ARCHITECTURE: The Integration of Art and Science

In Time for the Spring Thaw: Old Tavern Road / Firelite Commons Mixed-Use Development

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:21:57 GMT

Just in Time for the Spring Thaw!

In the heart of Orange, Connecticut, an exciting new construction project is reaching its final stages, introducing a dynamic mix of residential and commercial spaces.

We'd like to share some preliminary photos.

Featuring 72 one- and two-bedroom apartments along with retail, commercial, and office spaces on the ground floor, the development is set at the bustling intersection of Boston Post Road, Old Tavern Road and Racebrook Road. Its strategic location provides easy access to Yale's West Campus, I-95, and downtown New Haven.

A challenge in creating both desirable commercial spaces and a development that has interior and exterior amenities was how to position the building and its scale. After numerous meetings with the developer and the Town of Orange, a U-shaped three-story building was proposed. This form allowed the commercial spaces to face the street with a unified frontage while most of the apartments are strategically positioned away from the busy roads, creating an inviting community “backyard” with amenities such as a furnished courtyard with a firepit, and a lawn for residents to interact.

Creating a sense of place was one of the goals of this project, reinforcing the message being sent by the architecture with the use of adaptable and flexible spaces. The incorporation of native landscaping integrates the three-story structure into the natural landscape to the North, creating a harmonious blend with the residential surroundings. The result is that the design respects Orange's existing urban fabric while introducing a contemporary mixed-use building, reflecting the town's evolving character and demographic.

A subsequent phase will see the renovation of the existing bank on-site, adding another component to the development's comprehensive vision.

Mount Pleasant & Bond Street Master Plan Receives Approval

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:50:39 GMT

Master Plan Revitalization Receives Approval from City of New Britain!

Kenneth Boroson Architects is delighted to announce that the City of New Britain Common Council has approved the Master Plan for the Mount Pleasant/Bond Street Community, creating a Special Residential District for the redevelopment. Our heartfelt thanks and congratulations go to the JHM Group, the New Britain Housing Authority, residents of Mount Pleasant and Bond Streets, the New Britain Housing Authority, and the City of New Britain.

The new 343-unit redevelopment will replace housing that was built around 1941. It no longer meets current residential code standards, or the requirements of the many agencies that fund affordable housing.

Our design team was tasked with many challenges, identified in design programming workshops by the current residents and community members. They included but were not limited to:

Limited Emergency Access: Currently, the neighborhood’s homes are arranged as linear buildings clustered around parking lots and steep terraces. The sole street entering the development, Richard Street, ends in a driveway. The layout presents access issues for emergency responders.
Limited Safe Walkability: Due to no public streets with sidewalks and the lack of buildings fronting public streets, the current development is unsafe.
Flooding: Severe terrain engulfs and runs across the site, resulting in flooding during heavy rain. Access is sometimes cut off along the sloped areas.
Lack of Architectural Variety and Character: The current buildings are mundane and monotonous with no variation of style.
Impractical Unit Layouts: The existing units do not meet accessibility or practical living needs.
Lack of Public Spaces: The community is comprised of diverse age groups but offers limited public open spaces catering to these groups. There are no playgrounds for toddlers or intermediate age children.

To address these challenges, our team worked collaboratively with the co-developers (the JHM Group and the New Britain Housing Authority), the residents of Mount Pleasant and Bond Streets, and the City of New Britain, during numerous workshops at the on-site Center of Excellence building. The insight and participation of residents and neighbors has been invaluable!

The team’s proposed vision for the new Mount Pleasant and Bond Street Community solves the issues by demolishing the existing development and creating a major transformation to a new cohesive neighborhood. The revitalized development includes improved vehicular and pedestrian access, connectivity, safety, a sense of community, building variety, and open spaces for all ages.

The unique scale and location of the revitalized neighborhood creates a Town Village and integrates itself into the surrounding neighborhoods. The design builds on its unique identity as it introduces a framework of well-connected streets and open spaces. This provides convenient vehicular and pedestrian circulation with clear, unobstructed routes for emergency responders and public transit. The proximity of the new buildings to the street increases views from the residences to enhance a safe walkable neighborhood.

The plan creates a safe outdoor environment through frontages along public spaces. As part of a vibrant open space network, a large central green with a playground and splash pad connects to smaller green areas. Hiking trails from the green lead to the Housing Authority’s Center of Excellence building and the wooded area to the north. The variety of safe, open space areas are designed for residents of all ages.

Many existing, established trees will remain, while new trees will be added to create a rhythmic canopy along the new streets. The new central green is anchored on the south side by a new mixed-use building with community supportive services at ground level and apartments for families above.

The redevelopment is designed to be completed in five phases. This will allow current residents to continue to stay on the site. They will have the opportunity to live in current vacant units for the first phase, then move into new residential units in subsequent phases. The goal is for phase one construction to begin during Spring of 2025.

We believe the enthusiastic approval of the master plan by the New Britain Common Council for the transformation of the Mount Pleasant / Bond Street neighborhood was accomplished via a truly collaborative process, with ideas coming from all who participated. We are proud to be part of the team to bring the much-needed neighborhood transformation to the Residents and the City of Britain.

Additional renderings and project details are available on our website’s project page . Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

The Passing of the Amazing Kent Bloomer

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:24:12 GMT

The Passing of the Amazing Kent Bloomer

Our colleague and friend Kent Bloomer passed on October 22, 2023.

Kent Bloomer, 1935-2023: Yale School of Architecture Obituary

I’ve known Kent since 1980. He was one of the four professors in the core program that I attended as a graduate student at the Yale School of Architecture. I deeply respected Kent and his design critiques.

In the early 2000s, Kent and I reconnected, and our firms collaborated on five New Haven public schools. It was so exciting to merge such beautiful and meaningful ornament that the Kent Bloomer Studio produced with the architecture of our school designs.

Aside from my personal grief, I feel the world has lost an amazingly talented and significant man. Kent’s strident fight for ornament and against modernist minimalism is one of his many legacies that has impacted the architectural profession as well as my firm’s work.

I will miss Kent’s talent, professional collaboration, friendship, and his whimsical theatrics when gesturing about ornament.

Team Member News! September 2023

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:26:49 GMT

Team Member News! September 2023

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 9/22/23 1:16 PM

Topics: About Us, Staff Announcements

We at Kenneth Boroson Architects are delighted to introduce our newest Project Manager, Mark Hesselgrave, RA.

Mark Hesselgrave joins our Team as a Senior Architect after providing architectural consulting services as a private practitioner for 14 years. Prior to that, he held senior positions at architectural design firms in Connecticut, California, and Mexico, including Pelli Clarke & Partners (formerly Pelli Clarke Pelli), Flad Architects, and Fletcher Thompson. He provided consultant services to PCP, Apicella + Bunton, and Sophie Harvey Design, among others.

Mark’s previous experience focused on complex, full-service projects in the educational, health care, lab/research, and residential sectors, on sites throughout the US and abroad. Examples include the renovation and new construction of a lab building at City University of New York to become a new research facility of nearly one million square feet; comprehensive renovation and addition to Norwalk’s Brien McMahon High School; new construction of New Haven’s Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School; three buildings for the Cleveland Clinic, and a biological research lab for UCLA. In addition, he has designed private residences and condominium complexes in New York City, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Mexico City.

A Registered Architect since 1990, Mark is licensed in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2009. He earned his Master of Architecture degree from Yale School of Architecture and B.Arch. degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Currently, he is the Project Architect on the MLK / Curtis Cofield II development in New Haven (formerly known as Tyler Street Family Housing), which encompasses 4.3 vacant acres on Ella Grasso Boulevard. It will include affordable rental dwellings in eleven buildings as well as a community meeting center. Mark is also managing the Mount Pleasant / Bond Street development in New Britain. This neighborhood revitalization will provide new affordable and market rate rental and senior units for the Housing Authority of New Britain.

Team Member News! April 2023

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 17:22:12 GMT

Team Member News! April 2023

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 4/5/23 2:00 PM

Topics: About Us, Staff Announcements

Kenneth Boroson Architects is pleased to announce the promotion of four Team Members!

Joan Bartick-Gould and Erin Michaud have been named Firm Associates, Noel Lopez has been promoted to Production Manager, and Riya Sinha has been promoted to Job Captain.

Joan Bartick-Gould , a licensed Interior Designer, has been with Boroson Architects since 1999. She serves as the Project Manager of Interior Design/FF&E Services. She is involved in all project phases, from initial programming through construction administration. Joan works with our architectural staff as the liaison with users to ensure client satisfaction prior to occupancy. Her project portfolio ranges from PreK-12 schools to multi-family properties to tenant fit-outs for commercial clients.

Erin Michaud joined the firm in 2006 as a college intern. As a Project Manager, she works directly with clients and consultants daily to manage the production of architectural documents, including detailed coordination of construction documents. Erin’s experience includes mixed-use properties, adaptive reuse projects, community centers and PreK-12 schools.

As Firm Associates, Joan and Erin continue to mentor emerging professionals.

Noel Lopez joined KBArch in 2000. In addition to being promoted to Production Manager, he has been named to the firm’s Leadership Team. Noel is responsible for coordinating consultant drawings into full sets of documents utilizing AutoCAD and Revit. He also oversees the firm’s technology requirements and standards.

Riya Sinha joined the firm in 2019 as a Designer. She holds a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Pratt Institute. As Job Captain, she supports firm management in the production of architectural documents and presentation materials for a wide range of renovation and new construction projects, including municipal projects and multi-family housing.

A Citizenship Celebration

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 17:15:57 GMT

A Citizenship Celebration

Posted by: Mark Guerrera - 8/9/19 3:02 PM

Topics: About Us

We would like to digress from our usual subject matter to highlight a special event occurring in our office that has nothing to do with architecture. It is our great pleasure to welcome our employee, Noel Lopez, as a newly naturalized citizen of the United States. Noel has been a loyal and trusted part of the team at Kenneth Boroson Architects for the past 19 years. He began his career as a high school intern assisting with drafting. Upon graduating, he became a full-time employee and has risen to the role of IT Manager, in addition to his many other duties. The Naturalization Oath Ceremony took place this morning and many members of our team had the privilege of attending to cheer him on. Below is a note we’ve written to Noel and would like to share.

Dear Noel,

It has been an honor to work alongside you all these years. Several of us even remember your first day. We’ve delighted in watching you grow into the conscientious, kind, and driven man you have become. This is just another step in that journey. You chose to take this step, set this goal for yourself and ultimately achieve it. Your hard work and diligence have paid off and you are to be congratulated on a job well done.

Thank you for allowing us to play a small role in your accomplishment and to share in your exuberance today. We can’t express enough how proud we are of you. May you assume the responsibilities of citizenship with the grace and respect you have always shown us.

Congratulations!

