-changer space. The magnetic wall is like a scrapbook. The things that people have pinned up - like Anna Wintour, the hand grenade, and Tin Tin—it’s an interesting mix of things which says something about all of us.

EN: The “fun wall” is my favorite part

of the kitchen. I notice people adding things they enjoy, and when you see what someone thinks is funny or engaging, it’s a way to get to know them. It’s also a way to express who we are collectively to people who come in to visit.

the pioneer of our company, but it also expresses something about us collectively by being bold, cheeky, and amusing.

If you’re going into a room to try to escape, how better than to actually, really try to change the channel. This was a personal story prompter in a way—but it turned into so much more. I asked Emily to find pictures of Switzerland, scale was this 1960’s ski scene. The photo mural is an image of people lounging at a particular resort, where, completely coincidentally, I skied growing up. That five-year-old boy in the photo could have been me! No one walks in here and doesn't smile. It's an escape, like putting on virtual goggles.

MW: Having Walter in the office is the height of domesticity and makes the whole studio and design process more approachable for people. What’s a better equalizer than dogs? There’s no pretense about them. Having Walter here makes us laugh, and if I’m having a long day, just five minutes with him is a respite. Dogs give you perspective on life, so I think Walter is doing that not just for us as employees but for our clients who love to see him.

DH: I think people have come to appreciate what animals can do for us emotionally. I remember how at the old office, we were having this really tense meeting. Someone had taken Oscar, Walter’s predecessor, out for a walk in the snow. When they unhitched him, he was wearing his red coat and his red booties, and he ran into this meeting full of serious construction guys and developers, and ran around the room twice and barked, then ran out. Everyone laughed!

It completely changed the tone of the conversation. I think when you enter an office that has a dog, you know that there is an informality, and a willingness to say “having fun is important too.” So you see, even Walter adds something!

But, in all seriousness, I’m really happy with how everything turned out and how all these different influences came together to make a space that is uniquely ‘us’. The amount of time and energy that we put into the project would probably never pencil out but we learned a lot about who we are and our priorities. As it turns out, the quality of our workspace is critically important to me and the team—it’s about wanting to be here and together, doing great work. That's priceless.

OUR FRIEND WALTER 28

The Swiss Room is largely a reaction to

the trend of open office environments and

T H E SWISS R OOM

M AG NETIC WAL L IN TH E C AF É

TH E C AF É

29

After eight years in their H+A-designed Cambridge office, PJA Advertising + Marketing seized an opportunity to expand by acquiring adjacent space on the top floor of their historic building in Harvard Square. A growing business also meant the need for additional employee seating, a larger formal conference room, informal breakout and creative thinking space, as well as more dedicated audio-visual studio space.

Needing to somehow seamlessly tie the new expansion into their current space, they returned to H+A for the gut renovation of the 2400 SF addition.

"It’s hard to believe, but in just few short years the way people work has evolved," Phil Johnson, agency CEO and founder, emphasizes. "People are less tied to their desks. Some people like to work communally, and others look for places to work in solitude. Everyone values informal meeting spaces, and the standing desk craze has definitely caught on."

PHOTOS BY BOB O'CONNOR

growing in place

PJA

ADVERTISING + MARKETING 31

We wanted to evoke a sense of drama as you walked through the space.

-PHIL JOHNSON, CEO

H+A helped us see ways to grow into this space over time, making it authentic to our identity and creative philosophy.

-PHIL JOHNSON, CEO

The PJA team also moves easily between working in the digital and physical worlds. Most of their work is digital, and with a national client base, they are fluent in a wide-range of on-line collaboration and communication tools. But for creative and strategic brainstorming they still like lots of writable walls surfaces and places to post ideas and early-stage work. Our goal was to create a solution customized to their creative process, maximizing the addition so that it became a vehicle for creative-thinking and collaborating, as well as a showcase for their work, philosophy, and brand identity.

As you walk toward the annex you see an informal residential ‘living room’ space with lounge chairs for casual collaboration and working.

On the way, you also pass the new recording studio for in-house projects such as their podcast, ‘The Unconventionals’ (check it out!).

As you make your way around the light-filled glass-cornered meeting space, your focal point becomes the undulating ceiling of the main conference room at the end of the path, used for large or formal presentations.

33

H+A has a longtime collaborative relationship with IDEO, starting with their first move all the way from the suburb of Lexington to 485 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge in 2007, where we helped them design their former space. In 2016, when IDEO knew they would be moving again, and this time into a larger building where they would be the sole occupant, they brought us back to do it all over again. With a changing creative process and an emphasis on collaboration - both within their organization and with the academic, creative, and business communities beyond - a program for connectivity and mobility developed. Working as a team, we conceived of ways to help engage clients more, give employees a variety of workspaces, and to find ways to showcase IDEO's innovative spirit and technical roots through site-specific installation and room for creative expression.

PHOTOS BY BOB O'CONNOR

designing for collaboration

IDEO CAMBRIDGE

35

FROM SUBURB TO CITY

DH: We are so appreciative that you asked us to come back and work with you guys a second time around!

As we were thinking about the lessons we've learned about workspace design and particularly about IDEO's own evolution, we thought we could begin by asking you to remind us about why you moved to Cambridge almost a decade ago, from Lexington, MA, and how that changed the company and your goals?

DP: This IDEO location had always been a unique studio, with a focus on technical, engineering-oriented work, and at the time, we were trying to attract talent from other IDEO offices to come and work in Lexington - which until that point, had been hard to do. We wanted to shift DH: How does your move around the corner to 80 Prospect the range of work that we could do as well. So the St in Cambridge help accomplish your goal around visibility? problem wasn't who we were, but rather where we were located. We realized that was something we MH: Well, looking back, even though IDEO isn't a newbie to could easily change. So we looked in Cambridge the Boston area, when I would go to meetings at professional for a new location, and after a long search, Christina associations or conferences, people would ask me how long found 485 Massachusetts Avenue, and we knew we I was visiting from the West Coast (assuming I was there wanted to be there and made it happen. I remember from the San Francisco office). It occurred to me that while feeling so much pressure about that project. I felt we had accomplished attracting the right talent and getting like it has to be the best place to attract fresh talent. more connected to IDEO as a whole, we had not really made You partnered with us on that project, helping us to our presence known in Cambridge or Boston. We asked figure out what we needed at the time, and looking ourselves how we could get better at building a network across our own organization, and across the academic back on it, you nailed it.

DH: And once you were at 485 Mass Ave, did your goals then

change or expand?

MH: I joined IDEO a year after that move to

CHANGING GOALS

community in Cambridge, and the

businesses that are appropriate for our type of work in the Boston area. We also wanted to be better networked with our peers and other talent. So we started to make more strategic connections, working closely with the startup community,

and

hosting

more

events, and that began changing the nature of our business. But our space at 485 Massachusetts Avenue had limitations for the kind of social interactions we could host or the confidentiality that we needed to maintain, which is something we've been able to figure out really well with this new location.

DH: And the new mural coming this

fall on the facade will really give

the building a vibrant presence on Prospect Street, increasing that visibility to the broader Cambridge community in a more direct way.

VISIBILITY

Cambridge, so I got to experience the full extent of that new space, but I never worked in Lexington.

There's always a mission as to why you want to move, and in that case it was talent and I would say connectivity. We wanted to be better connected to the rest of our own organization. When you fast forward eight years, the question is then, "Did we do that? Did we get connected?" And the answer is, yes. Over that time period we became very well integrated within IDEO as a whole, and while we were always respected for our financial accomplishments, we weren't as appreciated for our culture or for the work that we were producing. So that became a new goal. And once we got those things up to par, the new question was then, "Now what?" That's when visilibility and the desire to be a hub for like-minded collaborators in Cambridge and Boston became a new goal.

