As the home to Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals—the oldest theatrical company in the nation—12 Holyoke Street had its share of opening nights. In April 2002, however, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences decided the 1888 Georgian Revival building no longer met the needs of the company and hired Boston-based architect Leers Weinzapfel Associates to design a more contemporary facility.
The goal: construct a large, modern theater and space for arts activities while keeping the building's historical details intact. The $23 million project included restoring the building's façade and anteroom bay and tearing down the existing theater to make room for an addition.
Before the show could go on, the Building Team had to deal with a cramped site whose property lines were only 18 inches from adjacent buildings' foundations. Municipal height restrictions added to the complexity, so the team had no choice but to build down. They used a slurry wall foundation system, which prevents groundwater encroachment and can be built immediately next to adjacent properties.
On each side of the façade, two symmetrical entrances—with stone slab steps, a wooden roof, and glass and brick details—are an integral part of the building's character. In order to construct the slurry walls and bring in excavation equipment, the team had to remove the building's south front porch. Construction manager Kevin Sullivan of Shawmut Design and Construction, Boston, used drawings, blueprints, and photographs to document the original porch. Much of the original granite, brick, and stone were reused in the new porch.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle was fitting a crane onto the small site. Not wanting to station it on Holyoke Street—a one-lane, one-way residential street—the team threaded a 130-foot-tall self-erecting tower crane through an eight-and-a-half-foot alley, leaving just two inches on each side. Extra care had to be taken while using the crane to deliver steel support beams, HVAC equipment, lighting and acoustic systems, and two stage lifts.
“This was an extremely difficult, tight site,” said Reconstruction Awards judge Jeff Pratt, principal with KJWW Engineering Consultants, Naperville, Ill. “The design and construction team had to work closely to solve significant logistical issues.”
Today 12 Holyoke Street—now dubbed New College Theatre—features a 274-seat theater, rehearsal space, a prop shop, orchestra and stage lifts, and a dance studio. As required by the city's historic commission, the addition is hidden behind the historic façade, giving it much the same street presence as it has had for the last 119 years.
Related Stories
| Jan 13, 2014
Custom exterior fabricator A. Zahner unveils free façade design software for architects
The web-based tool uses the company's factory floor like "a massive rapid prototype machine,” allowing designers to manipulate designs on the fly based on cost and other factors, according to CEO/President Bill Zahner.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Dec 30, 2013
Calatrava facing legal action from his home town over crumbling cultural complex
Officials with the city of Valencia, Spain, are blaming Santiago Calatrava for the rapid deterioration of buildings within its City of Arts and Sciences complex.
| Dec 19, 2013
Mastering the art of crowd control and visitor flow in interpretive facilities
To say that visitor facility planning and design is challenging is an understatement. There are many factors that determine the success of a facility. Unfortunately, visitor flow, the way people move and how the facility accommodates those movements, isn’t always specifically considered.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 6, 2013
French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]
La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Nov 27, 2013
BIG's 'oil and vinegar' design wins competition for the Museum of the Human Body [slideshow]
The winning submission by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and A+ Architecture mixes urban pavement and parkland in a flowing, organic plan, like oil and vinegar, explains Bjarke Ingels.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.