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