HMFH Bus Tour 2024
Every summer, HMFHers come together for our annual bus tour to visit several of the firm’s projects in construction. The tradition looked a little different this year as we traded the bus for the subway to visit two local projects. Our first stop was the Josiah Quincy Upper School, a new high-rise school in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood that will welcome students, staff, and the community this fall. In the afternoon, we hopped on the train back to Cambridge, MA to tour an addition and renovation that will provide much-needed affordable housing for the City.
Now in the final stages of construction, the grade 6-12 Josiah Quincy Upper School will open to students for the 2024-2025 school year, bringing expanded educational opportunities with spacious, light-filled learning and common areas and a coveted rooftop green space that supports student well-being. Public-facing amenities near the ground level, including a cafeteria, media center, gymnasium, auditorium, and black box theater, will make this school a valuable resource for the entire Chinatown community.
Everyone was thrilled to see our design solutions come to fruition, from the accessible green roof, which is the school’s primary outdoor space, to the cantilevered auditorium and gymnasium that define prominent public programs along the façade.
Next, we made our way to the 116 Norfolk Street: Supportive Housing project, a renovation and addition to a 1907 building in the heart of Cambridge, MA, just a stone’s throw away from HMFH’s office. As one of the first developments under Cambridge’s new Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) zoning ordinance, 116 Norfolk expands affordable housing with 62 units for seniors and previously unhoused people.
We toured light-filled common areas in the vestibule between the existing building and addition, as well as different units, which all feature tall ceilings and windows to create a bright and welcoming interior environment.