36

location & growth

DAVID HACIN

MICHAEL HENDRIX

CHRISTINA ABELE

DAVID PRIVITERA

ROB CLOCKER

CREATIVE DIRECTOR H+A

PARTNER & EXECUTIVE DESIGN DIRECTOR IDEO

EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR IDEO CAMBRIDGE

PARTNER EMERITUS IDEO

PROJECT ARCHITECT H+A

*NOT PICTURED, JENNIFER CLAPP, INTERIOR DESIGNER, H+A

H+A RENOVATED AN EXISTING BUILDING AT 80 PROSPECT STREET, IN CAMBRIDGE, INTRODUCING LARGER WINDOWS, GARAGE DOORS AT THE GROUND LEVEL, AND A NEWLY PAINTED FACADE.

37

Having to walk up the stairs to get to the reception...is a way of saying, "come in and be part of this."

-david privitera

FIRST FLOOR ENTRANCE

SECOND FLOOR RECEPTION

38

TOUR STOP

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

identity & client experience

DH: The idea of workspace as a public space was really a

tool for transformation in this process, and yet because of the need for privacy and confidentiality in some of your work, you had to make the areas between public and private very prescribed. In your former office we did this with a change in carpet colors. Here, it's done with different levels. Talk about the evolution of your privacy issues. well. However, what changed completely was our way of thinking about how to work together.

Clients began spending more time with us working in our space and they needed to get to our project spaces. And even though they were roaming around and had access to the different areas, it just didn't turn out to be a huge issue. We thought we would need to control it more, and we did make sure to contain anything truly sensitive, but there was enough visual noise that no one really looked into other project spaces or could see anything confidential.

DH: We often hear a lot about these privacy issues with other

clients, but it sounds like what you're saying is that being really uptight about it isn't the answer. Being deliberate about how you engage with your clients is actually more important than all of the firewalls.

DP: Yes, and really, evolving as a more open, collaborative

community has allowed us to become who we wanted to be.

We wouldn't have flourished if we had been too uptight about it.

DP:

DH:

When you enter the

building, you have to go past the shop on the first level to get to the front desk which is upstairs. There was some intention in that programming, and it also really shows upfront that your process is as much

ENTRY SEQUENCE

DP: The privacy solutions in the last office worked

hands-on prototyping as it is digital.

MH:

Yes, our roots are in

the technical implementation.

When people visit our space and

see

the

shop,

they

understand us, and can see that this is part of our prototyping culture, which is part of our technological

expertise.

The

temporary infinity room [being built in the photo] on that level or the rope installation that integrated with the new staircase—these are all things we knew we wanted to do as an expression of our creativity.

I think having to walk up the stairs to get to the

JC: The Infinity Room spot at the base of the entrance stairs is really a sort of pop-up living room right?

CA: Yes, and it's nice that we have so many flexible opportunities here. Eventually, it will come down and be made into something different. We also have other alternative spaces downstairs too, like a photo studio, our R&D studio the CoLab, and the meeting space with garage doors that open to the outside.

JC: The wood peg board used in your former space at 485 Mass Ave informed the new second-floor design of the front desk, and the 'Tour Stop' area showcasing your projects to clients and visitors. It feels like a space for relics that show your history which has a patina and is really cool. Did you have a space like that in the old office?

reception at the second level where our project rooms and

open collaboration spaces are is our way of saying, "Come in and be part of this."

CA: No, in the old space we created a 'sort of tour', but we didn't have space to accommodate a true display for the artifacts we've produced.

It was more visuals and they were displayed in various spots around the office. Here, you can stand with visitors and talk through several projects at once. It's contained and you can also talk about the rest of the space from this location because you get a real sense of the buzz from that vantage point.

SHOWCASING THE WORK

39

SECOND FLOOR [INCLUDING VIEW OF RECEPTION, TOUR STOP, AND CAFÉ]

The variety of workspaces here has caused a shift in the work-from-home culture. Now people want to work from work, which is really refreshing to see.

-CHRISTINA ABELE 41

FLEXIBILITY

DH: What would you say creates an ideal client experience?

JC: Christina, you and I worked closely on the

interior design, focusing on furniture and things that people were going to interact with and touch. Did that process change the way that you

INTERIOR DESIGN FOR DESIGNERS

think about the space?

CA: Working with you was fantastic and thank you for

taking me on that journey! It was challenging, but you were able to visualize the whole building

and

observing

your process and all of the i n d u st r y k n o w l e d g e — i t really blew me away. In regard to my own thinking about the space, I couldn't have worked on this project without

considering

designers

how

and creative

people would react to the space.

JC: During the project, we talked

about

'contained

chaos' as the solution that would work best for your team's personality. In the old space everyone wanted to immediately personalize everything—even

to

the

bringing

their

extent

of

own

furniture

in

and

it

was not contained at all.

Do you feel like the clean architectural

design

here

and the interior vignettes we created with seating or exhibit space help to contain the personalization?

CA: Definitely. Figuring out

the right furniture pieces for the spaces so people felt like it was already more personal and comfortable helped too. People are also putting up designed posters and

artwork

in

those

contained spaces in a way that feels personalized and considered, but also less precious, and more flexible.

JC: It was fun visiting different vintage stores and sitting in a hundred chairs to see if they felt right to you. I felt that you really embraced all of the details because you understood how important they were and that interior design isn't just about specifying furniture or looking for a cool chair. It's asking questions like, "What is the leg finish, and how does it sit? Do the chairs stack? Should we mix in a variety of seating so we don't end up with an ocean of static chairs?" You were a great partner and you valued the process which we appreciated.

MH: Flexibility in the space allows for an ideal client experience.

We are sitting [conference room, opposite page, top right] in the largest conference room we have ever had. It's also served as a classroom for college classes held here. We've had dinner parties in the space where we can rearrange the tables and have an intimate dinner with people. We obviously do a lot of presentations in here, too. That kind of flexibility in the space allows you to tailor the space to the client's needs and the purpose of being together. The same goes for our café space.

We have lunch in there every Monday as a studio. We've even had Zumba in there—all because there's flexibility designed into the space. That idea of flexibility extends to the entry with the current Infinity Room. That space can be changed forever.

In the past we designed our spaces for ourselves, but now we're designing our spaces for our clients. We considered everything with this new space from easier access for clients, to client confidentiality, and the ability to have more collaborative experiences. It is easier to accommodate the 20-person client team that wants to come to the final project meeting too. This space is designed to do that so much better.

CA: The interesting thing for me was the issue of variety. I became more aware that everyone wants to see this more eclectic mix in workplaces.

JC: Yes, the residential trend in workplaces is absolutely a reaction to a more corporate trend over the last two decades. People are looking for spaces with furniture and items that feel more organic or collected over time, like we tend to have in our homes. It entices people to feel comfortable in their spaces and also directly affects productivity. The variety worked really well here because there was so much to unify the spaces already, like for example, the rope installation. We enjoyed collaborating on that with IDEO and the process of integrating it with the new staircase design. It's a really nice way that IDEO expresses its identity in this space.

CA: We talked a lot about an element that could run through the whole space, on all three levels. Through many iterations and looking at inspirational images that we pulled together and those that H+A presented, collectively we eventually landed on ropes as a material that made sense. Lauren Kim, Design Lead and Jason Robinson, Senior Design Lead here at IDEO Cambridge, helped realize the vision and worked really hard at figuring out how it could be created and installed.

COMFORT AND CONTINUITY

42

CONFERENCE ROOM

MEETING ROOM

43

There is no lone creative genius.

