Section A | Qualifications
Architectural Capabilities Statement of Qualifications April 2022
Table of Contents
Contents Who We Are.............................................. Page 1 Government.............................................. Page 3 Education - K-12 Schools........................... Page 13 Education - College & University............... Page 31 Housing..................................................... Page 43 Office & Corporate.................................... Page 57 Sports & Recreation.................................. Page 75
Who We Are
Who We Are Our Team at a Glance
1,350 multi-disciplined staff 40 offices globally 70 years in business #50 Engineering News Record’s
(ENR) ranking of top 500 design firms
Connect With Us David Hatton, AIA, NCARB Building Design Business Line Director dhatton@chacompanies.com (215) 380-2420
Founded more than 70 years ago, CHA provides architectural and structural design that is rooted in community ideals and responsive to the landscape and local aesthetic. Our people thrive on collaboration, working as part of project team, listening to our clients’ needs, and concentrating on modern design. CHA Architecture is aligned with CHA Consulting, Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering consulting firm, with a shared aspiration to responsibly improve the world we live in. Together, the CHA team includes more than 1,350 technical professionals throughout the United States and Canada, providing a national platform to combine art and science to rethink, refine and reshape the built environment. The tools may have changed over the past 70 years, the office has grown, and we have many new colleagues to collaborate with, but the ideas and creative energy persist and overflow. Our foundation remains clear — to create high-quality, collaborative designs that stress innovation grounded in careful listening to our clients’ functional needs.
Our Markets CHA’s strength lies in its diversification in the markets we serve, the services we provide, and the geographies we work in. We provide a wide range of technologyenhanced design and planning services to clients across five markets: Government, Industry, Utility, Education, and Commercial Development. Using a market strategy facilitates delivering all our technical services to clients with a focus on strong relationships and maximizing the value CHA brings to our clients and projects. By leveraging our skills and responsiveness, we have built robust client relationships and become a best-in-class consultant.
1
Government
Our public buildings are designed to communicate responsibility to the taxpayers. The new facilities are unmistakably modern buildings of our own era that echo local materials and details and reinterpret them for context and performance. The renovations fit modern interiors and building systems into fine old frames. They strive to be elegant, but not lavish; sturdy, but not flashy; economical to operate; and straightforward and secure in circulation.
Experience | Government
Capital Judicial Center The new building is a combined District and Superior Court that consolidates the Administrative Office of the Courts and several other facilities.
Location
Taking advantage of the site’s long south-facing side, CHA oriented the single point of access in a queuing vestibule off a grand public plaza and achieved natural daylighting in all public spaces and courtrooms.
Maine Judicial Branch
The arrangement of courtrooms and the steeply sloping site allowed for four floors on top of secure parking located beneath the entry level. A public stair off the main lobby provides views of the Kennebec River, historic district, and the State Capitol Complex.
Awards
Augusta, ME
Client
Project Type
Renovation & Addition Statewide Historic Preservation Honor Award, Maine Preservation, 2016
The first LEED-certified courthouse in the state is an urban brownfield redevelopment with sustainable features that include a high-performance envelope with R15 in the walls and R37 in the roof.
5
Experience | Government
Region A Headquarters The new Region A headquarters for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife houses biologists and the Warden Service. The project weaves together public meeting areas, private offices and processing spaces, and secure law enforcement functions in a compact, cost effective plan. Designed with a rustic Maine aesthetic, the building is open to the public. The building is designed with a northern-Maine aesthetic inspired by hunting and fishing camps. The exterior materials were chosen for their aesthetics and durability while paying homage to the Maine forest vernacular. The rustic exterior echoes pine siding in a more durable material and traditional green and rusty brown color scheme. Eastern white pine and cedar are showcased around the front entry. The generous Craftsman-style peaked, bracketed entrance canopy responds to the need for shelter at the door from a harsh climate and welcomes visitors.
Location Gray, ME
Client
Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Project Type
New Construction - 7,200 SF
A continuously insulated building envelope combined with energy efficient windows and proper air sealing helps reduce heating and cooling needs. The borate insulation reduces the risk of mold intrusion into the wall assembly. Both the exterior walls and the roof are passively pressurized through a rain-screen system and soffit vents, which promotes drying to the exterior.
7
Experience | Government
Gorham Municipal Center Gorham Municipal Center is a complete renovation of the former Shaw Middle School, which was built in 1939 as the town’s high school.
Location
The project gives a third life to this much-loved facility and includes town and school offices, Town Council Chamber, Gorham Cable Access Television studio, and facilities for the Recreation Department. The building is completely renovated, with new windows and roofing, new elevator/stair tower, new entries, and all life safety/ADA upgrades.
Client
Gorham, ME Town of Gorham
Project Type
Renovation - 54,000 SF
Its central location near Baxter Memorial Library, Baxter House Museum, and the high school reinforces the walkable nature of the village. The new rotunda entrance is visually linked to the Baxter Memorial Library entrance. The new Town Council Chamber, transformed from the former school auditorium, is provided with state-of-the-art broadcast technology for local cable access TV (GOCAT). The control room is in the former balcony, and the TV station has its own studio in the former school library. Historic features like blackboards and built-in bookcases were saved and restored, and new built-ins detailed to match the old. Original floor and wall tiles, paneling, balusters, and handrails were saved where possible and inspired the color palette used in the renovation.
