Project Details
- Project Name
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design Student Residence Hall
- Location
-
578 Huntington Avenue
Boston ,MA ,United States
- Client/Owner
- Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA)
- Project Types
- Education
- Size
- 145,600 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2012
- Shared by
- Marketing
- Consultants
-
Construction Manager: Suffolk Construction,Landscape Architect: Ground,Structural Engineer: Odeh Engineers, Inc,Civil Engineer: Nitsch Engineering,null: WSP Flack + Kurtz,Electrical Engineer: WSP Flack + Kurtz,Plumbing Engineer: WSP Flack + Kurtz
- Certifications & Designations
- LEED Silver
- Project Status
- Built
- Cost
- $52,000,000
Project Description
There is a new architectural landmark in Boston’s skyline, a $52 million residence hall that personifies the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Designed by architecture firm ADD Inc, the tower doubles the college’s housing capacity and provides an innovative environment where 493 students can live, study and play at affordable, state college rental rates.
The design of the new residence hall exemplifies ADD Inc’s innovative process. Designers drew on the best ideas from junior and senior staff members to harmonize the goals and aspirations of college professors, administrators, students, trustees, alumni and the building’s owner, the Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA). ADD Inc conducted in-depth benchmarking, hosted focus groups and design charrettes, and developed full-scale mockup units for students to explore and critique.
MassArt wanted the building to stand out in the Boston skyline and meaningfully identify them as an art college. It was the students’ idea that the building look like a painting and that it be just as colorful and vibrant as they are. ADD Inc suggested Gustav Klimt’s “Tree of Life” which helps convey the school’s rebirth and continuation.” In September, the incoming student residents voted to nickname the building, “The Tree House”.
The 21-story, 145,600 square foot building features a ground floor café and living room, a second floor health center, and a third-floor communal “Pajama Floor” with kitchen, game room, laundry facilities, and fitness center. The rest of the 17 floors are made up of 136 suites configured in single, double and three-bedroom layouts.
The residence hall’s design and engineering decisions were made with solar orientation in mind. Windows on the tower’s north sides provide light favorable to artists’ work and fewer windows on the south side help reduce heat. The windows are operable and the school employs an electronic system that lets students know when it’s advisable to open or close them.
The building received a Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and its energy usage is 22% more efficient than code mandates. Other green features include Low-E windows with solar tint that reduce heat gain, double insulated metal panels, and low- flow plumbing fixtures that reduce the amount of potable usage by 33%. More than 50% of the material used in the residential hall has recycled content, 20% from local sources, and 70% of the wood is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.