We have this idea that together, we're better.

-michael hendrix

BREAKOUT SPACE

PROJECT ROOM, AND CAFÉ SHOWN ABOVE

44

mobility & creative process RC: I'm interested in hearing more of your thoughts on the 'disappearing desk' phenomenon, and the way technology has caused shifts in the workplace. Everybody has a laptop and an iPhone now, and so we designed 'phone booths' and other amenities in the workspace. How do you see people working differently?

INDIVIDUAL PERSONALIZATION RC: In the traditional workspace someone has

their own desk that they treat as their territory at work, and they personalize it in their own way.

Since most of your team has no permanent desk, have they solved this idea of personalization in a different way here?

CA: You see that with the project teams who set up their

project spaces as their home base for the period of time they are working together, which can be anywhere from a few weeks to many months

MH: Part of the way we work now is that project teams form

for a period of time and then they disband, and they may never work together again for the rest of the year because the mix will be different on the next project. So you will see every project space has its own short period of customization and personalization. But everything is truly mobile now, and everyone has a laptop and an iPhone, where your family photos and all these traditional things live now anyway. I think the only desktop system we have right now is our virtual reality system and even that is on a mobile cart for moving around. I think everyone here is comfortable with the idea of impermanence and mobility.

THE DISAPPEARING DESK

DP: Well, by the time we moved to Cambridge, we were only using about a dozen desks because so much of our work had shifted into project spaces where a team would work together and where clients were working with us as well.

The client collaboration piece changed the way we work before the technology did.

MH: Now we have a lot more communal space for people to work.

The phone booths are for private phone calls, but also for people who need to work separately and really dive into their projects if necessary.

Those rooms are always booked. Since we are bigger now, we do still have about 24 permanent desks, but we have around 65 employees, so more people are working in project rooms and communal areas now.

CA: We have a variety of places to work and you see people trying them out and getting familiar with them, and end up liking some better than others. One of my goals with the move to 80 Prospect was to have people working from work. Before there was a lot of working from home because at home there's sound control and less distraction, but in this building there's more quiet space. There's been a shift in the work-from-home culture. Now people want to work from work, which is really refreshing to see.

DH: The nature of the creative process and our way of thinking about it has really changed. The myth of the solitary genius sitting in a room by themselves and creating something has changed through advancements in technology and we're so much more able to collaborate because of that technology. I like the notion of IDEO as many voices coming together and you showcase that idea very well.

MH: Absolutely. There is no lone creative genius. We don't

work well for people who are very individualistic or want

to be the smartest person in the room. Culturally, they get rejected quickly. We have this idea that together, we're better. Ideas come from building on the ideas of one another and a collective idea is always going to be stronger than an individual idea. I think a lot of that is certainly played out with the way people are interacting with each other and in the way the space functions. Part of my motivation for seeing if we can become more connected to the city of Cambridge and the community of academia here is knowing that we will have better inspiration, sharper ideas, and stronger networks to rely upon. What we're hoping is that this culture that's grown within IDEO is something we can continue to draw more people into.

BETTER TOGETHER 45

We move around in the different spaces throughout the day.

You can really find your groove and figure out what works for you.

-CHRISTINA ABELE

THIRD FLOOR OPEN WORKSPACE

47

CHANGING IT UP JC: This space really is a mixture of two different approaches

to an office. There's the more traditional offices that are closed off behind doors — the project rooms — and then there's the open workspaces upstairs and the more public communal space in the café. There's been a lot of conversation between designers about the open workspace and its effect on efficiency. Do you find that people prefer one or the other for certain kinds of tasks? clients. The open space works well for us but we also have the eight phone booths for more private, quiet working space when needed. Surprisingly, it can sometimes be quieter in the cafe than in the open workspace on the top floor. We move around in the different spaces throughout the day. There's different activity at different paces creating a variation of vibes and you can really find your groove and figure out what works for you. It seems to be working for us.

JC:

I imagine that having this range of areas for different

kinds of creative work available to your team to use for expression and play, as well as for work, makes a huge impact on their performance overall. From experience as a designer, I know that at times in projects, there are lags, when you might be past the design development phase and doing paperwork or managing production, but still needing some kind of creative outlet. Have you found that to be the case here?

CA: I think so. One thing we worked on here when setting up

the shop was deliberately making it accessible and allowing for people to easily build at any level of skill (with proper training). We also wanted to make it a space for people to come and build things. Being able to prototype in-house and execute ideas quickly is useful, but like you said, it's nice to see people using it for fun too.

DH: This project and this new space is a reflection of creating opportunities to bring more people from more different areas of the community and businesses together. How is the CoLab part of that?

MH: We noticed years ago that as we had different initiatives going on with a variety of startups—for example, the Harvard i-Lab— which involved us, the students, and the client—were increasingly interested in spending more time in our space. This led to some discoveries of who our community was and helped inform our intentions to expand that networked community. We liked the idea of IDEO being a social hub where a lot of talented people would be coming in and out of the studio, whether that's the creative community or the business community. I wanted us to be that hub for Cambridge, but we needed a space that could enable that desire.

We eventually started suggesting to clients that we work together like this, bringing in fellows and multiple clients at a time to work on a topic together which really changed the nature of how we work. The CoLab is a great example of that idea of a nucleus of work where people are collaborating as a team, and in our new building we have dedicated space for that. And we can literally open the doors and become even more available.

THE COLAB

48

HANDS-ON PROCESS

CA: The project spaces work really well with our

Our roots are in technical implementation and our prototyping culture is part of our technological expertise.

-michael hendrix THE SHOP

MAKER SPACE

THE COLAB

49

LESSONS LEARNED DH: Frankly, I can't imagine working on a space like this without the kind of collaboration we had. Our way of working together is unique in that it is a constant give and take which is a great model of collaboration for design professionals.

Any tips for other creative companies looking to do a project like this?

CA: You need to create your decision-making team first.

DP: And keep that team tight. Having someone as the primary driver who is indepenedently capable in the design capacity is important.

MH: I would say having a strong sense of self and letting that vision drive the process is vital. Sometimes organizations try to find out the typical best practices for attracting new talent and they end up with ideas like having cereal dispensers in the kitchen, or creating a dedicated 'creative thinking room' as if that's the only spot where you go to do your creative thinking. It could be a real danger if you try to figure out what's cool or what the best products are for attracting people, or even just looking at what Google does and saying, "Let's do that!" If you're going down any of those routes because that is a genuine expression of who you are as a community, that's fine. But if you go down those paths because you see other people do that and you don't have a strong point of view about it, I think you can make some huge mistakes. Your own authentic vision will always be better.

DH: Right. We couldn't agree more.

vision & collaboration

50

COME THIS FALL, THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING WILL CHANGE AGAIN— IDEO WILL BE WORKING WITH MURALIST, ELTONO, ON A GLOBALLY INSPIRED MURAL!

51

DESIGNING FOR POSSIBILITIES

FRANCINE ZASLOW

After many years in her Seaport Neighborhood studio space, Boston photographer, Francine Zaslow was faced with the challenge of moving to a new 4,000 square foot space in Newton, MA. Her former studio at Drydock Avenue presented a few issues she wanted to improve upon in her new space; her shooting area was located in a configuration such that clients had to walk through it to get to facilities like the lounge or the kitchen; the kitchen itself – a necessity for a food photographer – was also disconnected from the shooting area, making the work flow a bit awkward; and her post-production work zone shared a room with storage.

PHOTOS BY FRANCINE ZASLOW

53

I am profoundly grateful for the chance to have worked with this visionary team.

- Francine Zaslow

The space itself is a work of art that, in turn, inspires other works of art.

