Bristol Aggie Invests in the Future
Article
Bristol Aggie Invests in the Future
Author: Caroline Dolan
2023 Promotions
2023 Promotions
We are pleased to announce the promotion of the following individuals in recognition of their leadership in design, sustainability, research, and client support.
Gary Brock AIA, LEED AP BD+C
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Whether tackling a thorny design challenge, sharing a new sustainable strategy with industry peers, or responding to an issue on site, Gary is deliberate and determined in his pursuit of the best design solutions. Well-versed in the technical details, Gary is a resource to clients and colleagues who know that he will not only find the optimal solution but also ensure that it will work in practice. As a Sustainability Leader at HMFH, he applies research-based solutions and a rigorous approach to help clients achieve goals for holistically sustainable, healthy buildings for living and learning.
The success of Gary’s methodology is demonstrated by the design of the new Saugus Middle High School—the first state-funded school in Massachusetts to earn LEED Platinum certification.
Suni Dillard AIA, LEED AP BD+C
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
As an architect and a Sustainability Leader, Suni is driven by the challenge of socially responsible design that has a positive impact on the health of people and the environment. She empowers clients, colleagues, and communities to set ambitious sustainability goals and then brings her ever-expanding knowledge of high-performance systems, healthy materials and low-carbon design to meet or exceed those goals. By bringing a high level of design excellence to our projects and through her involvement in local, regional and national organizations that advance sustainability initiatives, Suni encourages others to see architecture as a vehicle for climate action.
Suni’s belief that sustainability is an integral part of good design is nowhere more evident than at the Bristol County Agricultural High School’s renewed campus, which earned recognition as the 2022 Green Building of the Year.
Holly Miller AIA, LEED AP BD+C
ASSOCIATE
Since coming to HMFH with more than 25 years of experience in the design of award-winning, complex educational facilities, Holly has demonstrated a level of design leadership and creativity that engenders the trust of clients and colleagues alike. Equally comfortable in an inclusive process bringing stakeholders, clients, and the internal team together around a vision as she is with the technical details, Holly is sought out for questions big and small. Holly’s unwavering pursuit of design excellence is exemplified not only in educational projects of all types but also in the open dialogue she maintains to ensure all voices are heard equally.
Saugus Middle High School Wins BSA K-12 Honor Award
Saugus Middle High School Wins BSA K-12 Honor Award
Award
Our design of Saugus Middle High School has been recognized with an Honor Award from the Boston Society for Architecture Awards Program for excellence in K-12 educational design.
Saugus Middle High School is a contemporary public educational facility that welcomes students and community members alike with light-filled common areas and state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, and collaboration spaces. Supporting an equitable and engaging learning experience and a robust STEAM-driven curriculum, the design integrates careful planning with a holistic approach to sustainability to create a facility that inspires a passion for learning and nurtures student well-being.
The BSA Design Awards recognizes outstanding projects designed by and for the greater Boston community that embody design excellence and positively impact their surroundings. The BSA has recently adopted the American Institute of Architects Framework for Design Excellence as a basis for its awards program to promote environmental stewardship across the design community and celebrate projects that exemplify this commitment to holistically sustainable design. HMFH’s Saugus Middle High School earned an award in the K-12 Educational Facilities category for its comprehensive implementation of the AIA Framework.
“The holistic approach to sustainability and inclusion, including effective use of break-out spaces daylit from above, was deserving of an Honor Award recognition for the Saugus Middle High School.”
Jury Comments | Boston Society for Architecture
New Josiah Quincy Upper School Tops Off!
New Josiah Quincy Upper School Tops Off!
City officials, students, faculty, community, and project team members all gathered at the site of the new Josiah Quincy Upper School in Chinatown to mark the completion of this monumental steel structure and celebrate what the new school will mean for the future of education in Boston.
“As we raise the final beam today, we look back in gratitude to everyone who has worked for the last 10 years to bring this project to life, and we look forward to the promise of inspiring young minds in the years to come.”
Kerrie Griffin | Director of Public Facilities, City of Boston
Designed to promote equity, wellness and academic growth, the new middle high school represents the City’s unwavering commitment to education and to sustainable, low energy, carbon-free buildings. Sitting on the edge of the Mass Pike, the impressive high-rise school includes state-of-the-art dining, theater, athletic, and media facilities, STEM classrooms and academic project areas to support different learning styles, all stacked under a multipurpose rooftop space to create a safe, secure environment for students to flourish. Students are only one of many beneficiaries: the school will be an accessible, community-wide resource upon its completion in the fall of 2024.