9
Experience | Government
People Plus Senior/Teen Center New construction necessitated a move for Brunswick’s senior and teen centers to the former Union Street School, an 1862 brick building with two additions from 1941. The choice of this building, the former superintendent’s office, moves the senior center to a quieter, more walkable location closer to other town services and shopping.
Location
CHA performed a feasibility study before the town approved a light-touch renovation with a limited budget. Code issues, including ADA and life safety, dictated new entrances, a wheelchair ramp, and a new elevator.
Renovation - 6,512 SF
Brunswick, ME
Client
Town of Brunswick
Project Type
There are new finishes throughout, with exposed brick, new carpeting, and a warm color scheme in offices and meeting rooms. A new kitchen allows the senior center to serve meals and run a small café, and the former gymnasium, with a new insulated floor and mirrors, is available for fitness activities and large group activities. New building systems—including a sprinkler system, a natural gas heating system, and air conditioning—replace inefficient systems and bring the building up to code.
11
Fire Station #3 CHA was retained to provide design services for the development of a new Fire Station on a 2.36-acre parcel. The new facility will be approximately 15,000 SF and is subject to specific design standards due to its location within the City’s Historic Zoning Overlay District.
Location
CHA has conducted programming meetings with stakeholders to verify facility space use requirements. Spacial diagrammatic layouts have been created and are progressing to design development level.
Project Type
Saratoga Springs, NY
Client
City of Saratoga Springs Renovation - 15,000 SF
Education - K-12 Schools
K-12 schools provide special spaces for that encourage discovery, creativity, socialization, collaboration, and foster a sense of security for our kids. They are spaces where young minds take shape, and teen minds are nurtured and motivated to begin making plans for careers and life. We work closely with each school district we support to fully understand your community’s values, culture and needs to create spaces that inspire our future generations.
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Mt. Ararat High School The new high school for MSAD #75 involved an extensive community planning process engaging citizens, students, and families from the communities of Topsham, Harpswell, Bowdoin, and Bowdoinham. MSAD #75’s decision to stay on their existing campus allowed the new high school to continue its relationship with the middle school on a central site with abundant natural features. The visioning team at Mt. Ararat High School charged us with providing ubiquitous learning, providing a place the students would feel comfortable in and could consider a second home, and organizing the building around a hub of spaces critical to their established culture. The building was designed with three primary wings, intersecting at the main entry lobby. From the lobby, a public main street connected the Dining Commons to the small theater space to the gymnasium and fitness rooms.
Location
Topsham, ME
Client
MSAD #7
Project Type
New Construction - 150,000 SF
Classroom wings radiate from the lobby, each with a diversity of spaces including makerspaces, small and large classrooms, and seminar rooms. Special Education and Social Workers are distributed throughout the building to promote inclusion of all students. The requested hub houses the Digital Media Makerspace, the Robotics Makerspace, the Learning Commons, the Student Affairs offices, Main Administration, and the Dining Commons. It also has informal seating areas and breakout spaces for casual encounters and informal meetings. 15
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Caribou Community School Regional School Unit #39 in Caribou, Maine, was chosen to receive state funding to replace the energy-inefficient 1950 Teague Park Elementary School. The consolidation of three aging facilities into one new highperformance school created efficiencies made necessary by population decline in the area. It also realized the District’s goal of being able to offer programs and curriculum that are currently only offered to upper elementary students to lower grade levels. The District aspires to expose all students of all ages to innovative STEAM curriculum and hands-on learning. This building facilitates and celebrates that goal.
Location
Caribou, ME
Client
RSU #39
Project Type
New Construction - 120,000 SF
The new–8 school sits on a 17.4-acre parcel in the center of Caribou, directly across from the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center. Close collaboration among the City of Caribou, the National Park Service, the Maine Attorney General’s Office, and the Maine Department of Education makes this central site possible. An Innovation Lab, art rooms, multiple project rooms, and a Learning Commons anchor the main spine of the building. This STEAM corridor, traversed daily by all students, centralizes and highlights the students’ collaborative projects.
17
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Kate Furbish Elementary School A new elementary school in Brunswick relieved overcrowding at several existing schools and allowed for the addition of PreK classrooms within the district. Responding to concerns about the large size of the student population, CHA developed a concept of two schools within a school, sharing core facilities. Architectural forms and color were used to reduce the scale of the building to help it fit within the surrounding residential neighborhood. Site circulation was reconsidered to promote student and campus safety.
Location
Brunswick, ME
Client
Brunswick School Department
Project Type
New Construction - 90,000 SF
A one-story PreK wing near the administration office offers an intimate, safe area for the youngest students who are acclimating to public school and includes direct access to their own outdoor play space. The kindergarten, first, and second grades are broken into two “Houses,” each consisting of kindergarten and first grade classrooms on the ground floor and second grade classrooms on the second floor. Students will remain in their assigned House, to help create smaller communities within the otherwise large school. Diversified Arts (library, art, music, gym) and special support service classrooms are located along or just off one of two central corridors that run through the center of the school. The wooded site inspired a forest trails theme that informs the interior spaces and wayfinding.