-FRANCINE ZASLOW

Using lessons learned, and a desire to create a comfortable place for clients, where they could spread out with laptops and layouts and work in small teams, but also move through the studio while photoshoots were happening, H+A brainstormed with Francine and longtime friend (and H+A client) Alina Roytberg. Together, we created an aesthetic design concept and a space plan for optimal function and organizing smooth transitions between work areas. A studio with an unapologetically industrial aesthetic, its domestic touches give it a warmth and level of comfort that makes 14-hour photoshoots easier and more manageable. Glass partition walls share natural light and make all the action in the studio visible while still giving a level of privacy when needed. The kitchen is now directly connected to the shoot space, and there is circulation which allows clients to move from the private meeting room into the food-preparation area without interrupting the shoot. With storage built into cabinetry surrounding the shoot space, and additional space for large backdrops and props, post-production has its own dedicated workspace. Added touches around the studio complement the residential feel; Francine’s photographs are displayed as artwork, and even her props are put on display in the entry. [www.francinezaslow.com]

55

H+A showed tremendous insight into what makes us unique and our distinctive way of working.

They created a canvas for us to show off our originality.

-phil johnson, ceo | pja

You understood who we were, saw how we changed, and listened to what we wanted.

- michael hendrix, partner + executive design director | ideo

57

All projects featured were designed by Hacin + Associates. | Visit hopeswindows.com/bestviews

C O NC E PT + C L I E NT A N E W TO N H O M E ' S N E W C H A PT E R INTRO BY NANCY FERRY | INTERIORS BY JENNIFER CLAPP

H+A client, Nancy Ferry writes about her personal experience of the creative process of redesigning her home in Newton, MA, and we share its material palettes curated by interior designer Jennifer Clapp, with commentary from both designer and client.

We recently bought a pair of ceramic statues by Jaeok See, called the Guardians of Prosperity and Serenity.

My husband said, "they look like a couple with a story to tell”. Like us. Our story is about celebrating thirtyone years of marriage this month and marking a shift from one stage of our life together to the next. The first chapter was spent working and sacrificing to raise our family, manage our daughter’s chronic medical condition, and build a business from scratch. We made the conscious decision that I would stay home to provide a counter balance of stability to the financial and psychological stress, and unpredictability of our situation. Our next chapter is where we get to really enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I have always been interested in design, especially the combination of form and function and how the consumer experiences it. After college, I went to design school and worked in graphic and interior design for 15 years before stopping to focus on raising our family. My ability to pursue design in any meaningful way was put on hold and our lack of financial resources prevented us from furnishing our home the way I would have liked. I never felt that our home reflected who we were—our interests, experiences, priorities, where we had been and where we were going. Finally, after eighteen years, the success of the company has made it possible for us to work with Hacin + Associates and for me to experience again the joy I get from the design process.

I believe the conceptual phase is the first and most important part of the process and sometimes it takes longer than people want, but in the end it makes a big difference in the success of the project. In our case, there were structural issues with the house that negatively impacted our experience in the space so changing the flow of the space was a top priority. We had the benefit of having lived in the space so we really knew what we wanted, what would work, and also what drove us crazy. We had a lot of back 'n forth in terms of how to use the various rooms given our family’s size and activities, but in the end we made a few relatively minor but impactful structural changes which we are finding now were just right.

At first we talked about the concept of a “happy home” but this morphed in to “a sense of wonder in materials and craftsmanship”. As a noun, “wonder" is defined as “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable”. As a verb, it means “desire or be curious to know something” or “feel admiration and amazement; marvel”. These words capture how I experience the designs within the space. I can’t help but gaze at the beauty of a specific detail or puzzle over how the craftsman was able to combine materials to form a beautiful and functional piece.

Looking back, It seems that the design choices presented to me were not difficult to make because the concept was so well developed and so reflective of my view.

One of the most rewarding parts—and there have been so many—has been working with H+A. It has been a collaborative effort and I appreciate how much they include me in the process. I am so impressed by the thoughtful approach and the care that is given to even the smallest detail. Sometimes when I thought a decision had been made and the design was complete, they would surprise me by introducing another idea and taking the design to an even higher level. It has been a treat for me to have people to share the joy of design with.

I love that my home is filled with bespoke pieces that were handcrafted with beautiful materials and incredible craftsmanship. I love the sense of wonder I have when I enter a room and see the combination of elements together. I love that the pieces reflect my sense of style and incorporate design choices that are unexpected. I like that we were able to incorporate elements that are meaningful to us, like birds, the color red, and the hues of our siamese cats, in a subtle way that honors their significance to us without it being cliché. The concept has come full circle because by creating a sense of wonder, we have also created the sense of a very happy home! - NANCY

61

Gaaaaahhh, plaid and floral: A timeless combo.

And in this project, a nod to the traditional architecture. - JENN

L IV I N G

All of the patterning in the house has a hand-sketched quality.

This British floral will make up pillows on an otherwise modern sofa. - JENN

Golden and warm, this walnut burl makes up a custom desk. The oddball fabric for an ottoman evokes all sorts of associations... rustling wheat fields, rusty farm tools, rich smelling earth. The pairing of more precious materials with rustic ones feels fresh and celebratory of all things primative. - JENN

I love the chunky quality of the wood pieces in the coffee table. The concentric lines are interesting because they're asymmetrical and connect between slabs of wood. - NANCY

We used Benjamin Moore's Cloud White everywhere and brought a decorative painter in to hand comb the walls creating a subtle texture. It was perfectly imperfect. - JENN

1 Amuneal Loft Series in walnut with champange fittings 2 Penta Labo floor lamp in clear glass with fabric cable 3 DePadova Bergere chair with contrasting edge binding 4 Cat Client's Siamese was inpiration for color palette 5 Stefan Bishop Custom ring table in Monterrey pine 6 B&B Italia Ray sectional with contrasting stitch detail 7 Folk Tripod floor lamp in walnut with red fabric cord 8 Antique Grandfather Clock A piece from Client's family

63

Tweed and wool and speckled nubbiness...

And distressed leather and oiled woods. Loose flower arrangements and sleeping cats. - JENN

Crafted details mean blanket stitching on the drapery!!! - JENN

DINING

The BDDW hutch has so much meaning for me. It represents a work of art that I am finally able to acquire and appreciate on a daily basis. I marvel at the craftsmanship and the beauty of the materials. - NANCY

The string lighting [from Bone Simple] above the dining table has turned out to be one of my very favorite choices in the house. They are somehow cheerful and comforting at the same time. - NANCY

1 BDDW Simple Console in walnut with leather top 2 Roll & Hill a pair of 5-globe Modo pendants in cream 3 Piet Boon Kekke chairs in black steel; ours in wool tweed 4 Antique Hutch Concept image; team is still hunting!