Your friends and colleagues at Kenneth Boroson Architects

Working Towards a New NOMA Chapter

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 17:07:29 GMT

Working Towards a New NOMA Chapter

Posted by: Daniel King - 7/18/19 9:28 AM

Topics: Community Outreach

Feeling the lack of representation of minority architects in Connecticut and realizing the importance of highlighting their work in the national architectural industry, energetic members of Connecticut’s architectural community gathered together to begin the process of establishing a Connecticut based chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). For nearly five decades, NOMA has strived for its mission to “champion diversity within the design professions by promoting the excellence, community engagement, and professional development of its members.” Prior to recent developments, the University of Hartford NOMA Students Chapter was home to the only nationally recognized NOMA chapter in the state of Connecticut, but thanks to the leading efforts of Omarys Vasquez of Svigals & Partners, Jose Hernandez of Newman Architects, as well as the collaborative efforts of Daniel T. King ( Kenneth Boroson Architects ), Maria Khan (Friar Architecture), Max Ballardo (Patriquin Architects), Brian Gonzalez (Patriquin Architects), Paolo Campos (Patriquin Architects), Linda Blaszka (Newman Architects), Ghalia Ajouz (Newman Architects), Melody Iannone (University of Hartford), Amy Ray (Newman Architects), and Alicia Washington (HRP Associates), NOMACT will join the growing list of professional groups representing minority architects in their state under the umbrella of NOMA.

As a national organization, NOMA has/is heavily focused on community engagement inspiring activities such as school visits, firm tours, open civic and community forums, design charrettes, and communal social gatherings. Additionally, NOMA works with local, state, and federal governments to create open dialogues and address community-wide issues that may otherwise be unaccounted for in the planning and development of neighborhoods. Lastly, NOMA and its individual chapters hold yearly national and local meetings that serve as a social and educational experience that reemphasizes the NOMA’s mission of championing diversity within the AEC industry.

Why should you join NOMA? NOMA is focused on the professional development of minority design professionals and the organization welcomes professionals and students from any background, race, and creed who have genuine care for the communities in which our projects exist. Architecture can be considered an insulated profession from the outside looking in and NOMA strives to change that opinion by educating our communities and partnering with those communities to develop a more suitable environment for everyone. If you would like more information about NOMA, please visit their newly rebranded website to learn about the great things NOMA has to offer. Lastly, if you are interested in joining Connecticut’s effort to create a chapter please email me (dking@kbarch.com) and I’ll add your information to our group.

Brian Stone & Maria Khan contributed to this article.

Two New Buildings and a New Façade Enliven Lower Chapel Street

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 09:06:18 GMT

Two New Buildings and a New Façade Enliven Lower Chapel Street

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 6/11/19 9:33 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing

It is rare as an architect, to be able to make such a significant impact on a City that you love. We appreciate the opportunity of working alongside Northside Development Company in strengthening this significant urban block in New Haven.

Within the historic nine square grid in New Haven sits the 800 block of Chapel Street (just east of the New Haven Green). The corner site, 808 Chapel Street, is surrounded by a blue tarp fence. Two lots west, 848 Chapel Street, is a paved parking lot that extends a full city block to Center Street. The two-story building in between these sites, 832 Chapel Street, has a vacated second floor space in need of occupancy and a façade in need of an updated urban design. The combination of these three adjacent properties has led to a deterioration of the urban fabric as shown in the existing picture below.

As part of their goal to redevelop a large portion of the prominent 800 Chapel Street city block (once a thriving retail center), Northside Development Company retained Kenneth Boroson Architects to design the two new buildings and the new façade. 848 Chapel Street (more information on our webpage and in our blog) received site plan approval from the New Haven City Plan Commission in December 2018. 808 Chapel Street received a similar site plan approval in May 2019.

Above is a rendering from the perspective of Chapel and Orange Street showing the proposed view of all three buildings from the corner. In the foreground is 808 Chapel followed by 832 Chapel and 848 Chapel. Below is a streetscape elevation view showing the proposed design for the three sites as well.

808 Chapel Street

The currently underutilized site will feature a new six story mixed use building, shown in the streetscape elevation above. The building will contain 46 apartments with a mix of studio, one bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts. A typical floor plan and the street-fronting elevations are below. There will also be retail space fronting on Chapel Street, resident amenity space fronting on Orange Street and in the basement, and usable open space set at grade between the new building and an existing building on Orange Street. Parking for the new building will be housed within the neighboring existing building on Orange Street. The building façade is reminiscent of a vernacular New Haven 1920’s urban building with a lighter stone street level façade and storefront. Punctuated along the stone lintel is an intersecting circle ornament pattern. Above the street level space, a "new brick" material reflects the surrounding existing brick buildings. Large glass windows allow natural daylight to reach deep into the retail stores and residential units.

832 Chapel Street

The two-story building will feature two new large one-bedroom apartments on the second floor. The first floor shall be renovated and house a new retail store. The windows on the second floor will be extended to create larger amounts of glass that align with the first-floor column structure. The façade is a simple aluminum panel grid.

848 Chapel Street

The new seven-story mixed use and multi-family building will feature 120 apartments, two levels of internal parking, resident amenity spaces, and street level retail space (see rendering above). The prominently located structure has street frontage on both Chapel and Center Streets in downtown New Haven.

The apartments will be a mix of studio, one bedroom (some of which will include dens), and two-bedroom layouts. The units will be a bit smaller than average market rate apartments to keep the rent a bit lower and provide better housing choices for people of different income levels to be able to live in downtown New Haven.

The main entrance and retail space will be on Chapel Street and the garage entrance will be on Center Street. Portions of the building are held back from the property line within the block to provide views and space around apartments. There will be roof decks on the second floor and at the top of the building for resident use. The floor plans are below starting at the lower level and working up through the first floor, second floor, typical floor, and roof.

The building’s Chapel Street façade will feature a sleek terra cotta colored metal clad structure with large glass windows to allow views of the soon-to-be bustling downtown block. Two bands of architectural ornament (one above the street level windows and one above the second-floor level windows), enrich the streetscape by adding visual interest and vitality.

Overview

The three-site development at 808 Chapel, 832 Chapel and 848 Chapel will revitalize the connection between the Ninth Square, the State Street train station and the historic Wooster Square neighborhood. By adding at total of 168 residential units and up to 6 new retail spaces, downtown New Haven’s renaissance as one of the most desirable and fastest growing Cities in the US (see Bloomberg report) will continue to blossom.

Two Ribbon Cuttings and a Groundbreaking in One Week!

Wed, 29 May 2019 04:59:09 GMT

Two Ribbon Cuttings and a Groundbreaking in One Week!

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 5/29/19 10:00 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing

Last week was an exciting and eventful week for Kenneth Boroson Architects and RMS Companies . Two of the projects we have teamed together on, Parkside City Crossing in New Haven, CT and Stratus on Hudson in Yonkers, NY, celebrated ceremonial ribbon cuttings. Ground was also informally broken on the next phase of the City Crossing project on Congress Avenue in New Haven. These three projects combined create a total of 274 rental apartments in newly constructed buildings.

Parkside City Crossing is a four-story building containing 110 apartments. Running the length of Gold Street and bordering Amistad Park, the building contains resident amenity spaces, a small retail space, garage and surface parking, and an outdoor dog park for residents. This project is the first completed part of New Haven’s multi-year, multi-phase Hill-to-Downtown Community Plan to reconnect the Hill neighborhood to the downtown area. We joined RMS Companies, Mayor Toni Harp, and other City and State officials to open this exciting new development last Thursday. Photos of the speakers are above. More coverage on the Parkside City Crossing ribbon cutting can be found here , here , and here . Additional information on the project can be found in our blog. Pictures of the completed amenity spaces and model unit are below.

Stratus on Hudson removes a negative element from the Warburton Avenue neighborhood by making use of a site where another developer was not able to complete a project over twenty years ago. This former “hole in the ground” is now home to 74 luxury apartments with sweeping views of the Hudson River and convenient access to the Metro-North railway. The Mayor, majority leader of the City Council and other city officials joined RMS Companies to celebrate the opening of this milestone development last Tuesday. More coverage on the Stratus on Hudson ribbon cutting can be found here , here , and here . Additional information on the project can be found in our blog.

The next phase of the City Crossing project, informally known as Parcel 9, is located on a lot where Congress Avenue meets Washington Avenue a few steps away from Parkside City Crossing. This new 6 story building will contain 90 apartments, resident amenity spaces, parking, and an outdoor dog park for residents. At last Thursday’s festivities, Randy Salvatore of RMS Companies mentioned that the Parcel 10 project, across the street at the corner of Washington Avenue and Lafayette Street, will break ground in 60 days. This six-story project will feature 104 apartments with similar amenity provisions as Parcel 9. More information about both parcels can be found in our blog. Foundation work has started for Parcel 9 and photos of the current progress are below. We are excited to see these two projects move forward.

Reconnecting Neighborhoods With a New Gateway

Tue, 21 May 2019 04:39:48 GMT

Reconnecting Neighborhoods With a New Gateway

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 5/21/19 9:40 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing, Sustainable Design, Passive House

Hill to Downtown PlanAt the beginning of 2018, Kenneth Boroson Architects was retained by the NHP Foundation and the West River Self Help Investment Plan (WRSHIP-New Haven) to design a new multi-family development located within a transit-oriented development zone. A proposed streetscape view along Legion Avenue is shown above. This area was cleared in the 1950’s for a new highway that never ended up being built. Since then, this cleared zone cut off the link between the West River, Dwight, and Hill neighborhoods spanning from Ella T. Grasso Boulevard all the way to the expressway. In recent years, new development has gradually started to reconnect these neighborhoods, including the work currently being done as part of New Haven’s Downtown Crossing and Hill to Downtown Plan .

Set between North Frontage Road and Legion Avenue, this new multi-family housing development will serve as the gateway to this redevelopment zone at its western end on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. The proposed site plan is above. This piece of the site is open to the West River Memorial Park across the street and greets it with an integral peace garden. New buildings are being set close to the streets with parking hidden behind them to recreate a neighborhood feeling. Lush plantings and new lighting will help to enliven the streetscape as well. A playground is also provided between the cluster of buildings.

The project will involve 11 new buildings that feature a total of 56 new affordable rental units. The bird's eye view above illustrates how the new buildings and site relate to their surroundings. One, two, and three-bedroom layouts are dispersed throughout the site. A main building on Tyler Street will house property management and resident services in addition to apartments. The buildings feature examples of different vernacular styles. The goal is to create a visually interesting development that does not feel repetitive. The sloped roofs and variation between one, two, and three-story building heights help to maintain a sense of scale that does not overwhelm from the street or within the site. Building units step up and down the site to match the surrounding topography and maintain their scale as well. We studied these relationships suing a three dimensional Revit model of the entire development. Below is a video rendered using Enscape walking through the management building and around the site showing how the site will be experienced by residents.

A unique feature of this development is that it has been designed to earn Passive House certification. Similar to our 11 Crown Street multi-family development in Meriden, the buildings will feature highly insulated and air sealed building envelopes, as well as high efficiency MEP systems. Buildings in this project will also feature photovoltaic systems for power generation on site. Though there will not be enough panels installed on site to cover 100% of the electrical demand, the panel array will contribute to the overall sustainable design of the site. A view of the site from Tyler Street is shown below.