19
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Mt. Blue Campus This major overhaul of the Mt. Blue High School/Foster Technical Center campus serves as a model for fully integrating career technical education (CTE) with an academic high school. The organizational principles place academic classrooms directly adjacent to CTE labs and scatter CTE programs throughout the floor plan, allowing for complete integration between the two. The building incorporates multiple alternative energy technologies such as wood chips, geothermal, solar hot water heating, electrical wind generators, and photovoltaic panels. All of the alternative energy technologies have been designed to be monitored and maintained as part of the school curriculum. The building was designed with 1-, 2-, and 3-story instructional blocks, with shorter blocks designed for future expansion.
Location
Topsham, ME
Client
RSU #9
Project Type
New Construction - 150,000 SF
There are two new performance spaces: a 500-seat, two-story auditorium to serve the theater, music, dance, and video media programs, and a 250seat performance space for academic lectures, meetings of the faculty senate, and small group performances.
21
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Cafeteria and Classroom Addition This third dormitory is a 22,700 SF, two-story building that can accommodate 52 students and four dorm parents’ families in separate apartments. Like the previous two dormitories, it is designed in a style reminiscent of the shingle style vernacular. The orientation of the building along Main Street creates a safe, common access point, protecting the privacy of the families and students residing in the dormitory village. The building has been designed with breaks along the length of the building including changes in wall planes to create residential-scale building blocks and porches at the apartments. Contrasting paint colors and window accent colors along the façade further emphasize the residential massing elements.
Location
Freeport, ME
Client
Freeport High School
Project Type
Renovation/Addition - 30,000 SF
The new 8-classroom STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) addition allows the school to strengthen and expand its regular and AP curriculums. Features such as teacher prep rooms, ceiling-mounted cord reels, ample fume hoods, Apple TVs, movable tables and chairs, demonstration stations, and daylighting support inquiry-based learning. In the course of a 90-minute class, AP biology and chemistry classes may rearrange the furnishings several times to move from lecture to small conference to research stations.
23
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Master Plan Buildout A private academy that functions as the local high school, Thornton Academy has been strategically increasing its enrollment to increase diversity and offer a broader range of courses. CHA’s 2012 Master Plan “found” space for instructional programs that could be reclaimed by moving some functions and renovating others.
Location
Chief among the seven small projects were the renovation of the old gym space for the new library, and the renovation of the former library for the Arts + New Media program. This advanced technology space provides the tools for courses such as Music Technology, Game Design Development, Technical Writing in an iPad World, and Video Production.
Renovation/Addition
Saco, ME
Client
Thornton Academy
Project Type
As a result of the Master Plan, CHA has designed several larger projects: a 4,000 SF middle school addition, a 12,000 SF, 6-classroom STEM addition to the Scamman Science Building, and a dormitory.
25
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School is located in the heart of Brunswick in an older residential neighborhood where many students can walk to school. Architectural elements from the old Art Deco high school that had stood on the site were salvaged and reused.
Location
At 13 acres, the site is modest and long, which resulted in a “linear village” of five connected sections, each with a distinctive spatial “break” and orientation to the street. The linear village starts to the east at Spring Street with a single-story library and fine arts wing with low-pitched roofs surrounded by mature oak trees and a pedestrian-friendly relationship to the quiet street.
Project Type
Brunswick, ME
Client
Brunswick School Department New Construction - 97,000 SF
Each of the five sections has a distinct use, yet harmonizes with the whole through shared materials and colors. The building runs from east to west, so all classrooms and major spaces receive natural daylighting, and views to the neighborhood are emphasized. Particular attention was paid to the design of the classrooms, where every room has access to a shared tutorial small group room (see below, orange stools). Coats and boots stay in lockers in the hallway while large knapsacks are hung on pegs in the classroom. Classroom storage was maximized with tall shelving units, counters, and locked cabinet wardrobes. The entire school is heated and air conditioned by a closed-loop geothermal system with an expected 8-year payback
27
Experience | Education - K-12 Schools
Great Falls Elementary School After a three-year search, the Building Committee located a rural site that would provide for town water and sewer and underground voice/data utilities. The 23.5-acre parcel is historic farmland adjacent to protected conservation land. The school design responds to view corridors, solar orientation, and an existing residential neighborhood. The academic classroom wing separates the student population into five small learning communities, three on the first floor and two on the second. The learning communities are oriented around the school library, which has access to a wide outdoor courtyard.
Location
Gorham, ME
Client
Gorham School Department
Project Type
New Construction - 84,000 SF
The school library and the PreK/Kindergarten classrooms form the heart of the academic learning communities. Each learning community has its own “educational commons” for exploratory projects related to science, ecology, and the arts. The building consciously maximizes northern and southern orientation for daylight harvesting for all classroom areas. This high-performance school incorporates automatic daylighting controls, geothermal ground source heat pumps, solar hot water vacuum tubes for domestic hot water, CO2 on-demand ventilation, and a high-performance building envelope with air barrier system and extra insulation. The community’s desire for a building with extensive pitched roofs gave us large attic mezzanines, so all mechanical equipment was brought indoors, where it is protected from the weather and reduces noise transmission.
29
Education - College & University
CHA has worked with more than 300 colleges and universities throughout the country. We’ve learned the schools that attract and develop the best and brightest students offer cutting-edge technological centers, serene study areas, quality athletic facilities, comfortable and secure dormitories, and a safe, well-lit, wellmaintained campus. The CHA team excels at designing facilities, athletic venues and creative learning spaces educators and coaches need to nurture young minds and propel winning teams.