5 Piet Boon Gerrit dining table in solid oak at 11'+ long 6 Jaeok Lee Guardians of Prosperity + Serenity 7 Bone Simple Rope pendants made of dipped string 8 BDDW Lake Hutch in graphite lacquer + oxidized maple 9 Apparatus Horsehair sconces made in tarnished silver

65

These hand-painted leather tiles are EVERYTHING!!! Six different textures make up the random pattern which will fill several walls in a bar space with dark blue, highgloss millwork. - JENN

Embroidered bumblebees, tambour, mouth-blown glass, and sand-casted hardware. It's all nature mingled with human spirit. - JENN

WORKING

The Marthe Armitage bird wallpaper is another example where a detail has meaning to us...but you don’t have to know that to appreciate the handcrafted beauty of how it was made. She hand lino block printed each piece. We could see her thumbprints in the margins! - NANCY

The coffee table is unbelievable. I was pondering out loud how it was possible to make the walnut and marble go together so precisely when my daughter said matterof-factly “laser!" Makes sense, but I’m still trying to figure out how they get it to fit so perfectly. - NANCY

The sofa in the sunroom has a special place in my heart because one of my favorite places to be is sitting, looking out during a storm or early in the morning when no one else is awake. - NANCY

1 BDDW Abel Sofa with buttons + blackened bronze feet 2 Timorous Beasties Fresco wallpaper in stone with dots 3 Portitz & Studio Tambour Desk in walnut burl 4 Karakter Lab desk lamp with brass, porcelain base 5 Nasiri Custom Mazandaran Flat Weave with seam 6 B&B Italia Tabano Swivel armchair in green wool 7 KGBL Zaragosa Coffee Table with Calacatta Marble top

67

SLEEPING

Luke Irwin's 'Clouds' carpet is from the Fresco + Nimbus collection. Painterly touches and nature...it felt like fresh air and calm. - JENN

Laying out the stone for the fireplace surround was a fun graphic exercise, and one I appreciated being included in. The details matter to me, and the design feels right to my eye every time I look at the fireplace. - NANCY

The palette of the bedroom is soothing and reminds me of a cocoon. - Nancy

We are upholstering the entire room in soft wool herringbone.

There will be a hushed acoustical quality about it, reinforcing the client's wishes for a sanctuary. - JENN

The colors of this palette reflect the beauty I find in my siamese cats. I have always loved their shape and coloring... the combination of beiges, greys and bright blue eyes. It is one of those design choices that is subtle but has tremendous meaning to me.

- NANCY

1 Resident Spar cantilevered floor lamp in black steel 2 Bryan Nash Gill Series of limited edition Woodcut prints 3 Allied Maker 10" Arc Globe pendants in walnut + opal 4 B&B Italia Husk king bed in Holland & Sherry flannel 5 Egg Collective Ritter Nightstands with blue stone tops 6 Allied Maker Concentric Flush Dome in silver oak 7 Egg Collective Densen side chair with cowhide seat 8 BDDW Cloud Desk + shelves with bronze brackets

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2017 Boston's Best Architect New Construction | Boston Magazine's Best of Boston®

2017

PHOTO ©TRENT BELL PHOTOGRAPHY

2008

2009

2010

2012

CULTURE

+

LOOK

What we’re into right now at H+A Ocean Liners: Glamour, Speed & Style, Peabody Essex Museum

This exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum has something for everyone – detailed engineering specs and prototypes, ocean travel style from printed brochures to crew uniforms and guest swim suits, and enormous but precise models of the ships. Ocean liners were and are reflections of the style of their times. [Rob Clocker] Ana Santos, @anasantos_illustration

A young artist in Spain, Ana Santos is a favorite in my Instagram feed. She creates ethereal illustrations in primarily graphite and watercolor, masterfully balancing delicate lines with bold color, and realism with fantasy.

Aside from Instagram fame, Ana Santos has teamed up with several authors and illustrated both covers and entire books, including “Las Palabras (No) Se Las Lleva El Viento” by David Aceituno. [Elizabteth Dame] Ways of Wood, Rose Kennedy Greenway

LISTEN

Chosen as one of four winners of the fifth Design Biennial Boston, Daniel Ibanez of Margen-Lab created a seating structure which emulates logs floating downstream, located on the Rose Kennedy Greenway and unveiled to the public in August. The installation is designed to let the person interacting with it observe the surrounding landscape and architecture while also considering the materials that built the city. [Hillary Faccio] Ear Hustle, podcast

A new podcast recorded at San Quentin’s media lab exploring life at the prison. What does a ‘new beginning’ mean when you’re serving an exhaustive sentence and how do these men decide to live their lives? This show is a look into a culture where the ‘next chapter’ may be unknown. [Jennifer Clapp] Heavyweight, podcast

Listening to Jonathan Goldstein’s podcast is like being a fly on the wall during many awkward, cathartic conversations between regular people trying to seek resolution. Whether it’s a fight between elderly brothers or visiting a high school girlfriend for closure, Jonathan pushes his guests to find a new beginning by revisiting the past. [Jennifer Clapp]

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Sometimes you’re not in the mood for an in-depth hour-long analysis of a single subject. But that doesn’t mean you want to be bored, either. For a rapid fire dose of obscure science and bizarre phenomena, Stephen Dubner’s new gameshow podcast is perfection. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” is a lighthearted yet substantive listen that will keep you hooked, keep you smiling, and definitely decrease your “idk” count. [Elizabeth Dame]

Stack is an independent publication subscription service, introducing subscribers to new indie magazines each month. Always sending fledgling and lesser known titles, each month's delivery from Stack is a surprise, but you are guaranteed to receive the latest in hip, indepenent publishing, quality writing, and cutting-edge design in print.

[David Hacin] - www.stackmagazines.com

READ

Stack Magazine Subscription

LISTEN

Tell Me Something I Don't Know, podcast

Homo Deus, nonfiction

In this ‘brief history of tomorrow’, the author has an optimistic view of our present: while famine, war, and disease were the norm of previous generations, this is no longer the case for ours. Sure, they do exist, but in numbers they take considerably less victims than suicide and obesity, he writes. We now have time to focus on much loftier goals. Death is no longer an inevitability but a problem to solve. Artificial intelligence pushes our growth exponentially. Our future is both an exciting and scary time that may be the next chapter for our species.

[Eduardo Serrate] The Creative Architect, nonfiction

The little-known episode in the annals of modern architecture and psychology—a 1950s creativity study of the top architects of the day, including Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn, Richard Neutra, George Nelson, and dozens more. The investigation sought to answer questions that still apply to creative practice today: What makes a person creative? What are the biographical conditions and personality traits necessary to actualize that potential? [Cyrus Dahmubed] Theft by Finding: Diaries, nonfiction

In this first volume of diaries, we follow David Sedaris from the beginning as a young man starving and struggling to success, to mid-life stress post 9-11. Always witty, observant, and nakedly honest, the book is easy to enjoy in chunks. Each diary entry builds on the next to create an intimate portrait of a life lived self-consciously and with humor. If you haven’t kept a diary, you cannot read this without wishing you had so that you could go back and visit with the person you used to be. If only you were that funny. [David Hacin]

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WATCH

Cabot Theater, cinema

One of the fewer than 250 remaining American “movie palaces” from the 1920s, the Cabot Theater in Beverly continues to show movies and live performances in the original grand hall. The fact that the hall has had minimal restoration work over its nearly continuous 97 years of operation adds a sense of authenticity to performances.

[Rob Clocker] The Handmaid's Tale, Hulu

See how the production designers create a dystopian Bostonian society out of present-day Toronto. Brutalism plays heavily into the design, as do key features like the T and the river, and how realistically the designers chose to represent them. Atwood’s novel is heavily reliant on the corruption and perversion of images that represent societal bedrock, so it’s particularly poignant and excitingly complicated for Bostonians to see imperfect representations of their most recognizable symbols being corrupted because of the multiple levels of abstraction.

[Cyrus Dahmubed] The Time In Between, Netflix

This mini-series has drama, romance, fashion, espionage, and suspense all set in WWII-era Spain and Morocco.

Sira, a poor seamstress from Madrid, starts a new life in Morocco to pay off debts by opening a dressmaking shop.

Recruited by the English to help spy on the wives of German officers, she puts stitch mark messages into her dress design patterns like morse code. At its heart, this is a story about a girl learning how to be a strong woman, making a new life on her own terms, and choosing a greater cause over her own desires. [Emily Neumann] GLOW, Netflix

Netflix hits us with another 80's themed show sure to become another cultural landmark like "Stranger Things."