In addition to Passive House standards, the project has been designed to meet the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority’s Multifamily Design, Construction, and Sustainability Standards. The project is currently in the process of securing financing and is applying for low-income housing tax credits as part its overall financial package. Construction is expected to commence next year and we look forward to seeing this exciting project become a reality.

A Tour of DISTRICT

Tue, 14 May 2019 04:28:13 GMT

A Tour of DISTRICT

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 5/14/19 10:00 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment

Earlier this year we had the privilege of conducting a program at our DISTRICT project on James Street in New Haven as part of an event being sponsored by AIA Connecticut . We gave a presentation on the design and then led a tour through the building. Project highlights, design features, and other interesting anecdotes were discussed with those in attendance

We shared insight on our design process and how the project came to be. The group was able to move through the Digital Surgeons, Drive Cowork, and District Athletic Club spaces, and were also able to experience the indoor courtyard. Below is a video featuring the presentation and highlights from the tour (starting at 12:30). Some drone footage is included as well.

Below are a few photos from the tour and the presentation. Following the tour, the group moved to the nearby AIA Connecticut offices for a reception honoring the year’s newly licensed architects in the State. Congratulations to our colleagues on achieving this important professional milestone!

Blog photos and video by Strategy 1st Marketing

Drone video by Visual Cut

Photos in the slide show by Kenneth Boroson Architects & Woodruff / Brown Architectural Photography

Overlooking the Hudson River in Yonkers

Tue, 07 May 2019 02:57:58 GMT

Overlooking the Hudson River in Yonkers

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 5/7/19 9:28 AM

Topics: Multi-family Housing

In early 2017, RMS Companies retained Kenneth Boroson Architects to design a new mixed-use building in Yonkers, New York. The site overlooks the Hudson River in an area with other multi-family and mixed-use developments along Warburton Avenue. The steep slope of the site makes the building appear to be only six stories tall from the street, when it is actually nine stories tall when viewed from the river. The front and rear exterior elevations below show this condition. In keeping with the prominence of the available views, the building is named Stratus on the Hudson .

The building contains 74 apartments with a mix of one- and two-bedroom layouts. The majority of the apartments are located on the six stories visible from the street, while a small amount are on the lower levels visible from the river. Given the long and shallow footprint of the building, most units have views of the river. The first floor features resident amenity spaces. A finished roof deck provides sweeping views of the river and Palisades Interstate Park which is located across the river. A green roof at the first-floor level provides additional exterior space and many apartments include balconies overlooking the river. A parking garage is built into the lower three levels and is accessed from the street. Plans of a typical residential floor, the first floor, and a typical garage level floor are below.

A key challenge for this project involved working with an existing foundation. Several years ago, a different developer owned the site and started work on a project that eventually came to a halt. That project stopped prior to the full completion of the foundation system. Given the steep slopes and proximity to the property line for the current development, it made financial sense for the new project to reuse as much of the existing foundation system as possible. Studies and inspections were completed to determine how to best reuse what was in place while keeping the amount of remedial work required to a minimum. This presented a unique challenge for the design process. Below are images from Bing Maps showing the existing foundation prior to construction of this project.

Construction started in early 2018 and is scheduled for completion this spring. The podium style building includes a steel and concrete frame on the lower floors and wood frame construction on the upper floors. Below are photos showing how this work has progressed including finish work that is ongoing. We are looking forward to seeing this project completed.

Holland Hill School Taking a Good School and Making it Even Better

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 02:18:39 GMT

Holland Hill School: Taking a Good School and Making it Even Better

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 4/30/19 10:22 AM

Topics: Pre-K through 12 Education

Following up on the successful project at Riverfield School , the Town of Fairfield hired Kenneth Boroson Architects in 2016 to design an additions and alterations project for the Holland Hill Elementary School . Our office was awarded the project after completing an RFQ and RFP process overseen by the Building Committee and the owner’s program manager Colliers International .

Construction is anticipated to be completed during the summer of 2020. The site is being cleared and foundations are starting to be formed. We look forward to seeing this integral part of Meriden’s Transit Oriented Development District come to life.

Additional home room classrooms
Additional and dedicated spaces for special education programs and student services
Accessibility upgrades including a new and accessible performance platform
Abatement of hazardous materials
Dedicated spaces for musical instruction
School-wide air conditioning and fresh air ventilation systems
Fire suppression sprinklers
Security upgrades
Additional parking
Improved onsite circulation for bus and parent drop-off and pickup
Elimination of temporary / portable classrooms
Expanded stormwater retention and detention systems
Expanded kitchen and additional serving line
A new internal courtyard
New millwork and lockers
Meeting CT High Performance Building Standards in the addition

Above is an image showing the existing school (left) and the proposed, expanded facility (right). As the project scope was refined, the design was developed and documented using Revit software. Using three dimensional design software was critical to determining how to fit all of the new systems into tight existing spaces. Scope items such as added spaces are driven by meeting both current and projected student enrollment. This project has been designed based on a 504-student capacity. Items such as accessibility and security upgrades are motivated by creating a safer and more inclusive school environment to benefit students, faculty, staff, and the Town. Other upgrades to building systems are based on bringing a 60+ year old building into today’s world. All design elements needed to be based on the ability to build them in an occupied school over the course of a phased construction project.

Our office was retained in April of 2016, shortly after the formation of the Building Committee and hiring of the owner’s program manager. Gilbane Building Company was hired as the construction manager early during the design process. During design, all contracted parties worked together with the Building Committee and Fairfield Public Schools to develop a project scope that met the overall project goals and could be built for a budget that the Town would be able to support. An iterative design process proceeded in a parallel path with multiple cost estimates that were prepared by both the construction manager and a third-party cost estimator on the design team. These estimates were reconciled to help hone the scope and budget for the project. As a result of this careful cost control during design, the bids for the project came in under budget and bid alternates for optional scope items were able to be included in the approved construction scope of work.

The project was put out to bid in February of 2018. Construction started in April of 2018 and will be complete for the start of the 2019-2020 school year this fall. Ground was officially broken in May 2018. The photo above shows the First Selectman, Superintendent, School Principal, and members of the Building Committee and Board of Education taking part in the ceremony. The new classroom addition was completed over the 2018-2019 holiday school break. One of the existing classroom wings was recently completed over April break. Work continues in the kitchen area addition and has started in the gymnasium. Summer 2019 will be very busy with work focusing on the remaining existing wing of classrooms and work in the administrative area. Installation of new playground equipment is also coming up soon.

Below are photos from throughout construction. We are excited to see this project move forward. We are also proud to be a sponsor for the Holland Hill PTA’s first annual walkathon . This event will raise money to purchase furniture and equipment for the new courtyard. Here’s to a sunny day and good luck to all the walkers!

Construction Commences at 11 Crown Street in Meriden

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 10:43:46 GMT

Construction Commences at 11 Crown Street in Meriden

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 4/23/19 9:39 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing, Sustainable Design, Passive House

Kenneth Boroson Architects is excited to announce that construction has commenced on the new multi-family development we designed for the City of Meriden at 11 Crown Street. Haynes Construction is hard at work at the former Record Journal Site. Along with our team members The Michaels Organization and Torti Gallas and Partners , our office is delighted to see this project moving forward.

Designed to earn Passive House certification upon completion, the 11 Crown Street development will feature sustainable design measures including a highly insulated and air sealed building envelope, triple glazed windows, and high efficiency mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. The two townhouse buildings along Crown Street and South Colony Street, as well as the apartment building near Perkins Street will follow stringent design and construction standards to earn their certification.

Additional information on this project can be found on our webpage and in our blog. Drone photos are provided courtesy of the City of Meriden . An article on the project in the Record Journal can be found here as well.

Park 215 Earns ENERGY STAR Certification

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 10:24:18 GMT

Park 215 Earns ENERGY STAR Certification

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 2/20/19 10:15 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing, Sustainable Design

We are pleased to announce that the apartments within the Park 215 mixed use building we designed for Charter Oak Communities in Stamford, CT have been ENERGY STAR certified as part of the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High-Rise program administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The units earned this distinction through their energy efficient design and construction.

There are currently only three completed buildings in Connecticut with ENERGY STAR certified units. Park 215 is one of them. Summer Place in Stamford is another project we designed for Charter Oak Communities and it also features ENERGY STAR certified units. Through these projects, Charter Oak Communities has shown a dedication to developing high quality and sustainable homes for their residents that will benefit both the people and their environment.

The EPA expands on this program as follows:
The ENERGY STAR label identifies apartments and condo units in multifamily buildings that are designed to be at least 15% more efficient than typical new construction. Throughout the construction process, independent testing and inspections are performed to confirm that the building meets the strict requirements set by the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. Once this verification is completed, the units in the building can earn the ENERGY STAR label.

ENERGY STAR certified units provide durable, high-quality, and comfortable living spaces with third-party inspected energy-saving features like high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, high performance heating and cooling equipment, and efficient lighting and appliances.

“Developers who partner with ENERGY STAR offer new apartments and condo units that are designed and built to standards well above most others on the market today,” said Jonathan Passe, Director of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch. “ENERGY STAR certified units are built with a comprehensive design, construction, and verification process to ensure that these living spaces will offer real energy efficiency, comfort, durability, and value for years to come.”

More information on Park 215 can be found in our blogs here and here. We congratulate our client on achieving this milestone!

Design Challenges for Two Dental Practices Under One Roof

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 10:13:12 GMT

Design Challenges for Two Dental Practices Under One Roof

Posted by: Joan Bartick-Gould & Mark Guerrera - 1/14/19 10:30 AM

Topics: Healthcare Design

Completed in October of 2017, the East Lyme dental office building located at 156 Boston Post Road was designed for two separate existing practices and was met with its fair share of challenges. Both the orthodontic, Kozlowski Orthodontics , and pediatric dental, Children's Dental Associates , practices committed to relocate their practices to a more centralized location within the town and formed a business partnership to construct the building. The new site has proximity to the high school and middle school and has more visibility in general. The 9,000 sf building is divided equally. The site configuration had limitations as to how to place the new building on the site based on the town's requirements and the concern for the traffic exiting onto an already busy Boston Post Road. We were also met with the challenge of being the first new commercial structure within the recently approved Gateway Planned Development District. Specifics related to the GPDD and an expedited schedule are discussed in this recent blog article. We were hired by the construction management firm, Colliers International , who represented the two practices during both the design and construction process.

The design process for the project began with old school bubble diagrams highlighting each of the practices’ general space plans based upon the programs received. The size and shape of the building was agreed to with input from the Zoning Officer and the individual practice design details moved forward from there. Below are images showing the design process starting with rough bubble diagrams, advancing into more detailed hand sketches, and eventually becoming the hard line construction floor plan.

Throughout the process, combined team meetings were held to address building wide design issues and separate meetings were held with each practice. Building specific approvals included the MEP systems for the building, use and assignment of common space, the exterior design and traffic flow within the building, as well as on the site. The pediatric practice had concerns with small children being on the site with delivery trucks and a large volume of cars. The orthodontic practice had concerns with their later hours and the safety of the staff when leaving in the evening. The building orientation on the site created a direct North/ South exposure which can wreak havoc on stabilizing the HVAC in the building.