“This will be one of the greenest buildings in Boston, and we are so proud that it will be a showcase of the future that we build with every steel beam.”
Michelle Wu | Mayor, City of Boston
Bristol Aggie Named 2022 BE+ Green Building of the Year
Bristol Aggie Named 2022 BE+ Green Building of the Year
Award
We are thrilled to announce that Bristol County Agricultural High School received the coveted Green Building of the Year award at the annual BE+ Green Building Showcase! In the largest ceremony since the national Greenbuild conference in 2017, over 225 people gathered to celebrate leading projects in the movement toward a more sustainable and regenerative built environment.
Representing a shift from an agriculture-based curriculum toward one rooted in science and environmental education, the renewed Bristol Aggie campus is both a place of discovery and an instructional tool through its highly sustainable design. From an intensive green roof that doubles as an outdoor classroom to exposed timber structures in three of four new construction buildings on campus, students are invited to engage with the architecture and green technologies on display.
Focus areas on carbon, energy, water, wellness, and equity drove the project and manifest in both the building and landscape design.
Water conservation and reuse strategies reduce campus water usage by 50%
Close ties between the school and the environment are reinforced by outdoor learning and gathering spaces
Heavy timber structures sequester 75 metric tons of carbon, while renovating a central academic building avoided 744 metric tons in carbon emissions
All new buildings are designed PV-ready
“The Bristol County Agricultural High School checked so many boxes for us… aggressive sustainability, a strong community connection, a focus on carbon reduction, a teaching tool …all on a limited, public-school budget.”
Jury Comments | Built Environment Plus
Renovate or Build New: A Life Cycle Comparison of Two Academic Buildings
Renovate or Build New:
A Life Cycle Comparison of Two Academic Buildings
What does a direct comparison between renovation and new construction reveal about a building’s environmental impact and how can this data inform future design decisions?
HMFH sustainability leaders Suni Dillard and Alexandra Christiana addressed these questions with Carrie Havey of The Green Engineer at USGBC Live’s Boston Forum, using a case study of two buildings at Bristol County Agricultural High School to compare the environmental impact of the products associated with renovation vs. new construction.
In recent years, there has been a push in the design industry to reuse existing buildings as a strategy to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that arise from the manufacturing, transporting, installing, maintaining, and disposing of building materials ₁. The idea seems simple: reuse buildings and reduce carbon emissions. However, the answer isn’t always so straightforward. How a building is reused or built new significantly affects its carbon footprint, so it is important to understand the impact of all design decisions in order to create environmentally responsible buildings.
While renewing and expanding the Bristol County Agricultural High School campus, HMFH had the unique opportunity to design two buildings with comparable program and scale. Using Tally, a Revit plugin that quantifies the environmental impact of building materials ₂, we conducted a life cycle assessment analyzing the products specified in both the renovation of Gilbert Hall, a 72,000 SF academic building from 1935, and the new Center for Science and the Environment (CSE), a 73,500 SF academic building, to weigh the benefits of renovations vs. new construction.
A life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analysis of a project’s impact throughout its lifespan, from the gathering and transportation of raw materials, to reuse after a building’s end of life. A completed LCA evaluates factors including global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, smog formation, ozone depletion, and depletion of nonrenewable energy sources. In North America, there is currently not enough data to include site or mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems in a LCA despite their significant impact on a building’s sustainability. Therefore, our analysis of Gilbert Hall and the CSE focuses on the environmental impact of building materials.
By comparing data from the LCA cradle to gate stages for Gilbert Hall and the CSE, we were able to review the impacts of raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation for each project and learn which building elements and product categories are most beneficial in the design of a renovation vs. new construction project. This comparison looks specifically at global warming potential—a relative measure of greenhouse gas contribution over a 60 year-time horizon. For example, the LCA shows the renovation of Gilbert Hall has a 28% reduction in overall global warming potential (calculated in kg C02e) in the cradle to gate stage compared to the newly built CSE.
Building Elements
CSE: 353.3 kg CO2eq/m²
GH: 259.41 kg CO2eq/m²
The newly constructed CSE features a highly efficient exterior wall design, while Gilbert Hall excels in its minimal impact by reusing the existing structural elements.
