IFMA Annual Awards of Excellence nominees

SMALL PROJECT NOMINEES William J. Walczak Health & Education Center Nominated by: Shawmut Design & Construction Delivering healthcare for Dorchester and Boston residents, this new health center was completed on a constricted urban site at the center of a busy residential and commercial district requiring extensive logistics management. The four-story addition and interior renovation grew ongoing operations between the Codman Square Health Center and the Codman Academy Charter Public School. Designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, the new center is highly energy efficient and features modernized amenities such as a black-box theatre and a full service kitchen and dining center. The Center is a national model for community improvement and continues to touch the lives of countless residents, patients and students. Nordblom Nominated by: Maugel Architects The Nordblom Companies teamed with Maugel Architects to create a new corporate brand and relocate their offices to influence the comfort, efficiency and collaborative spirit of the company. The team created an ambitious combination of open areas, casual collaborative workspaces, and a few "closed" offices to promote transparency and collaborative communications. A key component of the space is the flexibility provided by numerous removable partitions and interior overhead garage-style metal and glass doors. Valuable intangibles were achieved such as human comfort, increased morale, higher productivity and fulfillment of the new branded imagery. Haworth Showroom Nominated by: Haworth Haworth's showroom redesign project was inspired by the urbanity of the Boston's public areas and their deep understanding of workplace issues within the Boston market. Haworth used its "Mindshift Initiave" to transform the 5,600 square foot showroom to high-quality, high-performance space that provides superior returns on investment while lowering costs and cutting waste. The project included many sustainable project aspects including efficient lighting, occupancy sensors and energy star compliant appliances and computer equipment. John Hancock Nominated by: John Hancock To attract, engage and retain employees in John Hancock's new Workplace Flexibility Program, a vibrant and flexible hoteling space was designed. An array of settings and support areas to facilitate ad-hoc and scheduled interaction or collaboration, reserved seats for sustained independent concentration and areas for sensitive work or conversations resulted in permanent operating cost savings and an office footprint reduction of 25,000 rentable square feet. Seats for conventional, resident staff are utilized on a 1:1 ratio and WFP staff space is planned at a ratio of 2.5 staff served to 1 seat, with utilization forecasted to improve, demonstrating a sustainable rent savings. Boston Plan for Excellence Nominated by: Fox RPM Corp. Prior to the build out of Boston Plan for Excellence's 11,000 SF non-profit organization headquarters, the building was a former warehouse/storage space in a post and beam building. The new design required the implementation of open office space areas in order to encourage collaboration throughout the workplace. The new space includes interior and perimeter offices, workstations, large hoteling area for off-site employees, flexible conference/training facilities and an open centrally located kitchen with amenities to encourage collaboration. The plan maximized natural light with efficient direct/indirect lighting and no new walls were constructed at full-height, helping to preserve the building's historic brick and beam integrity. NBBJ Nominated by: Elaine Construction Shortly after Chan Krieger Architecture was acquired by NBBJ, a decision was made to relocate and rebrand the firm. NBBJ's history of working in an open office environment reached back into the 80's, and was a strong element of their mentoring/learning culture. While Chan Krieger had just a few private offices, the wide open space represented a big change. Design decisions included the creation of a variety of work environments including huddle rooms, lounge spaces, and tall collaborative tables placed adjacent to standard work tables. This new environment has been embraced by its inhabitants, paying homage to Chan Krieger's roots, while embracing the cultural identity of NBBJ to great success. Pepper Hamilton LLP Nominated by: Packard Associates When Pepper Hamilton relocated to 44,000 SF on two floors of 125 High St, the greatest challenge of the project was constructing an extensively built environment in 10 weeks as required by the lease agreement. Project elements include a coiling security grill with new structural support, a mix of private offices, workstations, enclosed meeting rooms with leading edge technology and a staff cafe. Through effective collaboration between the GC, subcontractors, engineers and architects, Pepper Hamilton met their lease schedule and relocate to a bright, airy, new facility on time. Cross Point Lobby Renovations Nominated by: Dyer Brown Architects The main challenge of the 25,000 SF main lobby and common area renovation at Cross Point in Lowell, MA was to create a cohesive and updated aesthetic across two main lobby atrium spaces and three tower elevator banks. Bold graphics, luminous surfaces and a harmonious palette helped this once dark and disconnected lobby become a unified and energetic space. The large project team came together to execute the design in a collaborative spirit and a united and common vision. This enabled the team to bring the lobby of