Individual design meetings addressed each practices priorities and had their own unique challenges from patient flow to complying with current HIPAA regulations within their suites. Active listening to each of the practice’s challenges resulted in creating layouts that maximized their efficiency to care for their patients while creating an aesthetically pleasing and calming atmosphere. Each practice had its own decision making process and level of team involvement. Compromises were made within each team in order maximize the design. Navigating the process with the two groups was very specific but as professionals it is not something too uncommon on any project. Continuing with the “branding” for each practice was also important. There was also a need to maintain continuity for patients that would be seen in multiple offices and staff that would be working in multiple office locations. Below are examples of interior finish selection boards we prepared for our clients to review.

Overall, a very successful project for both practices!

2018 JDRF Brew for a Cure

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 11:01:48 GMT

2018 JDRF Brew for a Cure

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 1/11/19 3:17 PM

Topics: Community Outreach

On November 10, 2018, the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) " Brew for a Cure " event took place at the Stony Creek Brewery in Branford, CT. I was honored to be a co-chair of the event with my esteemed colleague Joan Wallack. My role as co-chair encompassed a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, bringing a little bit of humor to the event by playing guitar and singing a few songs with Band Overboard.

This was the fourth year of the event and I was humbled by the quantity of sponsors, with specific appreciation for the number of new sponsors from the design, construction, and related service fields that supported the JDRF . The JDRF is a non-profit fundraising organization with the mission of improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat Type 1 Diabetes. T1D is an autoimmune disease that strikes both children and adults suddenly, and presently has no cure. Great strides have been made in research including, but not limited to, the development of the artificial pancreas system.

Below are photos showing the great turnout for the event as well as some of the items from the silent auction.

Many thanks and appreciation go out to the following sponsors:

Ms. Allisan Lee Adams

Alliance Engineers

Amity Wine & Spirit Co.

AR Consulting, LLC

Associated Benefits, LLC

Babbidge Construction Co., LLC

Bethany Lion's Club

Mr. & Mrs. Craig & Cynthia Bond

Brenner, Saltzman & Wallman LLP

Dr. & Mrs. Gerry & Marilyn Fishbone

Ms. Leslie Fredette

Fuss & O'Neill

Gilbane Building Company

Giordano Construction Co.

Mr. & Mrs. Jon & Joan Grossman

Haynes Construction Company

Home Energy Technologies

Mr. & Mrs. James & Laura Joseph

Mr. & Mrs. Joel & Inez Karp

Kenneth Boroson Architects, LLC

Keystone Construction Managers, Inc.

Langan

LaRosa Building Group

Learning Dynamics

Maloney & Company, LLC

Dr. Marc Mann

Marcum LLP

Mr. Kurt Mazurosky

McFarland Kistler & Associates, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. John & Erin McCallum

Medtronic

Michael Horton Associates, Inc.

Northside Development Co.

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher & Mary Alice O'Connor

Perrone & Zajda Engineers LLC

RMS Companies

Strategy 1st Marketing

Terracon Consultants, Inc.

The Associated Construction Company

Tri-State Brick of Connecticut, Inc.

Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, PC

Urbane New Haven, LLC

Viking Construction

Dr. & Mrs. Milton & Joan Wallack

Mr. & Mrs. Neil & Lisa Wallack

Thank you to everyone for supporting this cause!

2018 Year in Review

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 10:15:24 GMT

2018 Year in Review

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 1/9/19 10:27 AM

Topics: About Us

2018 was an exciting year for Kenneth Boroson Architects. As the New Year begins, we reflect back on some milestones and look ahead to anticipated high points for 2019.

Celebrating Our Staff

2018 saw the following promotions and achievements:

Grant Wright: promoted to Senior Associate and became a Certified Passive House Consultant

Brian Stone: promoted to Senior Project Manager

Erin Michaud: promoted to Project Manager

The following talented individuals joined our team this year:

Lindsay Brown: Job Captain

Tim O'Donnell: Job Captain

Rachel Foley: Designer

Daniel King: Designer

We had a great time as a team during our first annual gingerbread house design contest before our holiday party at the recently opened restaurant on the District Campus in New Haven, The Stack . During the spring we also worked our way through the escape rooms at Quandary as a team building exercise.

Giving Back to the Community

Our annual tradition of sponsoring the Brew for a Cure Event for the JDRF continued with this year's event at the Stony Creek Brewery in Branford. This was our most successful year to date!

30 for 30: Kenneth Boroson Architects is starting this year off celebrating our 30th anniversary by donating to 30 non-profit organizations based in New Haven.

2018 Project Milestones

There was much to be proud of this year as many projects achieved major milestones. Some of the highlights included:

Park 215 : construction completed - see more in our blog

East Lyme Dental : construction completed - see more in our blog

District : construction completed - see more in our blog

Congress Avenue/Lafayette Street Apartments of the New Haven Downtown Crossing: City Plan approval awarded - see more in our blog

West River Route 34 housing : City Plan approval awarded

842-848 Chapel Street: City Plan approval awarded - see more in our blog

Looking Ahead to 2019

We anticipate the following project high points in the coming year:

Holland Hill School : construction completion

Gold Street Housing : construction completion - see more in our blog

Yonkers Housing : construction completion

Q House : construction starting - see more in our blog

11 Crown Street housing : construction starting - see more in our blog

Rockview Phase 2 housing : construction starting - see more in our blog

Prince Street housing : construction starting

As we look back on 2018, we extend our wishes for a prosperous New Year to all and look forward to what lies ahead!

Gold Street: Reuniting Downtown New Haven with the Hill Neighborhood

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 09:51:53 GMT

Gold Street: Reuniting Downtown New Haven with the Hill Neighborhood

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 1/9/19 10:24 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing

The City of New Haven has embarked on a 30-year plan to unlock the potential of the gateway district between downtown New Haven and the Hill neighborhood . As the first major step in redevelopment, a team led by development firm RMS Companies was sought to create a mixed-use building on four underutilized plots adjacent to Amistad Park. RMS selected Kenneth Boroson Architects to design a 4-story building on the site which formerly held the Prince Annex School and surface parking lots.

Adjacent to historic Union Station, the 11.6-acre area between the Hill and downtown has languished since urban renewal-era planning resulted in widespread land clearance and the construction of Route 34 over 50 years ago. The introduction of the Oak Street connector isolated the two districts and left behind a fragmented and dysfunctional street network. The Hill-to-Downtown Community Plan envisions a dramatic transformation of the desolate expanse into a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use district with new public spaces.

IMAGE FROM GOODY CLANCY

Located on corner of Gold Street and Washington Avenue, Parkside City Crossing aims to create an immediate urban setting that will define the street and increase the safety of the neighborhood. The surrounding buildings include Yale laboratories, medical office buildings, and a church, which only operate during working hours. Due to the residential housing and retail space, the new development will increase the pedestrian traffic during all hours, and consequently liven up the area.

Our design scheme pulls the building up against Gold Street to create a more activated street front. By following the curve of the street, the new design maximized the number of units in the building due to the increase in proposed amount of parking available. This iteration of the design not only pleased the developer but also furthered the Community Plan to enliven the neighborhood. The City Plan Department also appreciated the more urbanist nature of a building fronting directly on the street instead of away from the street with parking in between.

The new development will include 110 apartments and stretch longer than a city block at 450 feet in length. In addition to approximately 2,350 square feet of retail space, the first floor of the building will include resident amenities such as a fitness center, recreation area, and a library. The unique topography of the site allows for an underground parking garage for residents as well as a surface parking lot to service the commercial retail space and leasing activities.

Given a specific palette from RMS Companies, our office was tasked with creating a design of visual interest while using an economic material of cementitious siding and paneling. To create variation, the façade was designed with bump-outs that alternate from a smooth vertical siding to a textured lap siding at the inset bays. The variation creates a rhythm that works with the street to provide the illusion of divisions within the lengthy building elevation. Additionally, the front and rear residential entrances are designated by a more elaborate insulated metal panel system to provide pedestrians a visual cue of entry.

Construction is already well underway with occupancy expected this spring. The building is designed with a steel and concrete podium at the first floor deck. Four stories of wood frame construction sit atop the podium. In an effort to maximize construction efficiency in the field, the walls were built as a panelized system in a shop and assembled on site with the prefabricated floor and roof trusses. Below are some images showing how construction has progressed over the past year.

As a pillar in the extensive Hill-to-Downtown Community plan , Parkside City Crossing is anticipated to be a pioneering development. The residences, retail spaces, and amenities will ignite activity in a neighborhood that has been underutilized for half of a century. This project, as well as the upcoming developments on adjacent parcels, will help to interweave the isolated districts of New Haven into a cohesive, vibrant community. We look forward to seeing these exciting projects move forward and to seeing the growth of this neighborhood.

New Arts and Crafts Style Dental Office Building is Enthusiastically Embraced by the Town of East Lyme

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:33:49 GMT

New Arts and Crafts Style Dental Office Building is Enthusiastically Embraced by the Town of East Lyme

Posted by: Joan Bartick-Gould & Mark Guerrera - 1/7/19 4:33 PM

Topics: Healthcare Design

Two well established local dental practices committed to relocate to the center of East Lyme, Connecticut. Our clients Children's Dental Associates and Kozlowski Orthodontics desired a new building in town for their growing practices. The Town had recently established a Gateway Planned Development District in the area where the businesses would be newly located. The new 9,000 sf building is the first new commercial structure within the GPDD and is setting a precedent for the high-quality design required for future buildings. Early discussions and involvement with the Zoning Officer enabled the project to meet an accelerated schedule for approvals.

The site had several challenges. The long narrow lot at an intersection of Route 1 and a small one way street required careful traffic flow analysis and planning to address a high volume of traffic at particular times of the day. Below is an initial site plan sketch showing an L-shaped building towards the rear of the site and the final engineered site plan showing a linear building near the street. Both the Town of East Lyme and the State of Connecticut reviewed and approved the plan. Ongoing conversations and meetings with the zoning department throughout the design process and construction phase resulted in faster than standard approvals.

Being the first commercial structure within the approved GPDD presented an opportunity to create a high-quality Arts and Crafts style building that met the requirements of having sloped roofs with residential character. The district discourages flat roof “vanilla box” buildings. The design utilizes varying roof lines, dormers, fenestration and a mix of materials to create an aesthetically appealing residential scaled structure. Below is a hand sketch of the front elevation as well as the final construction drawing of the same elevation.

The design schedule was fast tracked so the construction phase could begin before winter. A particular challenge was designing both practice layouts while concurrently designing the exterior shell that required an accelerated zoning approval. The Temporary Certificate for Occupancy was set for July 4, 2017. The mild winter allowed the project to proceed ahead of the construction schedule. Full occupancy was mid-October 2017 due to the intensive equipment installation and working around the individual dental practices schedules.

We congratulate our clients on achieving this milestone. Below is a virtual tour of the building allowing you to explore the spaces. Enjoy!

A Transformative New Development on Chapel Street

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 09:16:20 GMT

A Transformative New Development on Chapel Street

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 1/3/19 3:18 PM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing

Located a short distance from the New Haven Green, Mid Block Development’s new project at 842-848 Chapel Street recently earned site plan approval from the City Plan Commission. Our office has designed this new mixed use and multi-family building to feature 120 apartments, two levels of internal parking, resident amenity spaces, and commercial shell space. The new seven story building has frontage on both Chapel and Center Streets in downtown New Haven.