Metals
CSE: 173.31 kgCO2eq/m²
GH: 230.64 kgCO2eq/m²
The lack of concrete used in GH’s renovation resulted in the majority of its material impact being attributed to metals within the enclosure.
While renovation is often the most sustainable option, a comprehensive understanding of each design element’s impact at all phases of a project promotes the most environmentally responsible choices. Life cycle assessments provide concrete data that can guide clients through a sustainable building process by weighing the impact and effectiveness of each decision over the course of the project. Where do we go from here?
Suggested Workflow
- Pre-Design: Set benchmarks and targets, and demand low carbon materials/transparency
- Schematic Design: Analyze, track and compare embodied carbon against benchmarks and achievable low carbon goals
- Design Development: Prioritize healthy materials, create low carbon specifications, and conduct a carbon estimate
- Construction Documents: Continue to refine low carbon specifications, and require the general contractor to prepare a carbon estimate for construction
Suggested Carbon Reduction Strategies
- Reduce the use of concrete, or substitute fly ash and/or slag for cement in the concrete mix*
- Substitute precast hollow concrete floors for composite metal deck floors
- Substitute cross-laminated timber for metal deck floors
- Utilize glulam columns and beams in lieu of steel columns and beams
*Use of this as a replacement needs more study due to concern over material health issues
Creating Space for Student Well-being
Creating Space for Student Well-being
Article
Remembering HMFH Founder Stephen Friedlaender, FAIA (1935-2022)
Remembering HMFH Founder Stephen Friedlaender, FAIA (1935-2022)
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of HMFH’s founding partners, Stephen Friedlaender, FAIA. Steve had a voracious intellectual curiosity. He was interested and knowledgeable about just about everything, whether architecture or almonds, baseball or Bach, raising roses or researching restaurants. Steve was always up for the conversation and the discussion would always be fun and memorable.
He cared deeply about design and engaged fully with clients, consultants, and colleagues in seeking the solutions that were elegant, innovative and appropriate. When selected for the Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), his citation stated, “Stephen Friedlaender has elevated public school design to a high level of significance and excitement. His architecture has transformed the image of the school house and become a beacon of hope for both urban and suburban school systems”.
While leading the firm, guiding his family, and serving on boards for both the Boston Architectural College and New England Conservatory, he always maintained a strong moral compass. His high ethical standards, professionalism, and empathy help set the foundation for HMFH’s practice today. We will remember the way he served up large portions of decency, human kindness, and generosity on a daily basis, always acting as a role model for how to live life with fullness and grace.
HMFH Selected for Feasibility Study at the Franklin Elementary School in Newton
HMFH Selected for Feasibility Study at the Franklin Elementary School in Newton
Press Release
HMFH Architects Selected for Feasibility Study at the Franklin Elementary School in Newton
Cambridge, MA – HMFH Architects, an architectural firm focused on the design of student living and learning environments, announced today it has been selected by the City of Newton, Mass. to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the Franklin Elementary School. A critical piece of the city’s 10-year plan to modernize its school buildings, the redevelopment of Franklin, whether through new construction or additions and renovations, will create greater neighborhood and school equity.
Franklin is one of 15 neighborhood elementary schools in Newton. Originally constructed in 1938 with additions built in 1950 and 1953, the original school façade provides a distinct presence along residential Derby Street, while the additions are less successful both in exterior presence and interior functionality. Franklin lacks sufficient programming space and an appropriate music room, the classrooms are undersized for today’s standards, and is not fully accessible or ADA compliant.
“The design of highly efficient and sustainable buildings is a priority for Newton, and the creation of wonderful facilities that promote 21st century teaching and learning environments helps Newton advance our goals and objectives with regards to excellence in education and inclusion,” said Alex Valcarce, deputy commissioner of the City of Newton Public Buildings Department. “HMFH is known for its excellence in educational planning, community process, and sustainable design. We are excited to be working with them to determine the best path forward for Franklin and its community.”
To better understand the enrollment, space demands, and physical challenges at the current school, HMFH is beginning with a pre-feasibility phase that includes a facilities assessment, establishment of educational programmatic needs, and development of alternative conceptual design. Moreover, each alternative concept will address educational needs, neighborhood context, and healthy and sustainable principles.
HMFH is well-known for its ability and commitment to engage stakeholders by leading comprehensive community processes. In September, HMFH and New Vista Design will facilitate educational visioning sessions with the Franklin community to assure the program meets the priorities and needs specific to its students, faculty, staff, and parents.
