Continuing our work at the Charlestown Navy Yard, we are currently in Schematic Design for the Gateway Center as we explore exciting opportunities for an enhanced visitor experience at the new welcome center. Located on a culturally significant site, the new building will serve as an anchor point of the Freedom Trail, a pathway that winds its way through historic landmarks in Boston. It will house the National Parks of Boston Orientation Center and the USS Constitution Museum, one of Boston’s most frequently visited museums.
The new center will include expanded outdoor space, museum and exhibition space, theater space, an observation deck, and unique 360 degree views of the harbor and surrounding cityscape. Integrating the interior activities of the building with the historic and cultural importance of its site, the design will provide a unique destination that welcomes visitors to the Boston Harbor and sparks curiosity in the rich shared history of the Charlestown Navy Yard, National Parks of Boston, and City of Boston.
We kicked off our work with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) on a feasibility study for their Gladys Marcus Library, located within the Shirley Goodman Resource Center on the FIT campus. The library houses a repository of resources and provides a multitude of services and programs that support the university’s academic community and the international fashion industry.
We recently hosted tabling sessions and workshops with students, faculty, and the greater campus community, who have been eager to share their thoughts and visions for the new library space. Stay tuned for project updates over the following months, as we continue to work to transform the Gladys Marcus Library into a vibrant and innovative hub that meets the evolving needs of FIT.
We have just completed schematic design for the National Parks of Boston (NPB) Headquarters which will house administration and staff from the five NPB Directorates. The project will be a gut renovation of a three-story 60,000SF historic building in the Charlestown Navy Yard and will follow guidelines developed in our Workplace Recommendation Report completed for NPB in 2019. This project will bring all NPB Directorates together in one location for the first time with a design that encourages communication and collaboration through a range of spaces that include private conference rooms, studio rooms for interactive work, open flexible work zones, and casual lounge areas. The design incorporates objects and images from the NPB archives and will use reclaimed material from a nearby building slated for demolition to make way for the Gateway Center, another NPB project we are working on.
Our rooftop addition at Saint Luke’s School is complete, welcoming students for a variety of outdoor activities. The addition expands the school’s ground-level outdoor space and provides the opportunity for increased curricular, extracurricular, and athletic activities for students from kindergarten through 8th grade. New rooftop spaces have panoramic views of the city and include a multipurpose play deck for a variety of sports and an outdoor learning zone for experimentation with nature that can also be used for special events.
We were recently upstate with our Landscape Architect (MNLA) and Contractor (UCE) to see progress on the site work for a residential project in Dutchess County. This new single-family residence is situated on a south-facing forested hill and will include an artist studio and pool. The house is wedged into the hillside with exposed, board formed concrete retaining walls that extend from the landscape to the interior of the house.