Coverage of the recent City Plan approval was featured in the New Haven Register and the New Haven Independent .

The apartments will be a mix of studio, one bedroom (some of which will include dens), and two-bedroom layouts. The units will be a bit smaller than average market rate apartments to keep the rent a bit lower and provide better housing choices to people of different incomes in downtown New Haven. The target audience are people who feel living in downtown New Haven will be their primary amenity.

As seen in the plans above, this new building will be nested between multiple existing buildings of varying heights. Through careful studies of building layout, we were able to maximize the building area in an efficient manner while still meeting the City’s density regulations and height-based setback requirements. We congratulate our client on this milestone achievement and look forward to continuing work on this exciting project.

Crossing the Finish Line at Park 215

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 07:20:30 GMT

Crossing the Finish Line at Park 215

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 1/3/19 2:11 PM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Multi-family Housing, Sustainable Design

Construction was recently completed on Rippowam Corporation’s new Park 215 mixed use and mixed income development in Stamford, CT that our office designed. Viking Construction completed the work on this multi-family housing and commercial building in 21 months. There has been high demand for the apartments and residents started moving in at the end of August. More than half of the commercial space has been leased and these medical care providers are now open for business as well. This project provides a prominent cornerstone for the Vita Health and Wellness District and completes the multi-phase Vidal Court revitalization initiative.

Charter Oak Communities hosted a dedication ceremony in October. Joining them on the roof deck for the celebration were Mayor David Martin of Stamford and US Congressman Jim Himes, as well as representatives from some of the project’s funding sources including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH), and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). All were on hand to express their admiration for the work that had been done to help enrich the community and invigorate the neighborhood by making this project a reality.

Park 215 earned a Change Maker Award from the Stamford 2030 District for its highly energy efficient design. The project was designed to meet the requirements of the Energy Star Multi-Family High Rise program and will be receiving this certification. The Stamford 2030 District has a baseline EUI of 88 and a typical Energy Star Multi-Family High Rise building has an EUI of 40-50. Through a thoughtful and coordinated design approach, Park 215 achieved a designed site EUI of 33.8 kbtu/sqft. The Stamford 2030 District commended this exemplary performance. Our office attended the awards ceremony in October to congratulate Charter Oak Communities when they accepted this award.

Drone photography provided courtesy of Viking Construction.

Team Building Kicks Off the Holidays for Kenneth Boroson Architects

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 03:56:13 GMT

Team Building Kicks Off the Holidays for Kenneth Boroson Architects

Posted by: Erin Michaud - 12/31/18 9:38 AM

Topics: Holiday

What better way for an architecture firm to celebrate the holidays than with a classic gingerbread building contest?

We took a few hours out of our day last Friday to work on the most creative and fun gingerbread structures we could dream up. Four teams were randomly chosen and given the same materials, but varying sites with unique challenges to work with. Each team had to consider the judging criteria that was laid out before the start of the contest. They were evaluated on the following:

Creativity of Design
Creativity of Decoration/ Ornamentation
Site Layout
Neatness/ Overall Aesthetic
Buildabilty (i.e. is it still standing?!)

Teams had to work together to overcome the structural challenges of working with cookie and icing instead of steel and wood frames. Despite the differences in materials from a real-world application, we drew on many of the skill sets we use every day on our clients’ projects.

Take a look at the images and descriptions below and let us know what you think!

Fourth Place : It takes a village…

Although, this team came in last, they excelled at and received the most points for their site development and placement. They were the only team to create a public space to be shared by all the structures on the site.

Third Place: Extravagant Castle

This team was the only one to utilize the ice cream cones and cardboard in the building of the house itself. By doing so they created three iconic swirl towers and had the tallest structure.

Second Place: Kenneth Boroson Architects’ North Pole Office

Not only did they have a fire pit and guest house, but sledding snowmen on the site. They created a multi-gable structure and added dormers to their roof which added to the structural complexity. They received high marks overall and were a very close second.

First Place: Thinking outside the box...literally

The winning team received the highest marks for their innovative use of the gingerbread pieces to create a more contemporary structure. Intersecting partitions, columns grids and flat roofs added to the uniqueness of the overall design. While most teams used more elements of the gingerbread kits as they were intended, this team saw no difference between a “roof” or “wall” piece and really thought outside the box.

Hope your holiday season is as collaborative and fun as we found this contest to be!

New Urban Fabric To Replace The Scars Of Street-level Parking Lots | New Haven’s Hill Neighborhood: Parcels 9 & 10

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 03:44:24 GMT

New Urban Fabric To Replace The Scars Of Street-level Parking Lots | New Haven’s Hill Neighborhood: Parcels 9 & 10

Posted by: Elizabeth Delaney - 6/21/18 8:30 AM

Topics: Multi-family Housing

In the fall of 2017, Kenneth Boroson Architects was retained by RMS Companies to design two mid-rise apartment buildings as a part of the City of New Haven’s Hill-to-Down Community Plan. Expected to be completed in late 2019, the two new multifamily residential developments will be a significant step forward in the city’s mission to transform the underused stretch between the Hill neighborhood and Downtown New Haven.

Since the construction of the Oak Street Connector almost 50 years ago, the Hill-To-Downtown neighborhood continues to be burdened by the scars of urban renewal land clearances which left the district punctuated with large surface parking lots. The two proposed apartment buildings, referred to as “Parcels 9 and 10” will constitute the second phase of developer Randy Salvatore’s plan to transform the desolate area between Congress Avenue and Church Street South into a dense, revitalized neighborhood of apartments and amenity spaces.

Parcel 9, located between Congress and Washington Avenue, will be a six-story, 152,000 square-foot building with 90 apartments: 70 one-bedroom units, 15 two-bedroom units, and 5 three-bedroom units. Directly across the street, between Washington and Lafayette, Parcel 10 will be a six-story 126,400 square-foot building including 104 apartments: 85 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and 5 three-bedroom units. Each building includes amenity space on ground floor and second floor featuring recreation, fitness, and study areas. Additionally, rooftop decks on each building will provide residents will unobstructed views of the city.

Like siblings, the two buildings resemble each other but are not identical. Sharing the same large 8 x 8 windows, Parcels 9 & 10 are easily recognizable as related, however, the use of materials on each development sets them apart from each other. Specified by RMS Companies, the same palette of cementitious siding and paneling will be used for both buildings but the different use of horizontal and lap siding patterns will provide differentiated façades. Additionally, separate colors schemes, two hues of gray on Parcel 9 and blue and tan on Parcel 10, will also be used to further distinguish the buildings.

While designing Parcels 9 & 10, Kenneth Boroson Architects aimed to create an immediate urban setting by defining strong street edges of Congress, Washington, and Lafayette with the new developments. Pulling the buildings tight to the street also maximized the number of the units in each building based on increased parking availability. A glass fronted lower level can be utilized as potential commercial space when there is future demand.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The proximity of the two sites presented Kenneth Boroson Architects the rare opportunity to create an instant urban fabric. Due to the unique facing sites, the design not only considered the sites themselves, but also the expanse between them. The tip of the Parcel 9 site, where Congress and Washington intersect, will be a landscaped garden and dog park which will help activate the street front around the developments.

Anticipated to be completed in fall of 2019, Parcels 9 & 10 will propel the next phase of the transformative Hill-to-Downtown Community Plan. The residential and potential commercial space will help ignite urban activity in area of the city that has been defined by desolate parking lots for almost half a century. Parcels 9 & 10, and future developments of the like, will help to interweave the isolated districts of New Haven into a cohesive, vibrant community.

Q House: Returning Unity to the Dixwell Community

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 03:18:26 GMT

Q House: Returning Unity to the Dixwell Community

Posted by: Elizabeth Delaney - 6/1/18 3:00 PM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment

In 2003, a private community center at the heart of New Haven’s Dixwell community, known as “Q House”, closed its doors due to lack of financial support. Located on the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Foote Street, Q House stood as a fundamental anchor of the neighborhood for 79 years. Before its closing, Q House was brimming with life, providing recreational facilities and a haven for tens of thousands of Dixwell residents. For years afterwards, the reverberating loss of the beloved Q House continued, leaving the Dixwell community without a place to call their own.

The City of New Haven purchased the property in 2012 and ignited the initial hum within the community about the revival of Q House. Shortly afterwards, Regina Winters of Zared Architects was retained by the city for an initial program study of the space. Upon completion of the program study and upon receiving State of Connecticut funding for full architectural services, an RFP was issue by the City of New Haven. Kenneth Boroson Architects was retained along with Zared Architects to design the new Q House . At the time, Kenneth Boroson Architects' role was to design the exterior of the building and the building layout. The team was posed with two challenges; the first, to build a practical facility that met all programming needs of the community. The second, to breathe life back into community center that had been fiercely missed. Following Winter’s untimely passing in the spring of 2016, the contract was revised to have Kenneth Boroson Architects carry the project forward through the final stages of design and into construction.

The programming was built around a community charrette which determined the specific needs which the facility would fulfill. The design team worked closely with city officials and members of the community to ensure each facet of Q House reflected their intentions. The community center will include a senior center, teen center, art spaces, a full-sized basketball court, and a museum featuring the history of Q House. In addition to the recreational spaces, the facility will also hold the new location for the expanded branch of the Stetson Branch Library and Hill Health Center . Collectively, Q House is envisioned to be a hub of education, health, and recreation activities for the current families of New Haven and the future generations to come.

The undeniable flare of Q house lies within the thoughtful design and meticulous details. During schematic design, the idea arose to infuse the building with elements that held meaning to those using the facility. As a result, the late Regina Winters researched authentic African tribal symbols to showcase on the façade. A challenging task, the chosen symbols needed to be historically accurate while simultaneously acting as aesthetic building elements. One particularly eloquent symbol, meaning wind resistant house, frames one of the main entrances of Q House. Other symbols, “climb a good tree” and “iguanas elbow”, capture the playfulness of the facility. Additionally, the diamond shapes found on the façade play off the round concentric circles that mean “community”.

In other places of Q House, artwork is used as tool for storytelling. Within the courtyard that has held numerous historical events, there will be designated mural walls. Local artists will infuse the space with colorful imagery representative of communal values. This spirit will permeate the interior of Q House using colors and textures which aim to create a vibrant and inviting facility.

A successful design responds creatively to both the function and the identity of a place. The revitalization of Q House required a sensitive design that was attentive to their needs of the community while simultaneously celebrating a historic past. The revival of Q House will do more than supply a facility for the youth and residents to gather, it will restore hope to a neighborhood for a brighter future and create a place to once again call their own.

Park 215: Invigorating a Distressed Neighborhood with a Colorful, Intricate, and Thoughtful Development

Wed, 09 May 2018 03:06:53 GMT

Park 215: Invigorating a Distressed Neighborhood with a Colorful, Intricate, and Thoughtful Development

Posted by: Elizabeth Delaney - 5/9/18 9:00 AM

In 2013, Kenneth Boroson Architects was selected by Rippowam Corporation, the development arm of Charter Oak Communitie s (the Housing Authority of the City of Stamford), to transform an obsolete and deteriorated rental apartment complex into a developed and self-sustaining, mixed-income community.