Experience | Education - College & University
300 Fore Street Renovation, School of Law CHA is providing design and construction administration services for renovations to 300 Fore Street for the relocation of the Maine School of Law. 300 Fore Street is a 63,841 SF, 5-story modern office building with open floor plans. The renovation will include private and acoustically isolated offices and office suites, along with high-flex classrooms and a Moot-court classroom. The finished renovation will exhibit the feel and prestige of an established law school that is also welcoming to students and visitors. The integrated technology will allow this building to support and enhance the curriculum well into the future. The project involves the intense coordination of building systems in a tight floor-to-floor height. The project had to adapt and overcome an extremely fast track timeline and limited budget.
Location
Portland, ME
Client
University of Maine
Project Type
Renovation - 63,841 SF
33
Experience | Education - College & University
Kalikow Education Center The challenge of the Education Center design was to fashion an environmentally sensitive building by adopting the LEED criteria on a modest ($145/SF) budget while at the same time providing architecture that facilitated teaching and learning.
Location
The building is oriented to take advantage of solar energy and natural daylighting. It is heated and cooled by a geothermal heat pump system that circulates water through closed-loop wells to draw warmth from the earth in winter and return it in summer.
Project Type
Farmington, ME
Client
University of Maine Farmington New Construction - 44,500 SF
Sloped ceilings in some south-facing rooms reflect sunlight into the working areas of offices and classrooms. A welcoming student lounge near the entry provides study and social space. The Farmington campus is known for its “green” stance, from the students to the president, so the design has taken advantage of an array of sustainable materials and practices: • • • • • • • • • •
Geothermal heating and cooling High-performance wall systems Local materials and workmanship Incentives for recycling and responsible transportation Landscape design using native plants and no irrigation Use of existing site with water and sewer hookups Recycled materials in carpeting, wall panels, and furniture Recycling of construction materials High recycled content in structural steel Low-emission paints and flooring materials 35
1
2
3
4
5
6
A
Art 242.85 SF
Pre-K Classroom Pre-K Classroom
1489.21 SF
1476.66 SF
Multipurpose Room 486.99 SF
Observation Room 127.33 SF
Vestibule 60.00 SF
B
Observation Room
Vestibule
104.00 SF
60.00 SF
ADA Restroom
Infant and Toddler Room
64.00 SF
904.48 SF
64.00 SF
ADA Restroom 76.99 SF
School Age Classroom
ADA Restroom
ADA Restroom
64.00 SF
8' - 0"
1200.93 SF
Janitorial Closet
Meeting / Lactation
92.67 SF
105.88 SF
Shared Office Space
Staff Lounge/Break Room
372.38 SF
IT 100.13 SF
137.53 SF
Laundry Undergrad/Grad Classroom 586.90 SF
52.54 SF
Secure Entry 152.76 SF
Director Office 150.94 SF
C
E
1
Level 1 - Working - SD Option 1 1/8" = 1'-0"
UMF ECEC
Schematic Design Plan
Vestibule 117.31 SF
Kitchen 454.20 SF
Experience | Education - College & University
Early Childhood Education Center CHA was hired to collaborate with the University of Maine at Farmington’s Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education faculty as well as the teachers and staff at the university’s existing Sweatt-Winter Childcare Center on their new Early Childhood Education Center. CHA conducted space planning and visioning exercises with the Building Committee as well as the nine different stakeholder groups the Building Committee assembled to ensure all voices were heard. These intensive information-gathering activities allowed our design team to engage with end users from all perspectives in order to craft a strong vision statement of what the wider community desired.
Location
Farmington, ME
Client
University of Maine Farmington
Project Type
Renovation - 10,000 SF
The Early Childhood Education Center nurtures growth of the children, students, teachers and professors it serves by providing a safe environment from which curiosity, discovery and independence ripple outward. The Building Committee and design team are moving forward with transforming a former 10,000 SF former banking call center into the university’s new early childhood education center to better serve community families, university students, university faculty and the teachers and staff of the childcare center.
37
Experience | Education - College & University
Maine Center Ventures Classroom at Payson Smith Hall CHA was engaged by the University of Southern Maine to re-imagine the possibilities for the University’s abandoned circa 1960 chemistry lab. The project team was tasked with adapting the existing space to create a flat floor connected classroom, meeting room, and multi-use breakout space to serve as the first dedicated teaching space for the University’s Maine Center Ventures (MCV) program. MCV sought a clean, contemporary space that could function as an instructional space, and also a meeting and gathering space for board meetings, receptions and other events. With input from the MCV and facilities teams, renovation work began in the Payson Smith Hall chemistry lab. Removal of lab counters, equipment storage, fume hoods, chemical storage and even an emergency shower gave the team a clean slate ready to re-envision. The new MCV space features a TEAL (Technology Enabled Active Learning) classroom capable of connecting to the University’s main campus in Orono, a breakout incubator space known as the “Lab” and a boardroom featuring artwork with a nod to the building’s history.
