Category: press

HMFH Endows New Scholarship Program

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

HMFH Endows New Scholarship Program

Press Release

HMFH Architects and Boston Architectural College Announce New Scholarship Fostering Diversity in Design

Cambridge, MA – HMFH Architects, in partnership with the Boston Architectural College (BAC), today
announced the establishment of the HMFH Scholarship Fund, created to expand academic opportunities
for students underrepresented in the architecture and design professions. This new Scholarship aims to
increase access to these professions for Black, Indigenous, people of color, first-generation college
students, students with disabilities, and other underrepresented populations. Creation of the Scholarship
continues a decades-long relationship between HMFH and the BAC.

“HMFH’s extraordinarily generous gift is a visible and inspiring message that will lead the way in
furthering the BAC’s mission of diversifying the design professions and making design education
accessible to all people,” said Dr. Mahesh Daas, Boston Architectural College President. “This generous
investment, which continues HMFH’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, will create
sustainable and vital opportunities for underrepresented students.”

The Scholarship selection process will begin this spring, and the first recipients will be announced in the
fall. The intent of the Scholarship is to advance diversity by providing critical financial support to
encourage students not only to enroll in architecture studies, but also to achieve success in college and
to graduate. Beyond their classroom experience, recipients will have opportunities to work on planning
and design projects with HMFH team members.

“With this HMFH Scholarship, we are taking concrete steps to increase access to design education for
minority students and thereby increase diversity within the architecture profession,” said Pip Lewis, AIA,
HMFH Principal. “We knew as soon as the idea arose that partnering with the BAC was the ideal pathway
to fulfill our aspiration for the Scholarship’s impact, while solidifying our longstanding relationship with
the College.” HMFH President Lori Cowles, herself a graduate of the BAC, notes that “This Scholarship is a
significant effort to bring greater equity and diversity to our profession, as we have been doing in our
own practice.”

HMFH Architects is a design firm known for its community-based approach, user-centric design, and
healthy, sustainable buildings. A certified Women-Owned Business, HMFH designs for public school
districts, independent schools, universities, and community and public-realm clients.
The Boston Architectural College is a recognized institution with a diverse student population
representing 35 countries. Providing excellence in practice-integrated design education, the BAC offers
bachelor and graduate degrees in architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, design
studies as well as offering continuing education certificates and courses. The BAC upholds the
importance of inclusive admission, diversity, innovation, dedicated faculty, and the intrinsic value of
both academic and experiential education.

“I am deeply grateful for HMFH’s partnership with the BAC in recognition of our longstanding commitment to diversifying the design field. The establishment of the HMFH Scholarship will serve to advance our shared vision of a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world for generations to come.”

Mahesh Daas | President, Boston Architectural College

Massachusetts’ First Net-Positive Energy Public School Opens

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Massachusetts’ First Net-Positive Energy Public School Opens

Article

The town of Westborough, Mass., opened the 70,242-sf Annie E. Fales Elementary School, which is the state’s first net-positive energy public school.

The two-story building replaces the original school—also named after a beloved school teacher who spent most of her 50-year career in Westborough—that’s on the same premises and which closed its doors after the town determined that new construction was a better option than trying to upgrade and remodel a 58-year-old building for a growing local population.

HMFH Architects designed the new school, which accommodates 400 kindergarten-through-3rd grade students, with five classrooms per grade plus one float classroom. It was built by Gilbane Building Company. The project cost was $56.8 million, of which $45 million was for construction.

This all-electric school consumes less than two-thirds of the energy used by a comparable code-compliant building. Its sustainable features include triple-glazed windows, roof and wall insulation that’s 40 percent above code requirements, 40 660-ft-deep geothermal close-loop wells, a 25,000-sf 508-kW solar PV array that’s integrated into the exterior architecture, LED lighting, high-efficiency mechanical systems designed to improve air quality, and a building management system that monitors and controls the mechanicals and lighting.

The ground-floor public spaces—including the cafeteria, gym, and administrative offices—are built into the hillside to reduce heat loss and gain through exterior walls. The second-floor teaching spaces have a north-south orientation that allows for windows and skylights to provide natural light and views to the outdoors.

An ambitious CO2 reduction goal

The school is expected to generate 10 percent more energy than it uses, which the town will return to the electric grid. Westborough has set a goal to be carbon emissions free by 2035. The town’s environmental stewardship “encouraged the design and construction management team to aim high and go beyond a net-zero energy goal and create a school that will inspire other communities to do the same,” said Julia Nugent, AIA, Principal and Project Leader with HMFH Architects.

The school, which is shooting for LEED Gold and LEED Zero certifications, is a learning tool itself, with exhibits and visuals to educate students and visitors about the natural environment and sustainable practices.

The Vertex Companies was the town’s project manager for the new school, which is the second K-12 school that Gilbane has constructed for Westborough, the first being a 110,000-sf Sarah Gibbons Middle School, completed in 2017.

Florida Ruffin Ridley School Earns Copper in Architecture Award

Posted on by Caroline Dolan

Florida Ruffin Ridley School Earns Copper in Architecture Award

Award

HMFH’s design of the Florida Ruffin Ridley School in Brookline, MA received a Copper in Architecture Award from the Copper Development Association.

When the 227,000 sf Florida Ruffin Ridley School, Brookline’s largest elementary school, faced severe overcrowding, comprehensive additions and renovations became necessary. Built in 1913, the original school building has historic significance and was the school that President John F. Kennedy attended. It was important to the community that the building retained its historic significance and character while still being updated to best support Brookline’s strong educational program. Using copper throughout the design was integral to maintaining the building’s historic character and referencing it in contemporary ways.

Historic Identity

An iconic feature of the existing 1913 building was a patinated copper cupola, and this element served as a central component in the design of the added academic wings and the material choice of pre-patinated copper used throughout. The front entrance of the school features the original entryway and cupola as central elements; the view from the back of the school also prominently features the cupola, which serves as a grounding element that unites the new spaces with the existing.

Merging Old and New

On the exterior of the added spaces, 5,775 sf of pre-patinated copper cladding further reinforce the connection between old and new, historic and contemporary. The design team carefully used the copper to accentuate significant areas that include entrances, community spaces, and the cafeteria and gym. This accenting also breaks up the massing of the large school, providing visually interesting highlights against the exterior masonry. Copper’s timeless quality allows views from any angle of the school to be both modern and classic.

Copper as a Learning Tool

Beyond creating cohesiveness between the additions and existing areas of the school, the choice of copper also responds to the community’s interest in using the building and its surrounding environment as a teaching tool. The aging process of copper, causing the building to change over time, creates opportunities for educators to incorporate their learning environment into the curriculum—students can engage directly with their learning environment in discussions of both natural process and historical context.