Completed in the summer of 2018 by Viking Construction ; Park 215 is a mixed-use building comprised of 78 rental units and approximately 23,000 square feet of commercial shell space, adjacent to Lione Park. This project is the fourth phase of the $135 million, comprehensive and multi-phase, Vidal Court revitalization plan to replace a 216-unit rental apartment complex. This plan was first developed in 1955 under the State Moderate Rental Program to develop low and moderate income rental housing. Housing redevelopment is a major objective in a larger city-wide initiative aimed at transforming Stamford’s West Side neighborhood into a thriving community focused on healthy living. Known as the Vita Health & Wellness District , this health revitalization effort will be anchored by this prominent new construction of Park 215 on the corner of Merrell and Stillwater Avenues.

Located at the doorstep of the recently expanded Stamford Hospital, Park 215 provides a convenient residential location for their employees. Additionally, on the lower levels there are community and property management spaces, while the first floor is mainly occupied by commercial medical space for various physicians’ offices. In accordance with Vita's vision, the proximity of Park 215 to the hospital provides the opportunity for health services to begin permeating throughout the neighborhood, resulting in an increase in medical access for residents.

Environmental sustainability is another pillar at the forefront of the neighborhood and the Vita healthy living initiative. The new development is designed to current Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) requirements and to receive rebates from the local utility companies. We also designed the building to meet the EPA’s Energy Star Multifamily High Rise Program for New Construction. This shall allow our building to last decades into the future as a part of not just the Vidal Court community, but act as a fixture of the urban environment that will fosters healthy living. And since construction concluded in July, we were delighted to learn that that the majority of the units have been filled and that the community has been enjoying this playful intersection between design, health, and green living. That is why we were honored to accept the annual Change Makers award earlier this year, from the Stamford 2030 District for designing a high-efficiency building in the community.

Except for the 11-story hospital, Park 215 is the tallest building in the neighborhood at six stories tall. The new development is equally as extensive in length, stretching a full 350 feet down the block. To help blend the large development into urban context of the neighborhood, the team at Kenneth Boroson Architects employed multiple design strategies to visually minimize the scale of the building from the street. For example, we included a heavy cornice at the fourth-floor level to help create the of illusion of a shorter building. Additionally, the face of the building along Stillwater Ave. is slightly angled to mirror the street. This design decision delays a pedestrian from seeing the full length of the building, giving the impression of a smaller emerging structures. The main corridor plays off the same angle of the road, providing the residents with a similar illusion, allowing for the diminishing of the long and ominous hallway.

We used various colors and materials to liven up the lengthy building elevation along Stillwater Ave.. The façade of the building is sectioned into “townhouse” like divisions, which are differentiated by projecting planes, alternating colors, and a combination of different materials. The first floor of the building features a precast veneer, resembling limestone, and includes storefronts with metal awnings, providing an urban aesthetic. The upper floors are clad with a mix of colored EIFS, an exterior insulation finishing system, and bricks, which anchor the corners of the L-shaped building. A variety of window types are included in the design to provide further visual variation of the façade. Additionally, the architectural ornament, done by Kent Bloomer, is featured prominently at the street corner to enhance it's prominence, as well as signifying a larger context to the entrance of the Vita Health & Wellness District.

The sloping topography at Park 215 provided us with an opportunity to conceal the two-level parking structure. The upper level is accessible to the commercial patrons from Stillwater Ave. and the lower level is accessible to the residents from Merrell. The ability to provide two levels of parking allowed for higher residential and higher commercial density for the building, which is determined by the number of parking spaces required for each of the building’s uses.

In addition to covered parking, other amenities for residents include courtyard and roof deck access for outdoor recreation, as well as community and fitness spaces within the building. A mix of one and two-bedroom units are available to accommodate different residents. The two-bedrooms were further developed into two different variations. The first type is a “family” style space featuring bedrooms right next to each other. Then there is the “ roommate” style configuration, where the bedrooms are separated by a mutual living area. Within the complex, approximately 60% of the apartments are subsidized and 40% are provided at the market rate.

The creation of Park 215 is intended to be a magnet for development within the Vita Health & Wellness District. The variety of materials, flare of attractive color, and considerate design elevates the development above the standard apartment complex. Its convenient location coupled with its accommodations makes it a focus of activity for the surrounding community, strengthening the intersection of Merrell and Stillwater Avenues, and the neighborhood as a whole.

Innovative Sustainability: Knitting Downtown Meriden Back Together with the Introduction of Passive House

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:27:42 GMT

Innovative Sustainability: Knitting Downtown Meriden Back Together with the Introduction of Passive House

Posted by: Elizabeth Delaney - 4/16/18 10:00 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment, Passive House

Passive House, a revitalized European building method, is slashing conventional heating and cooling costs by up to 90% and claiming the title of today’s highest energy standard in the process. The team at Kenneth Boroson Architects is designing their first Passive House development as a part of a well-crafted strategy to radically transform the housing landscape of downtown Meriden, Connecticut. Sustainability is nestled into a larger civic vision for Meriden that will meet the unique needs of its residents, providing them with new mixed- income and mixed-use housing along with a safe, walkable, and richly amenitized downtown.

In 2014, the City of Meriden requested proposals for the development of several city-owned properties in the newly established Transit- Oriented Development District. The team of Kenneth Boroson Architects, Torti Gallas and Partners , and Michaels Development was selected to develop a 1.6-acre plot that once held the Record- Journal newspaper headquarters.

Located at the junction at Crown, Perkins, and Colony Streets, the new construction project consists of three separate buildings: a four-story elevator building to include 63 apartment style dwellings, and two three-story town house strings to include a total of 18 units.

Through this neighborhood transformation, Meriden aims to create a mix of housing types that serve the needs of current and future residents of all income levels. Of the 81 total dwellings at 11 Crown Street, 80% will be affordable housing and 20% will be market price. After a completing a competitive application process, the project received 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit Funding from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). Along with programming and affordability, CHFA factored the project’s incorporation of Passive House into the funding scoring system. All criteria considered, this project was awarded the highest point value in the state.

Although Passive House exponentially cuts the cost of heating and cooling, it comes at the price of meticulous construction. The specifications required to achieve Passive House certification led to challenges in the design process of 11 Crown Street. An optimal Passive House design features flat walls in continuous plains, allowing for an airtight building. The original conceptual design for the development featured multiple reliefs and setbacks for certain windows in the façade of the buildings. However, once the concept of Passive House came into play, the façade design and wall construction required revision. The insets were scaled from a few feet back to a few inches in to accommodate for the PH requirements and multiple layers of insulation.

Passive House certification was not the only hurdle the project presented. The team of architects and engineers were presented with complex site conditions. One edge of the trapezoidal shaped site was almost 30 feet higher than the opposing side. With such a steep pitch on only 1.6 acres, the topographical grading proved to be multifaceted. In addition, a corner portion of the site is located within a 500- year flood plain. As a result, a double sidewalk was included into the design, part of which provides a route to evade potential flood conditions.

Finally, the design team faced the challenge of incorporating the vernacular of downtown Meriden into the new construction. To do so, the building types were based on historic precedents. Referred to as the “Silver City”, Meriden was once a bustling center for manufacturing. Over a hundred years later, Meriden is now a post-industrial urban community but historic factory buildings still punctuate the town. This industrial antiquity can be found in the elevator building at the top of the 11 Crown street site, which features a new brick exterior and 8 x 8 foot windows on each floor. With the factory building towards the more public area of the site, the development shifts in scale as you move away from the urban center of downtown into neighborhood of residential town houses.

The completion of 11 Crown street, scheduled for late 2019, will play a role in radically transforming the housing landscape of Downtown Meriden. With its implantation of Passive House standards and the availability of mixed income housing, the new development will serve a new multi-generational and diverse downtown population.

Rockview 2: Approved by the New Haven City Plan Commission

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 14:59:03 GMT

Rockview 2: Approved by the New Haven City Plan Commission

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 3/9/17 7:00 AM

Topics: Multi-family Housing

Rockview 2, which will consist of 78 new townhouse style residential units, has just been approved to move forward by the New Haven City Plan Commission. The commissioners unanimously approved the site plan and inland wetland application. Rockview 2 is the fourth phase of the West Rock project which encompasses two complete neighborhoods (Brookside and Rockview). The project is split into six phases. The former development consisted of 1940’s brick “barracks-style” buildings and was demolished due to its state of disrepair and the presence of mold and other environmental hazards.

Planning of the entire new West Rock Redevelopment included consultation and input from local and state entities including the City of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University, local Alders, former West Rock residents, current neighbors, and other stakeholders. These groups participated in a series of community design charrettes conducted by our firm and our consultant team. The result was to create a Planned Development District (PDD) which enabled a greater density of units than would have been allowed under the existing zoning ordinance.

As in the previous phases, the new Rockview 2 development will include all new roads and utilities and incorporates a completely new street grid to ensure a safe, walkable area. Designs of the new dwellings were based on five vernacular styles of architecture found in New Haven (Italianate, Victorian, National, Arts & Crafts and Colonial), and vary from two to six units. The variety of building types, styles and colors provides each unit with a sense of individuality, while creating visual interest. All units have direct street access with porches and covered entries which contribute to a sense of safety and security.

The design received strong recognition by the City of New Haven. Karyn Gilvarg, City Plan Director stated: “The West Rock proposal makes extensive and meaningful use of concepts such as a variety of building design and form, active open space, design density, and diversity of occupancy in order to facilitate the development of a residential community that is fully integrated and self-sustaining in terms of its economic and social character.”

Sustainable design features include Energy Star appliances and bio-swales to channel storm water. The structures meet “Green Communities” design guidelines such as energy efficient mechanical systems, reduced water usage and the use of local materials. Rockview 2 also includes an array of photovoltaic panels that will power a majority of the site lighting needs.

One of the most challenging requirements of the Rockview 2 phase was meeting the 9% CHFA funding deadline requirement for 100% Construction Documents by November 9, 2016. Our firm was released to provide the design and construction documents on June 7, 2016. We were able to provide a highly detailed set of design and construction documents in accordance with CHFA guidelines in only 5 months. Our ability to meet this deadline allowed our client to meet their own organizational goals. Assuming construction financing and closing occurs as per schedule, the construction for Rockview 2 will begin in autumn of 2017 with a scheduled completion date of November 2018.

Creating a Sustainable Design on a Limited Project Budget

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 14:39:33 GMT

Creating a Sustainable Design on a Limited Project Budget

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 6/7/16 10:15 AM

Topics: Sustainable Design

For many years now, one of the most bandied about terms in the design and construction industries has been sustainability. From design professionals to specialty contractors to product vendors to recently adopted building codes to third party certification agencies to public and private clients, the word sustainability has been on the tip of everyone’s tongues. But what does it all mean? If you ask ten different people from these categories, you will inevitably get ten different answers. This is because “sustainability” is a wide open topic that can be addressed in a multitude of ways. To truly realize a sustainable design on any given project, a variety of approaches and sustainable design initiatives must be considered. At Kenneth Boroson Architects, before choosing a sustainable design direction, specific emphasis is given to assess the client’s overall goals such as willingness to fund increased first costs to achieve greater sustainability over time. Providing the client with options so they understand the life cycle cost consequences of how the building will be operated and maintained is essential in determining the most effective sustainable solution for each unique project.