this building back to life to help retain existing tenants and attract new tenants to this top-notch building. MEDIUM PROJECT NOMINEES Olympus NDT Inc. Nominated by: Maugel Architects Olympus NDT Inc., an industry leader in innovative test, measurement and imaging instruments, acquired the Innov-X Systems, Inc. in July 2010. The challenge of this project was to integrate Innov-X into Olympus' already at-capacity facility - while keeping all operations highly functional. At the onset of the project, it was determined that future growth was key to the success of the project and that the facility would become an open environment— abandoning most offices in favor of high-quality work stations in key departments, including the executive areas. Nearly all departments were relocated to dramatically improve adjacencies, communications, and work flow. The Boston Herald Nominated by: Big Bark Solutions The Boston Herald, one of the Nation's oldest daily newspapers, relocated into its new headquarters to Boston's Seaport District. The new headquarters features a highly collaborative work space and a state-of-the-art newsroom, enabling widespread communication among all of the unique platforms the paper provides. The new space blends vintage architectural details such as exposed brick and beam vaulted ceilings with a modern and forward-thinking design to house the advanced technology required to maintain its competitive edge in the world of leading media publications. The relocation occurred over three phases to minimize downtime and ensure a seamless transition into the new space. Wentworth Institute of Technology Nominated by: Spagnolo Gisness & Associates Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, nationally ranked institution offering career-focused education through undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs in applied mathematics, architecture, computer networking, construction management, and engineering technology. The design team was tasked with designing two new additions and renovating existing facilities to increase square footage; increase natural light; increase comfort, safety and accessibility; and inspire a greater sense of community to improve the overall experience within the building. All this needed to be accomplished while the building remained open during construction. With natural light as a main component to all three floors, the campus center's energy consumption has been decreased. PUMA Nominated by: Haworth PUMA is a global leader in sport and lifestyle development, sales, and marketing with its North American headquarters and Design Center located in the Westford/Boston area and today is the third largest sportswear brand in the world. PUMA realized they were outgrowing their 40,000 square foot office at the Boston Design Center and soon found larger space on the top floor of One Congress Street in Boston. The departments were laid out around a central courtyard that acts as the company's gathering area, fostering collaboration and ad hoc meetings. The overall feel is a fresh, airy work environment-with great views! Kronos Nominated by: Packard Associates Kronos Incorporated is the global leader in workforce management solutions that enable organizations to control labor costs, minimize compliance risk and improve workforce productivity. The goals for this relocation of headquarters' engineering groups included consolidating engineers to one location. An overall reduction in square footage of approximately 20% (a reduction to 133 SF/person) was achieved while providing all the support functions and amenities necessary to retain and attract the best technical talent and create a high performance workplace. Kronos provided three words to describe what the space should be as an experience: Sophisticated, Energetic, Inspiring. Cubist Nominated by: Spagnolo Gisness & Associates Cubist Pharmaceuticals focuses on the research, commercialization and creation of products and ground-breaking solutions for an array of unmet medical needs in acute care and has been voted by the Boston Globe as one of the "Top Places to Work" for five consecutive years. Cubist has emphasized the importance of providing its employees with offices and laboratories that continue to make it "a great place to work." The completed project included the initial lab conversion, the two-story lab addition, and the new multi-story atrium addition. The transparent atrium space unites the new three-story laboratory building with the renovated and expanded existing facility. Massachusetts School of Psychology Nominated by: Fox RPM Corp. The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology was relocating to a new 51,000 square foot building within a strict schedule. With a school moving into a building that was previously used as an office space, the city delayed the construction start while it went through the review process. Being a school, the first day of classes doesn't change, so the pressure was on! During the process alternative approaches and materials were identified and this reduced the cost of construction by $123,000. The end result was a facility that served its students, faculty and staff in a more efficient and functional way! LARGE PROJECT NOMINEES Smith College: Clark Science Center Renovations Nominated by: RDK Engineers Facing a down economy, Smith College knew that building a new science center was no longer an option. With a drastic cut in budget, this collaborative team rolled up their sleeves and helped transform a 163,000 SF outdated academic facility into a modern, state-of-the-art science center for the