Alison Brie stars as a struggling actress who lands her way onto a low-budget women's wrestling show. GLOW is fun and silly, but still grants commentary on gender and race in a way that is true to the time period.

[Candace Gabel]

Detectorists, BBC Television

Two friends, both living outrageously unacomplished lives, share the unglorious hobby of metal detecting in the scenic English countryside. The show combines soothing outdoor scenes with bone-dry humor and unexpected drama. Detectorists has been standing still since 2015, but the series is set to release its third and final season at the end of 2017. [Rob Clocker]

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Check out Metzy’s Facebook page to find out if this food truck is hitting this small town airfield over the weekend.

If you’re lucky, you’ll grab a burrito and get to see the old-timers flying their model airplanes on the runway.

Even though Metzy began a new chapter with his Newburyport restaurant, the truck is still "where it’s at."

Don’t forget to drive by the famous Pink House on the way to Plum Island and stop into The Cottage for their surf shop and ice cream. [Jennnifer Clapp]

EAT

Metzy’s Taqueria, Plum Island Airfield

Frenchie Wine Bistro, Boston

Frenchie is a South End restaurant in a space that has had many chapters. Their menu is serving up flavorful dishes like Avocado Cucumber Gaspacho and Salt Encrusted Branzino, and be sure to save room for dessert because they don't hold back - they have the best crème brulée in Boston. Great food and wine with a chic atmosphere, Frenchie is a cozy, neighborhood place to hang out and relax. [David Hacin]

Notch Brewery & Tap Room, Salem

This spot in Salem has all the best parts of a German style beer garden—communal seating, perfect pretzels, and excellent beer brewed on the premises. If you find yourself there on a Saturday, try catching their tour of the brewery at five o'clock! The Tap Room always has 8-13 brews on tap and when it's not busy, you can play Kubb and Cornhole in the beer garden. You can even bring your dog.

[Rob Clocker] Little Big Diner, Newton Centre

Located in Newton Centre, this 2016 Best of Boston winner lets you live out your Naruto daydreams and eat bowls of ramen bigger than your head. Little Big Diner incorporates different flavors from throughout Eastern Asia in a casual and fun space to create something that they refer to as "East Asian soul food." If ramen isn't your thing, try out their Poke bowl or Hawaiian Style Burger.

[Russell Higgins] A4cade, Cambridge

This is a collaboration between two classics: Roxy's Grilled Cheese and A4. A4cade gives you good food, good drinks, and retro vibes. Their speakeasy-style arcade in the back is decked out with tons of vintage arcade games from your childhood so that you can feel nostalgic while picking at tater tot poutine and sipping from an oversized R2-D2 cup. [Candace Gabel]

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SHOP

Casa Perfect, West Hollywood, CA

Go West! One of our favorite and constantly ahead of the curve, NYC furniture galleries, The Future Perfect, recently reimagined the shopping experience again. This time opening a West coast outpost called Casa Perfect. This new private, by-appointmentonly, shopping experience eschews traditional retail venues and is located off the beaten track in a private residence nestled in the West Hollywood Hills. Photo

by Lauren Coleman. [Rebecca Rivers] Tadpole, Boston

This shop in the South End is the perfect place to pick up a baby gift for someone about to embark on a new chapter in their lives - parenthood! The gifts are well made, one of a kind and many are hilarious. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable about everything from strollers to teething necklaces (yes, that’s a thing).

They are happy to wrap your gift for you to make the whole experience a breeze. Definitely check out this browse-worthy local business. [Aimee Epstein Norton] Opening Ceremony, New York City

The interiors crew stopped into the Opening Ceremony Ace Hotel store when we were in NYC for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. It’s a tiny store with stock stacked vertically. The employees literally have to climb a ladder to reach the “backroom” stock. The store has hip fashions, apothecary items, and even candy. [Dorothy Deák]

Brimfield Fair, Brimfield, MA

The Brimfield Antiques Show began in the 1950's and is the largest and best-known outdoor antiques show in the country. Running along Rt. 20 for a half-mile, the Brimfield Show is a vast undertaking, filled with thousands of dealers, selling everything from the finest antiques to 'yard junk.' This is a seasonal affair that occurs for a few days in May, July, and September.

[Dorothy Deák] YIELD, online

YIELD sells everything from home goods to wedding bands, all honoring an aesthetic described as "warm minimalism." YIELD mantains a dedication to craft, sustainability, and ethical production. This shop is in St. Augustine, Florida, but you can easily browse and shop its selection online. [Michelangelo Latona]

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EXPLORE

Nicaragua

Nicaragua's under-the-radar status makes this land of lakes and volcanoes worthy of your attention. It boasts two of the continent’s largest freshwater lakes and dozens of volcanoes, three of which are a short drive from the capital, Managua, as are the charming colonial towns of Granada and Leon. For a more remote excursion, escape to Little Corn Island, 43 miles off the Caribbean coast, reachable via a one-hour flight to Big Corn Island and a teeth-clenching panga ride.

[David Tabenken] Whidbey Island, Washington

Whidbey Island is about 30 miles north of Seattle and is the largest of the islands in Puget Sound. It has a lot of beautiful farmland, beaches, vineyards, distilleries, breweries and a few charming towns. Hit the beaches, visit historic landmarks, and check out the lavender wind farm. Stay in a beautiful farm house next to a cow pasture, chicken coup, horses, and be visited by deer daily. [Dorothy Deák] The Schilthorn, Switzerland

The ride to the top is only half the fun. Located in the Berenese Alps of Switzerland, the Schilthorn summit rests at 9,744 ft above sea level and also happens to have a revolving restaurant and James Bond museum at its peak, where they actually filmed the 1969 Bond film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Today you can dine there with a 360-degree view of the Alps. It takes several cable cars to get to the top—there are no roads and no cars to get that far—but you'll have a view of some really stunning scenery. [Emily Neumann] Gray's Beach Boardwalk, Yarmouth, MA

For exploration a little bit more local, check out Gray's Beach Boardwalk in Yarmouth on Cape Cod. It's a seemingly endless bridge that crawls over some really beautiful and lush marshland. Almost every slat constructing the bridge has someone's name engraved on it which makes for a really charming experience.

[Candace Gabel] Evora, Portugal

This small medieval town outside Lisbon, Portugal has amazing old-world charm. From houses built inside the arches of roman aqueducts to a roof-deck on top of the city’s cathedral, this town will have you craving the simple life. Beyond its historic charm, Evora is a lively university town and a destination for Alentejan cuisine.

[Michelangelo Latona]

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Jordan Lofts

JORDAN LOFTS IN BOSTON'S SOUTH END, 2017; ©GUSTAVHOILAND/FLAGSHIP PHOTO

C Y R U S D A H M U B E D [ N O R T H E A S T E R N U N I V E R S I T Y G R A D U AT E S T U D E N T & F O U N D I N G EDITOR OF THE STUDENT JOURNAL, COMMON GROUND], WRITES ABOUT HIS O B S E R VAT I O N S O F O U R N E W/ O L D N E I G H B O R H O O D F R O M H I S P E R S P E C T I V E AT H + A T H I S PA S T S U M M E R A N D R E V E A L S A S U R P R I S I N G P E R S O N A L C O N N E C T I O N .