Location
Portland, ME
Client
University of Southern Maine
Project Type
Renovation - 1,500 SF
39
Experience | Education - College & University
Science Building Lobby Renovation What began as a very straightforward light-touch renovation to USM’s 1970s-era Science Building became an opportunity to enliven a building that is frequented by students and campus visitors.
Location
Large-scale images were introduced to fill the walls over the benches where students gather to sit and study. Today’s visitors are used to having all kinds of images available at their fingertips, but here they are introduced to the dramatic, powerful detail of the sciences on a much larger graphic scale.
University of Southern Maine
Portland, ME
Client
Project Type Renovation
The 10 x 10-foot images explode with color and provoke viewers to question what it is they are seeing. The 18-foot image from the Hubble Space Telescope of the Orion Nebula is the siren attracting visitors downstairs to the Southworth Planetarium.
41
Art Gallery Retrofit To improve building performance the University of Southern Maine conducted a deep energy retrofit on the historically designated Art Gallery. In the past the building served as the town of Gorham’s meeting hall and as such the project received attention from several residents interested in preserving the historic character of the building. After the completion of the project inappropriate modifications were called to the attention of the Maine State Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC). Due to these events CHA was hired by USM to examine the inappropriate modifications with the MHPC and develop historically appropriate repairs. The modifications identified included the historic column bases and window shutters. Through research the correct historically appropriate details were confirmed with MHPC and construction details were developed and installed.
Location
Gorham, ME
Client
University of Southern Maine
Project Type
Renovation - 2,560 SF
Housing
To us, best practices in housing involve thinking through the daily lives of the people who will live there. It’s a process of imagining the ways the design can make their lives easier, safer, and more comfortable, both inside and outside the building, from the interior design of the individual units, accessibility, entrances and views, and building amenities to parking and connections to the neighborhood, public transportation and healthcare. Every project is as energyefficient and low-maintenance as we can make it, with a high proportion of usable space and natural light.
Experience | Housing
62 Spring Street This new 4-story apartment building includes 32 affordable housing units, 9 market rate housing units, and a retail space with access to the greater community by a bus stop adjacent to the building. The development affords it’s residents access to a walkable downtown, locating residents of all ages close to the city’s center. Easy connectivity to services, grocery store, City Hall, the Public Library, Androscoggin River Walk, and more contribute to a pedestrian friendly development.
Location
Auburn, ME
Client
Auburn Housing Development
Project Type
New Construction - 34,430 SF
45
Experience | Housing
917 Main Street This three-unit live/work project is patterned after urban brownstone walk-up structures. Tall, vertical lines and exterior materials define each unit individually. Contemporary bay windows mark the street-level commercial entrances, as well as making a gesture to New England residential building patterns. These units will act as a small hub of street activity, bringing new vitality to Main Street and connecting to the riverfront.
Location
Westbrook, ME
Client
Westbrook Housing
Project Type
New Construction
The first floor of each unit opens to the street with 250 SF of commercial or studio space and a rear-entry garage. The ground-floor commercial spaces are designed for artisans or small businesses. One-car heated garages include extra storage space. Upstairs are 1,200 SF of living space on the second and third floors. Each unit has a bathroom on each floor and two bedrooms and a deck on the third floor. Special attention has been paid to high-performance construction, low-maintenance materials, contemporary finishes, and innovative energy systems.
47
Experience | Housing
Adams School Condominiums This project, on the Marada Adams School site on Munjoy Hill, covers 1.5 acres in a residential neighborhood. Once bisected by Beckett Street, the site has been a school and neighborhood playground/green space since 1958.
Location
The design criteria were clear: reclaim a brownfield site, contribute to the family housing mix on Munjoy Hill, provide a neighborhood green space, and design buildings to reflect the surrounding 19th- and early 20thcentury housing. Off-street parking is incorporated between the rows of buildings.
Project Type
Portland, ME
Client
Avesta Housing New Construction
The park, which keeps the sightlines of Beckett Street open, provides a pedestrian and bicycle pathway, a playground, and a gathering space.
49
Experience | Housing
Meetinghouse Lofts The 1927 former Roosevelt School has been converted into one- and two-bedroom condominium units that take advantage of the high ceilings and oversized windows of the historic building. The units are designed to provide single-level living in the Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood. The retrofit aims for a high-performance, energy-efficient building while preserving the historic school. The property, long a public space, has been kept open, with a public walkway through the grounds. The former school building houses ten units, while nine occupy a 3-story contemporary addition. Building amenities include covered parking, an elevator, a fitness center, indoor storage, gas fireplaces, energy-efficient appliances, and high-grade interior finishes.
Location
South Portland, ME
Client
Anew Real Property Development
Project Type
Renovation/Addition - 30,620 SF
Awards
Historic Historic Preservation Award, Greater Portland Landmarks, 2016 Historic Preservation Honor Award, Maine Preservation, 2016
John Calvin Stevens designed the Roosevelt School, built in 1927-28, as a neighborhood elementary school on Meetinghouse Hill in South Portland. The east-facing brick and cast stone [-shaped building served as a public school until 1983. By 2014, when developer Ethan Boxer-Macomber acquired the empty building from the city, neighbors recalled it as “run down and a liability” (in Keep Me Current, 12/3/15). The exterior of the building was cleared of vines, repaired and repointed. Historic entries, doors, and transoms were restored; no new window openings were cut. High-quality custom replacement windows match the original mullion pattern. All of the units on the historic side of the building have remarkable light from deep windows, and some have exposed brick walls. Public entries and lobbies have been cleaned, painted, and carpeted.