Our office has a great deal of experience in designing projects to meet various sustainable design equivalencies. As part of the construction initiative undertaken by the City of New Haven school system for the past several years, our office has been designing facilities that are equivalent to LEED Silver Certification (or above). We have also designed school addition and alteration projects to similar standards throughout the state as part of adhering to the State of Connecticut High Performance Building Code. The intent of this code is to produce LEED ready projects, but without incurring the added costs of obtaining the actual certification. By not applying for these certifications even though projects are being designed to meet these standards, a great deal of money is saved by the client in certification fees, while also realizing the operational benefits of energy and resource efficient facilities. Designing a project to these standards also opens up the possibility of obtaining rebates from public utilities that can help the owner offset some of their construction costs that might have been spent on building elements that are more expensive to purchase but less expensive to operate.

Every project has a unique set of variables. What could be viable for one project, could be impractical for another. As architects, our job is to initiate a discussion with our clients about the sustainable design direction that makes sense for their project while also managing and understanding their expectations regarding the return on investment period for any increased first costs necessary for achieving a sustainable design. After establishing the desired payback period for higher first cost sustainability measures, realistic goals must be set that will guide the direction and development of the design. For instance, while centralized utilities for a high rise multi-family building might make sense from a sustainable design standpoint and first cost standpoint, individually metered separate systems for each dwelling unit might make more sense from an operational standpoint for a client. Perhaps individual furnaces in each tenant space of a multi-tenant commercial building appear to be viable when it comes to associating utility bills to individual tenants, but roof top air handlers will simplify infrastructure construction and reduce initial costs to the developer. For other projects, the most feasible sustainable practices might be heavy use of locally sourced materials with low VOCs and high recycled content. Our office is fully versed when it comes to addressing these complex issues for a myriad of projects. There is no one size fits all answer for these questions. That is why our in-house team of six registered architects, three LEED accredited professionals, and two LEED Green Associates is ready, willing, and able to guide our clients through this labyrinthine process. Our goal is, and always has been, to point our clients in the direction that is most suitable for their project.

As a member of the USGBC, Kenneth Boroson Architects is, and always has been, committed to helping our clients achieve sustainable design in a way that matches their budget and specific project constraints. As a firm that has won awards for our commitment to green and energy conscious design and building, we take sustainable design seriously. We work with our clients to determine how they need to balance their available first cost budget, required return on investment period, and their desired sustainability goals. Every project is unique and our experience covers the entire spectrum of design goal and budget relationships. In addition to our past portfolio, we currently have one project under construction designed to Connecticut High Performance Standards (Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School), one project under construction designed to achieve Energy Star Multifamily High Rise Certification (Summer Place), and one project out to bid designed to achieve Energy Star Multifamily High Rise Certification (Park 215). All of these current projects, along with our past projects, have imparted lessons upon us that we can apply to future projects.

An inevitable topic of discussion when reviewing sustainable design options is the project budget, with both the initial cost and life cycle cost being important considerations. If initial construction cost was not an issue, then every project would achieve Net Zero Energy Design (the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site). While this is a laudable goal, the reality is that each project can only go so far when it comes to sustainable design when considering the available funding for construction. Not every project can have photovoltaic panel or wind turbine arrays that will generate 100% of the facility’s electrical power needs or geothermal heat pump systems that will condition every cubic foot of air within a facility or greywater systems that will reuse every drop of water possible for irrigation, heat reclamation, or flushing toilets. After evaluating a variety of potential sustainable design strategies, many projects will need to prioritize their funds for a tight building envelope prior to adding specialty systems in order to balance first costs and return on investment. A well-insulated and air sealed building with high efficiency mechanical systems and lighting can realistically anticipate lower annual energy costs that a comparably sized building that did not pursue sustainable design strategies Project budgets, along with site specific conditions and the mandated goals of the given project, govern which sustainable design strategies are potentially feasible and can be considered to be within the realm of possibility for the project.

Wood Framed Truss Bracing: Who's responsible?

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 14:25:36 GMT

Wood Framed Truss Bracing: Who's responsible?

Posted by: Stan Solarski - 4/20/16 6:00 AM

Topics: Building Code

On past wood framed construction projects we’ve designed, the supporting roof structure has been constructed with prefabricated roof trusses. As with any pre-fabricated system, final design and installation drawings must be provided by the manufacturer of these systems.

Invariably, we receive requests from builders who are looking for the Engineer of Record of the project to provide designs and calculations for permanent truss member bracing. While the Engineer of Record is typically responsible for the structural design of the building, he or she cannot be responsible for systems designed outside the scope of their control. Permanent truss member bracing instructions are not always found in the drawings and calculations prepared by the truss manufacturer.

Alternatively, the 2009 IRC, R502.11.2 Bracing states, “in the absence of specific bracing requirements, trusses shall be braced in accordance with the Building Component Safety Information Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing & Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses”. However, some jurisdictions will not allow simply the indication of what bracing will be followed from the BCSI sheets and are requiring actual permanent bracing diagrams for pre-fabricated wood trusses to be signed and sealed by a licensed structural engineer - licensed in the jurisdiction where the project is being constructed. In addition, the 2009 IRC, R503.11.4 Truss Design Drawings the Code states, “Truss design drawings, prepared in compliance with Section R502.11.1 shall be submitted to the building official and approved prior to installation. Truss design drawings shall be provided with the shipment of trusses delivered to the job site. Truss design drawings shall include, at a minimum, the information specified below: (See 2009 IRC for items 1-11). 12. Required permanent truss member bracing location.”

Consequently, if item 12 is requiring permanent truss member bracing location, and earlier in this subsection it states “truss design drawings shall be provided with the shipment of trusses delivered to the job site”, it would follow that the permanent bracing drawings are to be provided by the Truss Manufacturer in their delivery, signed and sealed by their Truss Engineer (per R502.11.1 Design). While this is stated clearly in the code, it’s this issue that generates much discussion between the Owner, Builder and Design Team. Although seldom followed, the Truss Manufacturer’s Engineer provides the signed and sealed permanent truss bracing drawings in their truss submission, the Builder reviews these drawings for conformance to the Contract Documents and the Structural Engineer of Record reviews the submission. These drawings are then stored on the job site and the Inspector can refer to these drawings for his inspection.

To eliminate confusion surrounding the responsibility of providing permanent truss bracing design drawings, we have changed our specs and notes in our contract documents to state clearly that these instructions (drawings and sealed calculations included) are the responsibility of the truss engineer and to be part of the truss shop drawing submission.

Pre-K School Design Inspiring Creativity with Security in Mind

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 14:10:53 GMT

Pre-K School Design: Inspiring Creativity with Security in Mind

Posted by: Erin Michaud - 3/30/16 6:00 AM

Topics: Pre-K through 12 Education

Creating a fun and inviting environment for children in school can be a difficult task in today’s cultural landscape. The many tragic school shootings that have occurred in this country have put educators and municipalities alike to the task of creating safety guidelines for not only procedures but the school building itself. During development of the Helene Grant School design the State of Connecticut passed Public Act No.13-3, which starts to outline procedures for standard school safety infrastructure. Some of the items touched on in this bill include reinforced entryways, ballistic glass, solid core doors, electronic locks and buzzer systems. At Kenneth Boroson Architects , focus was given to meet these regulation challenges without sacrificing the playful atmosphere so important in a Pre-K school . It was important to us that the playful intent in the original design not be lost while still creating a safe school.

One of the things we altered at Helene Grant from a typical school prior to these issues, was the vision panel in a normal classroom door. Usually, classroom doors have these small windows to allow a visual and spatial connection between the corridor beyond and the classroom. We removed the vision panels in order to prevent someone who shouldn’t be in the school from knowing if and where people are in the classroom. Many school lockdown procedures instruct the teacher to use a shade or cover this window in classrooms where they still have them.

We thought we would remove the panel altogether, creating one less step during lockdown procedures and also removing a weak point in the door. However, studies have shown that children actually learn better when there is a spatial understanding of connection to the school as a whole and the outside. In order to maintain this important connection with the corridor beyond, we added clerestory windows between the classroom and corridor. These windows allow for a spatial connection to be made between the two rooms while removing the direct, potentially harmful, visual connection. Additionally, the clerestory windows allow the corridor to receive some natural light from the classroom’s exterior windows and give the children a sense of the outdoors even in the middle of the building.

Another area we focused on was the main entrance. We were determined to create a welcoming entry for the children and their families. We had already envisioned a double-height, semi-circular space with multicolored glass curtain walls when these guidelines were released in their draft form. In order to meet the expectations of increased security we changed the curtain wall glazing at the first-floor level to ballistic glass and maintained some of the colored glass panels. The original construction of the lobby was gypsum board and steel stud which we changed to CMU walls around the entire perimeter and into the office area. We created a triple buzz system where visitors to the school would have to be buzzed into the entrance first and then into the office waiting room. From there, depending on their reason for visiting the school they would be let into the office or the main corridor of the school. The second buzzer, into the office, allows the secretary at the front desk to see the person through the door before letting them into the office waiting room. The main desk is behind a transaction counter which is also protected by ballistic glass. Many of these changes to the lobby start to create an environment more akin to a prison entry than a school. It was important to us that we kept the entry inviting to the children while keeping out people who shouldn’t be there. In addition to the grand space we had already envisioned, we added whimsical tree sculptures and added the words “Imagine, Explore, Create” to the wall to excite the children when they enter the building.

These examples are just a couple of the steps we took at Helene Grant School to ensure the school is safe, but foremost an environment where children will still learn well and be inspired. The delicate balance between the two can be maintained with thoughtful design and innovative reimagining of the standard approach. If safety becomes the only important measure for designing our schools, we run the risk of creating a stifling classroom that does not encourage children to meet their full potential.

DISTRICT New Haven An innovative technology business campus

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:33:12 GMT

DISTRICT New Haven: An innovative technology business campus

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 3/14/16 6:30 AM

Topics: Urban Redevelopment

At the end of 2015, our office was awarded an exciting project to create the new DISTRICT complex at the former CT Transit bus depot on James Street in New Haven . The primary goals of the project are to create a new campus for business and technology innovation in a portion of the existing building and to redevelop the site to become a vibrant contributor to a developing neighborhood. Our design team on the project includes Studios Architecture and Fuss & O’Neill . Our client team for the project combines partners of Digital Surgeons and CrossFit New Haven . Construction will be administered by Urbane New Haven later this year.

