now + next | Issue 3 | 2015

ISSUE 3: 2015

now+next Livingston School Apartments The $20.7 million preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Depression-era Philip Livingston Magnet Academy in Albany, N.Y., transformed the landmark four-story, 230,000 square foot school into 103 units of housing, allowing active 55+ adults to live independently and thrive in this historically significant building abutting the remarkable Tivoli Preserve.

THESE MOVEMENTS ARE LEADING TO

building materials, such as brick, plaster

an unintended and highly beneficial effect:

and concrete, have among the lowest levels

boosting the sustainability of the communi-

of embodied energy. Throwing away old

ties and campuses where they take place.

buildings also has its share of associated

Opting for renovating existing buildings in

costs. Construction debris constitutes ap-

lieu of constructing new buildings reduces

proximately one-third of our waste stream,

the community’s carbon footprint. Further

says the Environmental Protection Agency,

new program uses tend to utilize square foot-

estimating that 27% of U.S. buildings will

age more efficiently and obviate considerable

be replaced between 2000 and 2030 – a

amounts of construction energy and resourc-

significant strain on the environment. Add

es. This cost savings is also a primary benefit

to this the demolition and carting costs,

of the second trend: restoring and renovating

which are considerable for facilities of any

older architecture. Adapting historic struc-

size. Many adaptive reuse projects are un-

tures into multifamily housing, community

locking value in buildings never previously

space, campus housing, corporate offices

considered as assets – decommissioned

and even lab space is cost-effective and

power plants and old storage spaces, for

green – after all, the greenest building is

example, or defunct mills on the periphery

the one that has already been built. In fact,

of a community or campus. The economics

environmentally conscious community and

are good, especially when historic rehabili-

institutional leaders are recognizing the

tation tax credits are considered. Federal

attractive triple bottom line in their oldest

Historic Preservation Tax Incentives are

buildings: preserving sizeable embodied

designed to encourage private-sector work.

energy in the existing structures, reaping

Clearly, the economics work for reusing and

gains from recurring embodied energy sav-

converting historic buildings. Coupled with

ings that grow dramatically for buildings over

the eco-friendly nature of adaptive reuse,

50 years old, and limiting the use of many

corporations, colleges and communities

energy-intensive new materials – aluminum,

have a blueprint for successful growth –

plastics, and steel, for example. Traditional

often within their existing neighborhood or

Photography | Andy Ryan

Adapting historic buildings for new uses makes both environmental and economic sense. Two significant trends in the United States are converging to ease the strain for building space. One is the conversion of use – taking advantage of existing structures for unintended occupancies – and the other is renovation of older, historic facilities and structures.

TOP | Counting House Lofts BOTTOM | Livingston School Apartments

Robert J. Verrier FAIA, NCARB Vice President | Managing Principal + Co-Founder bverrier@architecturalteam.com

Photography | Christian Scully

campus buildings.

Photography | Gustav Hoiland

375 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 2015 Build New England Award AGC Massachusetts

Client | WinnDevelopment Interiors | Ideal Design Photography | Andy Ryan

THE HAMILTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

and worked creatively with the 8’-0” column spac-

located in Lowell, MA, was founded in 1825 and

ing to achieve 52 unique living spaces – taking

operated as a textile mill until production ceased

advantage of dimensions of the building to develop

in 1926. The three-story brick Italianate building

amenity spaces: a lounge, gourmet kitchen, laun-

was originally known as the “Counting House” and

dry room, fitness room, and an outside patio.

and transportation hub with direct access into the mill yard. The building has a distinctly decorative appearance within the Hamilton complex, its corners and the bays of its 690-foot long walls are defined by brick pilasters with simple brick capitals, above which are deep corbelled-brick cornices below a heavy, wide roof overhang. The windows have rough granite sills and graceful Italianate caps of rowlocks and soldiers arranged in a segmental arch with drops on each side.

The narrow, long configuration of the building posed an interesting design challenge. Measuring just 45 feet wide, the structure is constrained by its position between the Hamilton Canal and pre-ex-

Today, this historic building – renamed Counting

Counting House Lofts, Lowell, MA J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation | Best Market Rate or Mixed Income Residential Finalist National Housing & Rehabilitation Association Laurelwood at the Pinehills, Plymouth, MA 2015 Senior Living By Design Award ALFA

House Lofts – is a contributing resource within the Locks and Canal Historic District, a district listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.

Photography | Warren Jagger

served as the administrative center, watch house

Photography | Ed Wonsek

Arlington 360, Arlington, MA Excellence Award | Silver Winner for Development & Design: Affordable Multihousing News

Voke Lofts, Worcester, MA Excellence Award | Gold Winner for Development & Design: Adaptive Reuse Multihousing News J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation | Best Market Rate or Mixed Income Residential Finalist National Housing & Rehabilitation Association

building is two bays in width, by ten bays long (28 x 145 feet), while the easterly section which abuts the Hamilton Storehouse, widens to three bays and is another four bays long (31 x 63 feet). The team innovatively maintained the existing interior train bay by incorporating it into four residential units,

Photography | Warren Jagger

isting spur railroad tracks. The major portion of the

We focused our efforts on being sensitive to the original character of the building. This new use and program benefits residents who require an affordable yet highly functional and stimulating residential community, and preserves the legacy of New York’s early 20th-century architecture.