51
Experience | Housing
Pearl Place II, 180 Pearl Street The second phase of Avesta’s Pearl Place project extends the redevelopment of the emerging Bayside section of the city with 54 new apartments. The project is within walking distance of Portland’s major amenities, schools, parks, food markets, shopping, City Hall, the public library, and the University of Southern Maine.
Location
One-, two-, and three-bedroom units for qualifying families have access to free wifi, on-site laundry, and a community room with a kitchen. In response to concerns about coastal sea-level rise, the design tucks parking underneath the building.
New Construction - 59,047 SF
Portland, ME
Client
Avesta Housing
Project Type Awards
Awarded LEED Platinum, LEED for Homes Midrise
This project has received LEED Platinum Certification under the LEED for Homes Multifamily Midrise program.
53
Experience | Housing
New Dormitory Thornton Academy, founded as Saco Academy in 1811, is a historic independent school educating 6-12th graders in the Greater Portland area. To provide space for a growing population of full-time and seasonal/ summer students, Thornton Academy contracted CHA to design a new dormitory that could not only house more students and families but also protect their privacy from the nearby Main Street (RT 1) while relating aesthetically to the other two dormitories on campus. Furthermore, the design had to meet strict historic district requirements pertaining to the more than two-century-old academy.
Location Saco, ME
Client
Thornton Academy
Project Type
Renovation - 22,700 SF
The 22,700 SF, two-floor dormitory features 26 double occupancy dormitory rooms, four dorm parent apartments (3 bedroom/2 bath), two student commons rooms, two community kitchens, a laundry room, and an office. To maintain a residential feel, CHA’s design broke up the dormitory’s long façade with changes in wall planes, porches and material colors.
55
Office & Corporate
Our person-focused philosophy is reflected in our specialized approach to corporate environments, allowing us to create practical, energy-efficient, well-built buildings that are attractive places to work. The ideal office environment allows you to thrive as an employee and enhances the quality of your work. To help you get the best out of your time at the office, CHA has real conversations with you and your team. Together, we will create a space that works for your organization now but also looks ahead to your future.
Experience | Office & Corporate
First and Sixth Floor Interior Renovation The client asked for a dramatic, elegant upgrade to the 1st and 6th floors. CHA’s interior designer replaced a dated color scheme with a more dramatic, higher-contrast, and reflective environment to bring a fresher, contemporary feel to this workplace. On the first floor, the renovation included the public lobby, staff entrance lobby, conference rooms, offices, bathrooms, the mail room, and the Safety Academy; on the sixth floor, open offices, break room, and conference room.
Location Saco, ME
Client
MEMIC
Project Type
Renovation - 22,700 SF
In the front lobby, new updated finishes and lighting make the space brighter, safer, and more welcoming. In the elevator lobby, a floating ceiling conceals new LED lighting and existing ductwork, while new flooring, wallcoverings, and decorative backlit resin panels with embedded twigs illuminate this formerly dark space.
59
Experience | Office & Corporate
CHA Corporate Office Renovation CHA recently designed major renovations to the CHA corporate headquarters building in Colonie, NY. The 1989 building underwent a full retrofit to provide an open, bright, and collaborative working environment that serves as a model for our brand that we present to clients, partners, community members and potential employees. The newly renovated space features an open floorplan with lowwalled cubicles and offices with glass walls, creating a bright, airy feel. Collaboration tables and small huddle rooms are strategically placed throughout the work space to encourage group work throughout the day. For a more private conversations each floor has designated “phone booths” when privacy or more focus work is important. The first floor showcases a large café and training room that can be used for trainings, meetings, informal conversations, hoteling space for visitors, a place for eating lunch with colleagues, or taking a coffee break.
Location
Colonie, NY
Client
CHA Consulting, Inc.
Project Type
Renovation - 57,584 SF
61
Experience | Office & Corporate
ConEdison Office Renovation The 21,000 SF Cable Lab area at Con Edison’s Van Nest Building 2, located at 1610 Matthews Avenue in Bronx, New York, will undergo a gut renovation to create an open-plan office and collaborative space, bathrooms, locker, and muster rooms. The preliminary program is comprised of desk and seating space, two conference rooms, mustering spaces, reference tables, men’s and women’s locker rooms, bathrooms, pantry, utility room, LAN rooms, and two copy rooms. The project provides a façade design with large insulated window glazing at three locations where roll-down shutters will be de-activated and an existing concrete ramp will be demolished. A new ramp with new façade rolldown shutters will be provided for service to the warehouse/stores.
Location
Bronx, NY
Client
Consolidated Edison Company
Project Type
Renovation - 21,000 SF
The scope of alteration and renovation work includes demolition of the existing Cable Lab; new interior partitions, ceilings, insulation, and finishes; new sewer, plumbing, mechanical, electric power, and lighting, low-voltage data, fire safety, and access control systems; main utility service connections and alterations; new bathroom fixtures and equipment; and new interior signage package and furniture in accordance with Con Edison standards.