+A engages with bringing history back to life through the construction of new architecture. Over the last 25 years, Boston’s South End has served as a testing ground for this architectural and urban agenda. In particular, three neighboring projects serve as examples of different approaches we’ve taken to achieving this prerogative: A seminal project, Laconia Lofts [completed in 2000], advanced an urban agenda by carefully responding to the city's historic development; our new home at 500 Harrison Avenue was reinvented as a space for a new generation of workers and designers, just as the building’s original construction was for the company that first built it; and, just across the way at Jordan Lofts, we have transformed the former horse stables of a hallmark Boston department store into a new commercial and residential building that incorporates clever hints of its equine history while also repairing an urban blemish and continuing the neighborhood’s revitalization.

Reinvention A NEW SOUTH END STORY

words by cyrus dahmubed i l l u s t r at i o n b y d av i d ta b e n k e n

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Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.

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Jordan lofts laconia lofts H+A projects

T.S. Eliot and the Spirit of Change hese words from T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets might easily have been inspired by Boston’s South End, where Eliot was known to pass his time at The Grand Opera House on Washington Street, watching vaudevillian performances and taking in the grit of a rapidly changing industrial neighborhood. That rapid change is easily recognizable in the South End of today, exemplified by the presence of one of H+A’s most significant projects, Laconia Lofts, which now sits on the site of The Grand Opera. Particularly noticeable in the scale of new construction in the neighborhood’s SoWa district, even the stoic townhouse-lined streets of the old South End have long been characterized by the soft yet unrelenting beat of transformation. This transformation has frequently been at its most impactful when, following the lesson of its context, changes have breathed new life into familiar but forgotten fixtures of the neighborhood’s landscape.

Though the South End has a long history of reinventing itself, its transformation in the last thirty years from a dangerous neighborhood trapped in a frustrating cycle of neglect and disinvestment to one of the most vibrant and beloved parts of Boston has brought with it a resonant architectural character and an effective process of incremental urbanism.

H+A’s work in the South End has long sought to serve as a catalyst for positive change by taking inspiration from the neighborhood’s history, while also embracing that history’s defining traits of rebirth and transformation— just as Eliot may have witnessed them during his time in Boston. Until very recently, this work was done from H+A’s offices at 112 Shawmut Avenue, with broad views overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike and many of the city’s core neighborhoods. 112 Shawmut is, itself, a microcosm of the South End’s evolution; built first to serve as a warehouse and factory for a men’s suit company that supplied clothing to the department stores of Downtown Crossing, 112 Shawmut eventually found new life as an office building whose wide open floor plates and abundant natural light were perfectly suited to design studios like H+A. This particular sequence of transformation is one that has become emblematic of the South End. Buildings built in the late 19th and early 20th century for industrial uses during the neighborhood’s adolescence were vacated as industry left the South End [and Boston more broadly later on], only to find new lives as homes and workspaces for artists, craftspeople, and an increasingly tech-savvy creative population.

David Hacin describes H+A's move to 500 Harrison Ave as a “return to the heart of the South End”. Like Washington Street, Harrison Avenue, has its own storied history that chronicles the neighborhood’s long transformation from a bay of Boston Harbor to the thriving community of today. These streets are in a unique dialogue with Boston’s pre-Colonial coastline, now buried out of sight beneath the neighborhood, but still present in the form of buildings along Harrison Avenue and Washington St. H+A’s project, Laconia Lofts, straddles both of these streets and was as transformative to the neighborhood as it was to the office itself [then, housed in its infancy at 46 Waltham Street— another transformed South End industrial building].

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“The Heart of the South End” ince its construction, Laconia Lofts has also served as David's home and a geographic center of gravity for much of the office’s work in the neighborhood. Despite significant differences – Laconia Lofts was built as a residential building for artists, while 500 Harrison was originally built as the central factory for the Reece Buttonholing and Machining Company – both buildings take their shape from streets that were designed to fit along the old coastline and port.

Through much of the 18th and 19th centuries, the land now known as the South End was an active port called the South Bay. Remnants of the port, which were evident even through the Big Dig, can still be identified today by urban explorers navigating the tail end of Fort Point Channel. The city’s only land connection was the Boston Neck, a narrow isthmus that separated the South Bay from the Back Bay. Running atop this strip was Washington Street, which would grow in prominence and whose crossing with Winter Street would eventually become the city’s downtown.

In 1852, Boston’s first City Engineer, Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough —coincidentally my great, great, great, grandfather—was tasked with determining, surveying, and mapping Boston’s original coastline so that the hydrodynamics of the Harbor could be better understood for shipping purposes. A closer look at Boston Neck on the map he produced shows that as the city expanded and the Neck was widened; a line was drawn across the water of South Bay to identify the extent of piers and wharves permissible in order to preserve navigability. The piers in the part of South Bay that would become SoWa were designed to be perpendicular to this imaginary boundary —rather than to existing streets—in order to maximize the water’s usefulness.

On land, these piers terminated, obliquely, into Harrison Avenue, forever determining the layout of the 19th- and 20th-century streets that would be built on and around them. These wharves are the ones that still lay beneath three buildings in the heart of H+A’s South End: Laconia Lofts, 500 Harrison, and the recently completed Jordan Lofts.

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B A C K B AY INFILL

LOWER R O X B U RY INFILL

S E A P O RT D IST R IC T INFILL

THE BOSTON CITY EDGES IN 1838 WITH PRESENT DAY INFILL SHOWN DOTTED

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PHOTOS ©GUSTAV HOILAND/FLAGSHIP PHOTO; ILLUSTRATION UNKNOWN

JORDAN LOFTS IN BOSTON'S SOUTH END, 2017

Remembering a Boston Icon mmediately across from 500 Harrison is Jordan Lofts. Completed in 2016

by H+A, partnering with developer, builder, and executive architect, The Holland Companies, Jordan Lofts reinvented a building that had originally functioned as stables for the grand dame of Boston department stores, Jordan Marsh. With the layout of the streets around it determined by the same wharves and coastline that informed 500 Harrison’s shape, Jordan Lofts tells the thread of a story within the greater narrative of the South End’s historical tapestry. The Jordan Marsh Company defined Boston’s, and eventually New England’s, shopping scene and its flagship department store in Downtown Crossing was the first of its kind in the country. Like many companies at the time, it maintained a variety of service buildings in the industrial South End to help support the fashionable functions of the store in Downtown Crossing, a link which further bolstered the importance of Washington Street as the city’s major artery. The building that has recently been transformed into Jordan Lofts started its life as a stable for the horses used by Jordan Marsh to deliver goods and transport items between stores.

JORDAN MARSH DEPARTMENT STORE, 19TH CENTURY BOSTON, MA

LOBBY ENTRANCE TO THE JORDAN LOFTS, 2017

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JORDAN LOFTS, 2017

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JORDAN LOFTS, 2012

ut this stable was not surrounded by bucolic pasture land; rather the site was hemmed in by everything from manufacturing facilities and lumber storage, to carriage garages and the nearby Grand Opera. As Jordan Marsh transitioned from using horse and buggy to horseless carriage the building ceased to be a stable and was incorporated into a new auto maintenance facility built around its base. Eventually, this function would also give way to a textile warehouse—and later, abandonment—as industry departed the South End and Jordan Marsh partnered with other department stores to create a national conglomerate, the only remnant of which is now Macy’s.

Whereas most of these transitions were largely hidden from the public eye, we sought to make the transformation of Jordan Lofts from an abandoned building into a vibrant residential building apparent to the entire neighborhood. To achieve this, H+A visibly “spliced” a new volume into the center of the building and expressed it with materials that are set back and differ from the brick of two of the building’s preserved facades.

This intervention also helped to transform what had formerly been a “dead” party wall [without allowable windows] into a lively and engaging new façade for the building. Ultimately, this helped to further H+A's agenda of incremental urban revitalization predicated on the notion that successful urban revitalization should engage in an open dialogue with its context and history.