Bob Verrier, FAIA, NCARB, Vice President and Managing Principal IVINGSTON SCHOOL, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE

$20.7 million project consisted of a historically sensitive

Philip Livingston Magnet Academy, was constructed

renovation of the academy, maintaining the historic fabric

during the Depression-era to teach vocational skills

of the structure – transforming classrooms into apartment

to the unemployed and was used as a public school for

homes, and adapting large open areas that once housed the

the Albany community until it became vacant in 2009.

administrative offices, an auditorium and two-story library

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the

into amenity spaces for the residents. This active living

iconic building has been thoughtfully converted into a 103

facility features a spacious lounge with community kitchen

unit mixed-income 55+ living community. Its revitalization

and entertainment, Wi-Fi, fitness facilities, a library, a media

created 12 studio apartments, 76 one-bedroom and

center, a wellness center for visiting practitioners and ample

15 two-bedroom apartments, with 11 accessible units,

seating areas. The attentively landscaped gardens, patios

and five suited for the hearing or visually impaired. The

and outdoor space abuts an 80-acre urban nature preserve.

EXTERIOR | The exterior of the school was completely restored in a process that included the installation of new shingles for the gambrelstyle roof and the addition of some facsimile metal grilles to replace the lost original copper versions.

INTERIOR | Interior walls, original blackboards, crown moldings, plaster walls, a two-story library, a clock tower and a wrought-iron circular stair and mezzanine were all preserved and adapted for resident use by TAT’s interior design team.

The entrance lobby features original terrazzo tile flooring, plastered walls, decorative plaster columns, and original ceilings with crown molding.

Client | WinnDevelopment Photography | Christian Scully

Client | Northbridge Companies Photography | Warren Jagger

NESTLED IN THE CHARMING COMMUNITY of The Pinehills, Laurelwood is a distinctively long and narrow property which required an innovative multi-level design, resulting in a delightfully atypical configuration whose insertion into the surrounding woods creates an environment of tranquility and verdant vistas.

The inventive design produced widely varied apartment layouts and amenity spaces – an uncommon feature in traditional assisted living environments – but valued by residents who enjoy personalizing spaces to be uniquely their own. An artfully landscaped patio complete with a fireplace, water fountains, shaded and open-air spaces is ideal for entertaining family and friends. Inside, the grand common areas feature privacy nooks, seating areas convened around fireplaces, and flexible boutique-style furnishings which allow for easy reconfiguration.

The original artwork, custom details and furnishings create an atmosphere that is conducive for active living and enjoyment.

The common living areas are extremely comfortable and incorporate the coastal New England aesthetic.

INTERIOR | An art studio with a soaring, windowed atrium offering bountiful natural light and woodland views.

EXTERIOR | The New England architectural style, with the gambrel roof and stained western red cedar shingle siding is distinctive within The Pinehills community.

The Architectural Team’s Unusual Solution for an Apartment Conversion MHN Online | Oct. 2015 Empty Lot Transformed Into State-ofArt Residences in Malden Patch.com | Oct. 2015 WinnDevelopment begins work on incubator headquarters in downtown Rochester Real Estate Weekly |Sept. 2015 Boston’s Lovejoy Wharf Perspective | Sept. 2015 A Penthouse Apartment in the Heart of Chinatown BostInno | Aug. 2015 To read full articles and other recent firm news, please visit: www.architecturalteam.com

The success of the Lighthouse project is a result of the owner, architect and contractor working closely together for over 12 months through preconstruction planning and design coordination, to manage a complex renovation of an occupied facility.

Recent grand openings include: Residence at Brookside, Avon, CT; South Boston Boys & Girls Club, South Boston, MA; Livingston School Apartments, Albany, NY; Outing Park Apartments, Springfield, MA; Avalon Marlborough, Marlborough, MA; Avalon Framingham, Framingham, MA; Lighthouse Nursing Care Center, Revere, MA; St. Kevin’s Redevelopment, Dorchester, MA; Brookside Square, West Concord, MA; 480 Main, Malden, MA.

Michael Liu, AIA, NCARB Vice President, Principal

THE 17,000 SQUARE FOOT RENOVATION and contemporary addition to the skilled nursing facility provides 12 additional shortterm rehabilitation beds, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation gymnasium and suites for physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

The gym features the latest in therapeutic equipment, including a car simulation station allowing patients to practice exiting and entering a vehicle, as well as an “uneven surface area” with strips of brick, concrete, paving stone and a curb, to practice walking on less than ideal surfaces. Other design attributes include a new dining area, medical office and clinical space. The aging façade of the building was wholly redesigned, adding a three-season wraparound porch to provide short and long-term residents with a panoramic view of the surrounding neighborhood. The outdoor space has been transformed with landscaped walking paths, patios and garden areas.

Recent ground breakings include: Wingate Residences Phase II, Needham, MA; Fitchburg Yarn Mill, Fitchburg, MA.

TAT welcomes new hires Zachary Hachey, Elizabeth Sayer and Kimia Samimi to the architectural staff; Isabella Lara to interiors; and Meghan Wynne to finance.

Congratulations to the TAT Softball Team for winning the 2015 Boston Area Architects Softball League Championship, making them back-toback champions!

Client | Guardian Foundation, Inc. Photography | Andy Ryan

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new website - www.architecturalteam.com! We look forward to sharing our latest projects and recent news with you!

For more information, please contact Jess Ruhlin at 617.889.4402. To subscribe to an electronic version of tat|now+next, please visit www.architecturalteam.com and click on the News section. Š2015

+fyi Amelia Earhart spoke about her Pacific flight at The Livingston School in 1935.

The auditorium was once used by the Albany Symphony as its practice hall.

The building was named after Albany native, Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The school was built as part of a Depression-era project to train workers in the building trades.

Photography | Christian Scully