63
Experience | Office & Corporate
Route I CCFCU Branch CHA designed a new free standing branch in compliance with Yarmouth’s recently enacted form based code. This code proscribes the relationship between the building and the street, the massing, the number of windows and incorporates a lot of smart growth principles into the new development standards. CHA worked with the town and the design team to strike a balance for the needs of the client and create a pleasant distinctive branch that is well positioned on the site. The building mass acts as a natural “billboard” for the credit union. The interior design materials and details incorporated a fresh new interpretation of the color palette used in some of the other branches.
Location
Yarmouth, ME
Client
Cumberland County Federal Credit Union
Project Type
Renovation and Addition - 3,339 SF
The first floor incorporates a banking hall, cash room, teller line, four offices, large conference room and support facilities. The second floor contains support space and an employee breakroom.
65
Experience | Office & Corporate
Maine Plastic Surgery Center Maine Plastic Surgery worked with CHA to design a boutique medical practice that balanced the client’s desire for a high-end aesthetic with the functional demands of their clinically based business. The organization of the client’s program became the main driver for the layout of the space which was clearly divided into three contiguous sections. From the third-floor elevator lobby there are two patient entry points at opposite ends that separate and distinguish the consultation/ spa functions of the practice from the clinical procedure functions. An unmarked staff entry is tucked between the two, providing the backstage office and support functions for staff to efficiently access from both sides. The need for privacy and discretion influenced the layout and patient flow throughout the facility.
Location
Portland, ME
Client
Maine Plastic Surgery
Project Type
Renovation - 5,000 SF
Awards
Renovation - 5,000 SF
The office interior design has a modern elegance meets industrial aesthetic. A rich mix of sharply contrasting interior finishes include blackened steel, white quartz, patterned glass and reclaimed barn wood inspired by Maine’s rocky coast. Finishes for clinical areas were appropriately selected for their infection prevention properties while maintaining a sense of warmth and adherence to the overall palette. High ceilings, oversized doors and decorative lighting enhance the feeling of elegance. Large windows flood the space with natural light and provide breathtaking views of the surrounding coastal marsh. 67
Experience | Office & Corporate
Newsroom Renovation Maine Today Media, in the midst of updating technology and consolidating staff locations, retained Lisa Whited of Workplace Transformation Facilitation to lead a process to re-envision their workplace organization. The client wanted to consolidate offices and move the newsroom and associated departments from One City Center in Portland to the former press hall on Gannett Drive in South Portland. CHA was brought in to collaborate on the renovation of this industrial building.
Location Saco, ME
Client
Thornton Academy
Project Type
Renovation - 15,000 SF
The old presses filled a 3-story space with an industrial high-bay ceiling. The compact new presses fit in the lower floor, making room to infill the floor above. The new double-height editorial floor includes the newsroom, dining/break area, conference spaces, and audio and video production studios. All of the news staff, including the publisher, sit in the newsroom, where the desks are arranged to funnel news toward the editors in the center of the space. Large media screens are mounted on the walls. The main newsroom is surprisingly quiet, but one large conference room, small focus and huddle rooms around the perimeter, and the video booth in the center provide private meeting spaces. The glass partitions around the conference rooms double as writing surfaces for presentations.
69
Experience | Office & Corporate
50 Sewall Street This building is, to our knowledge, the first LEED-certified commercial office building in Maine. Designed and built as a medical office building to rent at market rates, it represents a new generation of LEED construction at costs competitive with conventional construction. Among its LEED credits are a heat-recovery system, reduced light pollution, water-efficient fixtures, a high-albedo roof, recycling of construction materials, use of certified lumber and materials with recycled content, bike storage and showers, and a tenant education program. CHA also designed the interior tenant fitup for Advanced Physical Therapy on the first floor.
Location
Portland, ME
Client
OA Centers for Orthopaedics
Project Type
New Construction - 42,000 SF
71
Sports & Recreation
Each year, the athletic and recreation landscape reinvents itself with new regulations, changing funding sources, materials, technologies, and other challenges. Our nationally renowned sports professionals translate the industry’s changing demands into buildable, affordable and exciting sports facilities. We blend high-quality designs with a modern perspective to create venues that foster unique, personal experiences with each visit.
Experience | Sports & Recreation
Marcelle Athletic Center CHA completed the multiple-phased planning, design and construction administration services for the renovation and additions to the College’s existing athletic and recreation building. This project began with preparing a master planning study that resulted in many alternatives to systematically improve the College’s student recreation and athletic facility over time. The primary focus of these renovations was to update the existing facilities to align with expectations of Division I Athletics and to better align themselves with peer institutions. A modest addition, internal reconfiguration and repurposing of existing spaces for more efficient use provided additional and enhanced athletic, recreational and wellness opportunities for the athletes, faculty, staff and general student body. The planning and phasing of the renovation was such that it met the College’s anticipated funding streams as well as allowed for the continuous use of the building by all users during construction. This was accomplished by minimizing work during the school calendar and maximizing the utilization of summer breaks.
Location
Loudonville, NY
Client
Siena College
Project Type
Renovation - 40,500 SF
The renovation included the development of a dedicated basketball practice gymnasium, transformation of the existing competition gymnasium into an arena, including new high performance wood floors, new retractable seating, new audio system, scoreboard, a new building addition for dedicated spectator entrance to the gymnasium/arena, new expanded athlete strength and conditioning suite, new modern sports medicine and hydrotherapy suite, a 6,000 SF 2-story addition to the existing fitness center, renovation of the existing fitness center, eSports studio and various improvement to the athletic locker facilities. The four phased approach to renovating this building allowed the College to take bite size pieces but provided high-impact changes that not only enhance the athletic experience for athletes and spectators but also provides superior recreational and fitness opportunities for the faculty, staff and general student body.