ABOVE: INTERIOR VIEWS OF 477 HARRISON AVENUE, BEFORE RENOVATION, 2012 87

art of this dialogue meant referencing what is perhaps the most unique moment in the building’s history: its period as a stable. To bring this equine history into the 21st-century, H+A wrapped the building’s lobby in warm, streamlined timber studded with dark wrought iron reminiscent of barns and stables and then introduced art and design details throughout that pay homage to the building’s history with the Jordan Marsh Company. Though wood was introduced into the lobby, modernizing the building for residential usage required the meticulous and laborious removal of the original wood frame structure, and its replacement with a steel skeleton.

To execute this H+A partnered with Longleaf Lumber for the removal, restoration, and reuse of the building’s original heavy timber.

ABOVE: ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS OF THE LOBBY AT JORDAN LOFTS, 2017 88

PHOTO THIS PAGE + OPPOSITE PAGE: ©GUSTAV HOILAND/FLAGSHIP

THE LOBBY OF JORDAN LOFTS, 2017

PHOTO, TOP RIGHT, HACIN + ASSOCIATES; BOTTOM RIGHT + THIS PAGE ©EMILY NEUMANN/HACIN + ASSOCIATES

RESIDENCE AT JORDAN LOFTS, 2017 [INTERIORS BY [h+a]

A New Life eyond simply bringing Jordan Lofts back to life architecturally, this project also reinforced H+A and Holland Development's dedication to the preservation of historic buildings and the building of a new community through residential reprogramming. By transforming these industrial buildings into homes a new, very personal and communal connection is created that repositions their significance to their neighborhood and surroundings—just as their initial use and construction would have done many years earlier. A Jordan Lofts resident and H+A client, shared appreciation for the historic architecture, saying, "We love the fact that it is a small 'boutique' building, with only 12 residential units, and respectful of its historic origins...It’s great to be in such a thriving, artistic part of the city." As buildings transform and their uses change, becoming a place where people live seems to ensure a more certain type of future. Jordan Lofts has had many lives, but now it's forever tied to the lives of those that reside within it. For me, this brings a special weight and sentimentality to residential architecture and supports the idea that good design can make this relationship to history and place as much part of a home as it is part of the neighborhood.

ABOVE, TOP FLOOR OF JORDAN LOFTS, BEFORE IN 2012, AND AFTER IN 2017 91

view down harrison avenue including jordan lofts, laconia lofts, and H+A's new studio at 500 harrison avenue

As cranes rise and new construction fills the blocks of the South End the neighborhood seems poised to transform itself once again. Will the 'new South End' embrace the neighborhood’s coastal and industrial history as seen through the shape of its streets and the character of its spaces like Laconia Lofts does? Will the buildings that make up this transformation stand the tests of time like 500 Harrison Avenue and Jordan Lofts and have? Time will tell.

T.S. Eliot may not recognize the south end of his youth, but there is no doubt that he would recognize its defining characteristic; an ever-present rhythm of rebirth as consistent as

©GUSTAV HOILAND/FLAGSHIP PHOTO

the tides that created it.

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A visual essay of architecture and interiors imagined as books across genres and graphic styles.

Designed by Candace Gabel

Like many people have asked, "What would my life look like in a movie?", we asked what our projects would look like as books.

What graphic form would they take and what would the spirit of the narrative be? For example, what would District Hall look like as a how-to guidebook? Is Four51 Marlborough a historic fiction, or a romance novel? Should Flour Bakery and Cafe be a cookbook, or would it be a delightful children's story with delicious hand-drawn illustrations? There are so many ways to express what makes each of these projects special, and we had fun trying a few. Enjoy these fanciful interpretations with their imaginary descriptions, and see if you can figure out the riddle of each fictitious author's name.

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DISTRICT HALL

1 DISTRICT HALL, DECONSTRUCTED

BY DINA SEQUENCE GENRE: HOW-TO

A straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to how to foster innovation.

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F LO U R B A K E R Y + C A F E

2 FLOUR & AMANDINE WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATED BY J.B. COOKSALOT GENRE: CHILDREN's LITERATURE

Amandine's adventures searching for the perfect pastry, and discovering life is sweeter with curiosity.

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J O R D A N LO F T S

3 DELIVERING JORDAN MARSH WRITTEN BY LOUISA BAREISS* GENRE: HISTORIC FICTION

A department store delivery man in 19th century Boston learns that friendship is the basis of confidence, and confidence is the basis of success. *louisa bareiss was the first customer of jordan marsh department store.

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G L A S S H O U S E R E S TA U R A N T

4 GLASS HOUSE WRITTEN BY george glass GENRE: autobiography

One scientist's memoir of discovery and invention through the world of cuisine.

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FOUR51 MARLBOROUGH

5 FOUR51 FIVE SHORT STORIES OF WOMEN LIVING ON THE EDGE WRITTEN BY CHARLES GATES GENRE: ROMANCE

One address, five stories, and the Back Bay women living on the edge of their time.

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FRESH STARTS

AROUND

BOSTON

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LAMPLIGHTER BREWERY | Cambridge, MA A new brew spot in Cambridge is serving up funky, delicious beers in an old car garage. During the day they operate a different kind of brew in their complementary coffee shop, Longfellows.

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MARK ROTHKO: REFLECTION | BOSTON, MA Starting on September 24th, 2017, the MFA will be showing 11 Mark Rothko paintings, featuring "Thru the Window," a 1938 painting that will be on public view for the first time in the United States.

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NICHE | Boston, MA A new plant shop serving the green-thumbed urbanite, located in both Boston and Cambridge. Visit the Cambridge location and you'll find yourself conveniently next door to Lamplighter.

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INK UNDERGROUND | Boston, MA Keep an eye on this developing 8-acre underpass between the South End and South Boston. This new public space will be programmed for events, public art, pop-up experiences, and more.

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NEW YEAR'S DAY SWIM | SOUTH Boston, MA Start 2018 off right with a renewing plunge into the icy Atlantic Ocean, alongside 1,000 brave Bostonians at the K Street entrance to the harbor in South Boston.

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GETAWAY | Boston & New York Just outside the city exists a fleet of modern tiny houses in the woods that you can book just like a hotel; grab a good book and recharge in nature with Getaway. Dogs are welcome!

NEWBURY STREET POP-UPS | Boston, MA These spaces are always being reinvented. Will you find oysters or athletic-wear? Baby clothes or furniture? Check out what's happening at the Pop-Up Shops at 91 & 328 Newbury Street.

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BROADSHEET COFFEE ROASTERS | Cambridge, MA A great new craft coffee shop in Cambridge with a thoughtful curation of specialty coffees. For something different, try out one of their Espresso + Soda drinks, made with housemade sodas.

CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL’S MILK STREET | Boston, MA Christopher Kimball's new venture since leaving America's Test Kitchen, Milk Street offers up classes like "Not My Mother's Chicken". Kimball's WGBH TV show kicks off in September.

@BUCKETLISTBOSTON | Instagram Follow this Instagram account for a virtual guide to all the newest happenings around Boston!

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THIS PAGE

Rebecca at work in the H+A material library © Gustav Hoiland

FRONT COVER

Collective inspiration wall at H+A, styled by Matthew Woodward © Emily Neumann

BACK COVER

Walter's contribution to the wall, styled by Matthew Woodward © Emily Neumann

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H+ MAGAZINE IS CREATED, DESIGNED, AND PUBLISHED BY ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FIRM, HACIN + ASSOCIATES 500 HARRISON AVENUE , STUDIO 4F, BOSTON , MA 021 1 8 www.hacin.com | media@hacin.com | 617.426.0077 /HacinAssociates

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