“HMFH is known for its excellence in educational planning, community process, and sustainable design. We are excited to be working with them to determine the best path forward for Franklin and its community.”
Alex Valcarce | Deputy Commissioner, Newton Public Buildings Department
HMFH Implements Healthy Material Initiative at Bristol-Plymouth
HMFH Implements
Healthy Material Initiative at Bristol-Plymouth
In collaboration with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), HMFH is developing a new standard for healthy materials in K-12 public schools. Currently in design, the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School will serve as the pilot project for this program.
A healthy interior environment is foundational to a child’s education—by the time a student graduates high school, they will have spent more than 15,000 hours in a school, which is the second longest indoor exposure time after their home.¹ Therefore, it is essential that educational facilities provide the healthiest possible environments to support student wellness, growth, and development. A key piece of this is understanding the impact of building materials on health and well-being.
Research by Harvard University shows that chemicals often found in building materials have been linked to health conditions including cancer, immune suppression, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and thyroid diseases.² Currently, product manufacturers are not required to disclose the chemical makeup of their products, making it incredibly difficult to make informed design decisions regarding the safety of building materials. In the same way that nutrition labels for food enable us to make healthy choices about our diet, complete material transparency allows designers and owners to understand the implications of different building materials and select accordingly.
Standards for material transparency do exist, and a primary goal of HMFH’s research for Bristol-Plymouth is to identify and specify materials that are proven to be safe by fully disclosing ingredient and manufacturing information through Declare. Declare is a platform for manufacturers to provide essential information on the material makeup of their products and compliance with standards such as the Living Building Challenge (LBC) Red List and LBC Watch List, which outline materials, chemicals, and elements harmful to human health and the environment.³
A product’s compliance with the LBC Red List is represented on the Declare label by the product’s Declaration Status, of which there are three:
- LBC RED LIST FREE products disclose 100% of ingredients present at or above 100 ppm (0.01%) in the final product and do not contain any Red List chemicals.
- LBC RED LIST APPROVED products disclose a minimum of 99% of ingredients present in the final product and may contain one or more Red List chemicals, but only if covered by an established exception.
- DECLARED products disclose 100% of ingredients present in the final product but contain one or more Red List chemicals that are not covered by an approved exception.⁴
Drawing from over 50 years of experience designing K-12 public schools, HMFH is researching and vetting hundreds of materials to develop a baseline list of products that contribute to a healthy learning environment and are optimized for K-12 architecture. The intent of this research is twofold: first, to provide a list of healthy building materials to serve as a reference point for future projects, and second, to push manufacturers to disclose the chemical makeup of their materials and ultimately eliminate chemicals of concern present in these products.
Focusing on touch surfaces in schools, which encompass materials from furniture to door hardware, the Bristol-Plymouth team began with products commonly used in K-12 architecture to confirm they are not harmful. The research has shown many of these commonly specified products to be healthy, but for those that are not, HMFH’s designers investigated non-toxic equivalent products that meet the same standards for function, durability, and accessibility, which is crucial in public school designs. The materials and manufacturers vetted through this research will be used to develop a comprehensive list of touch surface materials that targets LBC Red List Free products and Declared products where Red List Free is not feasible.
The project’s state-funded budget and public construction laws pose additional challenges to this process. Under these laws, the team is required to provide three equal products for every product specified, which increases the amount of healthy material options that must be provided while budget constraints limit the field of not-toxic products available. Despite these challenges, HMFH’s research will provide a list of healthy products that can easily be implemented in K-12 school designs where the budget allows and can also be used to initiate change among material manufacturers and increase awareness surrounding harmful chemicals in building materials. Some examples of safer substitutes for typical products found in public schools include:
Lockers: High-density plastic lockers can replace painted metal lockers to eliminate their toxic coating
Whiteboards: Glass whiteboards provide a non-toxic alternative to typical painted steel whiteboards, which have a toxic coating
Shades: Fabric window shades are a healthier alternative polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
As the pilot project for healthy material research, Bristol-Plymouth will be a model for healthy schools in Massachusetts. The purpose of this research is to establish initial product standards for MSBA-funded schools, with an ultimate goal of eliminating chemicals of concern from school building materials to ensure that all students across the State have access to healthy interior environments.
Read more about this exciting initiative in a feature from the Boston Globe.