Along with the excitement of the new project, come challenges. The project site presents many obstacles that must be addressed. First and foremost, the existing land contains a great deal of contaminants from its former transit-related use that must be remediated as part of the planned improvements. As part of the land acquisition agreements, the State of Connecticut has agreed to provide $5.5 million to fund this environmental work. In addition to pollution, the existing soil is rife with stability issues due to its proximity to the Mill River. Another issue related to soil capacity is that the site was created by infilling existing waterways prior to the construction of the original building in the 1940s. As we have discovered during various site investigations, the existing floor slabs float above the subgrade. This pile-supported system will have to be carefully considered as we move forward with design and construction. This all becomes especially vexing when trying to meet the goal of retaining the existing smoke stack (as a symbol of the past and not part of any new building systems) where great depths of contaminated soil must be removed around the existing narrow, pile-supported structure. The consulting engineers on the project team are currently developing strategies to make this goal a reality.

Another challenge for this project is the schedule. Our clients need to be able to occupy their new spaces in the DISTRICT campus at the beginning of 2017 when their current leases in the former Robby Len factory across the street expire. In order to meet this goal, an aggressive construction schedule will be necessary. However, before construction can begin, the property must be transferred from the State to the City of New Haven and then to our clients. Given that a formerly public facility and site are now becoming privately held and will be receiving public funds for environmental remediation, there is a lengthy process that must be undertaken. Progress is being made as the City has recently taken steps to help move the transfer forward based on support from the community.

As these challenges are being addressed, we are also fast-tracking the design development of the project. There will be approximately 100,000 square feet of floor area within the renovated main building and a 5,000-square-foot new, detached structure for a new food and beverage establishment. There will be a central courtyard within the main building for events hosted by tenants and the site will be developed with an amphitheater and kayak launch. Additional information about our developing design can be found on the DISTRICT New Haven page on our website.

For more information on the DISTRICT New Haven project, visit: http://districtnhv.com/

Recent news articles on DISTRICT New Haven:

What is Architecture – Art or Science?

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 05:04:45 GMT

What is Architecture – Art or Science?

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 2/29/16 7:30 AM

Topics: Design Philosophy

Both! The balanced integration of artistic sensibility and scientific methodology as it applies to designing buildings and their environments is essential to creating great architecture.

Public Art is any example of media that has been planned and executed with the intention of being staged in the public realm. The public realm refers to publicly-owned streets, parks and rights-of-way, which is where buildings are situated. Architecture clearly meets this definition. All of us, as the public, interact with architecture. We are affected on a practical and emotional level by both the way a building appears in its context and by its interior environment.

The scientific method is used by architects to research and develop concepts on myriad levels required to create buildings. These levels include understanding the surrounding context from environmental, historic, stylistic and infrastructure perspectives; and determining program areas required by users such as interior products, structure, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, technological and security systems.

If both Art and Science are utilized in creating architecture, how do you find a balance between creative inspiration and structured thought processes?

The orchestration between art and science involves discipline in both the lateral and linear thought processes. Lateral thinking utilizes analogies and links ideas across a spectrum to create something imaginative. Linear thought is a step by step ideation that keeps us grounded and leads to a specific result.

To illustrate both processes, I offer the following explanation of how the design of the main entrance hall at our firm’s new Hill Central School came to be. What I’ve noticed is that the two processes occur sometimes simultaneously and other times alternately.

An example of lateral thinking arose out of an idea that: “The primary entrance corridor of the school shall be considered a metaphor for a city’s 'Main Street” allowing the students and teachers to celebrate the act of learning as a communal activity. Our firm used this analogy to explore a deeper and more exciting level of design.

The brick walls of the exterior of the building are represented inside, as are the exterior light fixtures. A two-story atrium space, bathed in natural daylight through skylights, runs the entire length of the corridor. Ornamental metal balconies at the second-floor level animate the corridor the same way a city’s Main Street is enlivened by residential balconies over storefronts.

To extend the analogy, the corridor terminates with unique ornament in the end window, almost as if you are looking at a church’s rose window at the end of a street.

At the same time, the linear thinking process was utilized. Through a deductive process of interviewing the owner and other stakeholders, it was determined that a major circulation hall was needed at the entrance of the school that would service the public spaces (the gym, the cafeteria, the media center, the computer center, the art room, the music room and the parent room). This hall also needed to be separated from the main classrooms for security reasons during the day and during after-school hours so that the community could use the public spaces without having access to the classrooms. A tabulation of all of the rooms with their required areas resulted. Fire egress plans ensued. Detailed drawings were created to define the structure, finishes, mechanical systems and lighting. Budgets were developed and the design ideas tested. The process continued in a linear fashion to determine from a grand scale to a minute scale all of the items that needed to be incorporated in the Main Street area. We also determined the most cost-efficient way to construct the school which resulted in the project being delivered at $2.5 million under budget.

The Principal of Hill Central School describes it best, “When the students and my staff walked into the building they were overwhelmed by the main corridor which we call "Main Street" with its high glass ceilings that allow ample lighting into the building. The Hill Central community cannot express enough how this building promotes an environment that is conducive to learning. One student who transferred into Hill Central asked me, 'Was this building a college or always an elementary school?'. He was referring to the brightness, the space and also the technology we have to offer our students. Visitors often describe the school as breathtaking”.

I believe the balanced integration of art and science, utilizing lateral and linear thinking, is what creates breathtakingly beautiful architecture. It is also what makes the study and practice of architecture such a collaborative, complex and interesting endeavor.

Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School: Design Collaboration at the Highest Level

Tue, 02 Jun 2015 03:23:15 GMT

Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School: Design Collaboration at the Highest Level

Posted by: Ken Boroson - 6/2/15 6:00 AM

Topics: Pre-K through 12 Education

The design of what will be the State of Connecticut’s largest public preschool has involved collaboration at the highest level. The final and crowning project of the City of New Haven’s 20-year, 1.6 billion-dollar school reconstruction program, is the only early childhood learning school in the city’s portfolio. While other school construction projects have had the opportunity to incorporate lessons learned from past projects, the new Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School , starting from “scratch,” has required extensive design collaboration to make sure we get it right the first time.

For all levels of our government, President Obama, Connecticut Governor Dannell Malloy, and New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, early childhood schooling has become a top priority based on proven research that an excellent preschool education increases a child’s ability to compete in today’s global economy. In order to make certain that this first-of-a-kind New Haven School was designed to incorporate the recommended program requirements with the newest technologies, we believed it was essential to utilize an expert group of collaborators with diverse backgrounds and points of view. Current collaborators include, but are not limited to, the New Haven Board of Education Director of Pre-K Education, the Principal, the New Haven School Construction Program Manager, Early Childhood Expert Educators (both private and public), teachers, parents, the New Haven Board of Education Director of Special Education, the City of New Haven Police Department, the Greater Dwight Neighborhood Management Team and multiple departments of the City of New Haven.

The design team was involved in the collaborative process at the very early programming stages. The decision was made within City of New Haven’s Board of Education to combine their Head Start with their Pre-K program, totaling the need for a facility to accommodate 565 students. Demographics and population bubbles were analyzed determining the need to use current Pre-K classrooms in existing neighborhood schools as Kindergarten classes leading to the centralization of all Pre-K students from throughout the city. Most of this analysis occurred at the Superintendent/Administration level with the guidance of the program manager. Once the number of students was determined, an Education Specification, which determined the types of spaces required for the adjusted program, was created with collaboration of the architectural professionals, program managers and department heads. This step was critical as the preliminary funding occurred with the State at this stage. The specification document acts as a guideline for the specific development of the program at the next level.

Programming was the next step to occur. Multiple meetings occurred, typically with individual Board of Ed departments, to identify the exact spaces required. Using the Ed Spec as a guide, square footages were adjusted based on the priorities of certain spaces by the team. (The overall square footages cannot vary from what is submitted to the State in the initial stages, emphasizing the importance of the collaboration early on so all stakeholders clearly identify their requirements.) Adjacencies are reviewed as well. Outside Pre-K consultants were brought in to discuss additional trends in the privatized Pre-K market. It was at this point that the program was clearly identified.

In lieu of specialty classrooms such as art, music and science, there are 29 multi-use classrooms divided into learning centers. The Early Childhood educators assisted in defining the preferred adjacencies and types of learning centers. The collaborative process was essential during the design of the octagonal two-story, multi-purpose space, which replaces a formal gym and cafeteria. This multi-purpose room – where breakfast and lunch are served “family” style and table manners and socialization skills are reinforced – incorporates multiple design elements. In addition to the Director of Early Education and the Principal, input was provided from acoustical consultants, lighting designers, kitchen consultants, the food service director, and the public health director. Cloudlike forms drop from the 2-story ceiling to lower the scale for the younger population. Printed outdoor scenes on the acoustic panel systems visually enliven the space while both elements reduce sound decibel levels to meet code requirements. A sliding glass wall system divides a playroom area from the larger multipurpose room to provide additional play space on rainy days when the children need to stay inside.

At this point local code officials reviewed the plans to determine that the preliminary floor plan adjacencies were code compliant. City officials were also consulted for the site selection and building placement on the site, as well as traffic flow with cars and buses within the neighborhood. Next, local residents were brought in again to review the concepts and were offered the opportunity to give feedback. Neighbors’ questions that were addressed revolved around site lighting at night, evening use of the building for the community, and even daytime use of the property for the playground.

Design elements required for this specialty population were considered and reviewed by multiple groups. Throughout the building, the school’s “tree of knowledge and enchanted forest” theme, as defined by the Director of Early Education and the Principal, permeate a variety of spaces. The entrance lobby has two tree elements whose branches embrace the Principal’s requested motto: “Imagine, Create, Explore.” In the hallways, tree sculptures atop small rounded bench areas create gateways to classroom entrances. Along the multi-purpose room corridor walls, a mural of embossed forest images with birds and animals abound. The furniture, in the early stages of selection, will reflect the theme as well. The outdoor play area, featuring a unique tricycle track, will also embrace the school’s theme with “log-like” play structures, sand boxes and water tables.

Security issues are front and center. In light of the latest requirements established at the State level, thoughtful consideration was given to the exterior of the building and the interior layout. Multiple reiterations of lobby and building entry points were reviewed with City of New Haven police as well as additional security consultants and the school’s design team. Fences and security camera locations were established; the amount of ballistic glass to be used and hardware and lockdown sequencing were all determined.

Much of what is not seen in a building are the mechanical systems. The new Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School will exceed the high performance standards and LEED Silver equivalency requirements. The school will be one of the most sustainable within the entire City of New Haven portfolio. It is designed to provide the owner with energy-efficient, reliable and maintainable mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems (MEP). The mechanical system is comprised of water-cooled chillers, condensing boilers and dedicated outdoor air units which provide optimal indoor air quality and occupant comfort through ceiling-mounted chilled beams. The electrical design includes energy saving features throughout, including LED lighting and an 84 KW roof mount photovoltaic system. The plumbing fixtures within the building are all low-flow, which will save on water consumption throughout the year. In order to accomplish this sophisticated design, many hours were spent with many types of engineers, energy consultants, and the New Haven Board of Education facilities team to determine the most cost-effective and maintenance-sensitive method to run the building.

Our philosophy at Kenneth Boroson Architects is that school design projects are made better by a collaborative process. But the new Dr. Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School required an extra level of expert collaboration due to what will be the building’s unique position as the State of Connecticut’s largest public early learning school.