75
Experience | Sports & Recreation
Kirby Arena CHA renovated the tired existing multipurpose gymnasium/arena with new chair-back seating, new 4-sided video scoreboard and enhanced graphics and banners for a more intimate and exciting practice and competition venue. The project included painting all surfaces and reducing the seat count for more spectator comfort.
Location
Easton, PA
Client
Lafayette College
Project Type
Renovation - 110,000 SF
77
Experience | Sports & Recreation
John H. Burr Gymnasium The John H. Burr Gymnasium complex serves both Howard Division I sports teams as well as recreation and academic needs. CHA was engaged to upgrade the facility with respect to image, codes, mechanical, electrical and programmatic needs. A focus was placed on cost effective but dramatic visual and functional improvements. Upgrades include renovated offices and classrooms, new team lockers and lounges, upgraded arena, new lobby, and upgraded spectator support areas.
Location
Washington, DC
Client
Howard University
Project Type
Renovation - 150,000 SF
79
Experience | Sports & Recreation
Houston Gym CHA was engaged to develop a comprehensive master plan for the aging gymnasium facility and surrounding athletic fields. The project required developing temporary facilities in an adjacent building to allow for sequenced construction and continuous occupancy. The Houston Gym project renovated the 95,000 SF athletic complex which included a new entry lobby addition, facade renovation/transformation with windows to allow more natural light, a new modern fitness center, dedicated year round team locker rooms, a state-of-the-art sports medicine and rehabilitation suite, expanded varsity weight room, new student-athlete academic center, three updated racquetball courts, a multipurpose and spinning studio, new offices and conference rooms updated practice gymnasium and modernization to the competition pool and associated mechanical equipment.
Location
Buffalo, NY
Client
Buffalo State College
Square Footage
Renovation - 95,000 SF
Project Type
LEED Gold Certified
The design and the construction materials, methods and systems were provided to be environmentally conscious to achieve the coveted LEED Gold certification to ensure a high-performance building while minimizing the carbon footprint. Specialty graphics and other interior enhancements including wayfinding transformed the existing building into a state-of-the-art athletic and recreational complex that the Buffalo State College Community will be proud of for years to come.
81
Experience | Sports & Recreation
PAC Center Athletic Field House The PAC Center is a 56,000 SF multi-purpose athletic facility featuring an indoor turf field, large fitness and training facilities, and a range of high end user amenities. CHA was challenged to meet a short four month design timeline that included ambitious sustainability targets. The facility received a LEED Gold Certification and includes high efficiency systems that provide occupants with a healthy indoor environment.
Location
Rochester, NY
Client
Monroe Community College
Project Type
New Construction - 56,000 SF
Awards
LEED Gold Certified “Silver Award” for Structural Systems, ACEC of New York, 2010 “High Performance Building Plaque”, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) “Project of the Year” Award for Structures American Public Works Association (APWA), 2009
83
Experience | Sports & Recreation
Miller A. Bugliari ‘52 Athletic Facility CHA provided full site, architectural, and engineering design services from programming through construction for the new 46,000 SF sports facility on the Pingry School Martinsville campus. The facility features a three-court multi-use gymnasium, 5,000 SF strength and conditioning center, eight premier competition squash courts and seating, and several changing rooms. The building also features an Athletics Hall of Fame with an interactive digital photo archive.
Location
Basking Ridge, NJ
Client
The Pingry School
Project Type
New Construction - 46,000 SF
85
Experience | Sports & Recreation
Grandstand Refurbishment Building on the 159-year legacy of the storied Saratoga Race Course, CHA is currently engaged in re-visioning the concessions, signage, and wayfinding throughout key locations in the 350,000+ SF Grandstands and Clubhouse. Organically growing and evolving over the decades, the facilities have become a hodge-podge of various styles of signage, architecture and wayfinding graphics creating a jumble of visual cues. Working with Interior Architects (IA), and Food Service Design Services (FSDS), our design team is closely collaborating on a unifying approach to the disparate elements of the Mutuel Bays, food and beverage concessions, restrooms, and the historic Jim Dandy Bar.
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
Client
New York Racing Association, Inc.
Project Type
Renovation - 350,000 SF
Saratoga Race Course provides visitors a unique interaction with thoroughbreds and jockeys not seen at America’s other racing venues. Our design concepts will result in an enhanced visitor experience that will attract and highlight these exclusive experiences including the Jockey Walk through the clubhouse where excited fans can grab signatures from their favorite riders. CHA’s Master Plan study suggested a simple but transformative re-orientation of the Jim Dandy Bar to a more advantageous position for spectators to observe the Jockey Walk including views to the track and Mutuel Betting Line where all the action is. This investigation has unearthed the original intent of the space allowing for the realization of the Clubhouse’s fullest potential. 87
For more information contact: David Hatton, AIA, NCARB Building Design Business Line Director dhatton@chacompanies.com (215) 380-2420
