Bostonians voted the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's new wing the People's Choice Award winner for 2012, honoring the project as the city's "most beautiful new building" for the calendar year. The new wing, designed by Renzo Piano and Stantec, beat out three other projects on the short list: Fumihiko Maki's MIT Media Lab; the restoration of Alumnae Valley at Wellesley, led by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; and Temple Beth Elohim by William Rawn Architects. The winning team was honored at the annual Boston Society of Architects Awards Gala on Jan. 31.
The museum expansion provides spaces for specific programming, including a 296-seat performance hall and a 1,500-square-foot, three-story special exhibition gallery. The glass-enclosed first floor includes a new entry, a café, gift shop, greenhouses and education spaces. Administration offices, lab-quality restoration spaces, and accommodations for two Artists-in-Residence are also included in the new wing. The design team relied on BIM to coordinate the building’s many complex systems, and the new wing achieved LEED Gold certification last fall.
For more on the award, including a photo gallery of the finalists, visit: http://boston.com/advertisers/bsa/2012/index.html.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 5, 2023
Top 175 Healthcare Architecture Firms for 2023
HDR, HKS, CannonDesign, Stantec, and SmithGroup top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest healthcare sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue related to all healthcare buildings work, including hospitals, medical office buildings, and outpatient facilities.
Biophilic Design | Oct 4, 2023
Transforming the entry experience with biophilic design
Vessel Architecture & Design's Cassandra Wallace, AIA, NCARB, explores how incorporating biophilic design elements and dynamic lighting can transform a seemingly cavernous entry space into a warm and inviting focal point.
Regulations | Oct 4, 2023
New York adopts emissions limits on concrete
New York State recently adopted emissions limits on concrete used for state-funded public building and transportation projects. It is the first state initiative in the U.S. to enact concrete emissions limits on projects undertaken by all agencies, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Architects | Oct 4, 2023
Architects and contractors underestimate cyberattack risk
Design and construction industry firms underestimate their vulnerability to cyberattacks, according to a new report, Data Resilience in Design and Construction: How Digital Discipline Builds Stronger Firms by Dodge Construction Network and content security and management company Egnyte.
Luxury Residential | Oct 2, 2023
Chicago's Belden-Stratford luxury apartments gets centennial facelift
The Belden-Stratford has reopened its doors following a renovation that blends the 100-year-old building’s original architecture with modern residences.
Giants 400 | Oct 2, 2023
Top 30 Data Center Architecture Firms for 2023
Corgan, HDR, Gensler, Page Southerland Page, and HED top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest data center sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Market Data | Oct 2, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending rises 0.4% in August 2023, led by manufacturing and public works sectors
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in August, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.09 trillion.
K-12 Schools | Oct 2, 2023
4 design strategies for successful K-12 magnet schools
Clark Nexsen's Donna Francis, AIA, Principal, and Becky Brady, AIA, share four reasons why diverse K-12 magnet schools require diverse design.
Architects | Sep 28, 2023
Nashville architecture firm ESa adds 14 principals
ESa has announced that 14 new principals have been added to the firm’s leadership. “As ESa continues to grow, we are excited to celebrate our newest ESa principals. These individuals embody the characteristics of a quality leader and have shown great leadership in client and team member relationships, project management and mentoring roles,” said Kevin Harney, ESa vice president and principal.
Construction Costs | Sep 28, 2023
U.S. construction market moves toward building material price stabilization
The newly released Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report for Q3 2023 from Gordian reveals material costs remain high compared to prior years, but there is a move towards price stabilization for building and construction materials after years of significant fluctuations. In this report, top industry experts from Gordian, as well as from Gilbane, McCarthy Building Companies, and DPR Construction weigh in on the overall trends seen for construction material costs, and offer innovative solutions to navigate this terrain.