college. Collaboration and communication were paramount to this project's under budget and on-time completion. Working closely with all team members, this multi-phased, multi-year renovation allowed the Clark Science Center to remain partially occupied throughout the duration of the project. Boston College: Stokes Hall Nominated by: Tsoi Kobus The largest academic building to be constructed on campus since 1913, the new 183,000 SF facility is the new home for humanities on the historic Boston College middle campus. Designed to gracefully fit into the middle campus landscape, Stokes Hall was built, stone-by-stone, to appear as if it had always been on campus. The thoughtfulness of design and craftsmanship in the construction ensures that the mission, identify and longevity of Boston College's Jesuit Community remains intact for generations to come. MFS Investment Management Nominated by: CBT Architects When Boston-based global asset manager MFS relocated their offices from 500 Boylston Street to 111 Huntington Ave they sought to create a fresh, new environment that provided flexibility to meet the needs of their ever changing business. Installing the largest demountable wall system in the region, this LEED Gold targeted facility, was also driven by employees' health and wellness. Focused on how employees work most productively, MFS's new space includes features such as day lighting, casual interaction spaces and adjustable height furniture. Enterasys Nominated by: Enterasys Looking to attract and retain engineering talent to the company, Enterasys knew that their existing space needed a drastic overhaul to improve the efficiencies of how they work. Originally designed in the 1970's, Enterasys' 190,000 SF foot print was finally transformed to meet the needs of their business which includes laboratory, manufacturing and warehouse spaces. Occupying less than half of this 650,000 SF facility, a major challenge overcome by the team was undertaking a renovation of this magnitude without impacting other building occupants. Cambridge Associates Nominated by: Packard Associates A leading international investment advisory company, Cambridge Associates was in need of space that would be highly functional, collaborative and welcoming. Gathering their team from their last project 11 years prior, Cambridge Associates reaped the benefits of having an already engaged and focused team ready to hit the ground running. The new 170,000 SF technologically advanced facility boasts office/workstation spaces, meeting/conference rooms, full-scale production room, training room, research library, and two cafes. Meeting their original goals for this project, this new space has already seen its return on investment with increase departmental interaction and productivity. MA Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance: Energy Upgrade Projects at Hogan Regional Center and Wrentham Developmental Center Nominated by: J.C. Cannistraro The combined Energy Upgrade Projects at Hogan Regional Center and Wrentham Developmental Center are an outstanding representation of how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a nationwide leader in sustainable thinking. This unique BIM-enabled, Design-Build project for the Commonwealth's Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance helped fulfill the ongoing goals and efforts of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, and featured a rigorous set of Energy Conservation Measures to move the infrastructure of two state-run facilities into the 21st century, while improving the efficiency of both campuses. Foley Hoag LLP Nominated by: Lake Contracting Foley Hoag's move to the Seaport District allowed them the opportunity to design and build a space that met the needs of their law firm. Working with a highly collaborative team, the challenging 28 week schedule required careful planning to make sure each detail was met flawlessly and consistently. In addition to having a new positive and efficient work space, Foley Hoag also used this opportunity to reuse and recycle paper, furniture and materials otherwise discarded or left previously unused within their prior space. Massachusetts Department of Mental Health: New Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital Nominated by: Gilbane Serving individuals from all parts of the Commonwealth, the new, LEED Gold, 320-bed recovery center and hospital provides a state-of-the-art, high quality, safe and respectful environment for patients. The new building design facilitated the stages of recovery by using familiar environments including private bedrooms to provide patients with a sense of "home", safe communal areas to provide patients with a sense of "neighborhood" and a "downtown" area that includes a library, café, general store and social center. Meeting all of the critical and unique design elements and standards required a high level of collaboration between all parties to ensure patient safety. Pegasystems Nominated by: J. Calnan Passionate, engaging, genuine and adaptive are all words Pegasystems employees use to describe their company. To help reflect those feelings in their space, Pegasystems assembled a team that would help them create a flexible environment that could accommodate future growth, as well as share the store and culture of the company. A highly collaborative process, the new Pegasystems headquarters provides employees with productive work spaces that positively impact collaboration and morale. SUSTAINABILITY AWARD NOMINEES 99 High Street Nominated by: Jones Lang LaSalle 99 High Street has undergone significant work to address, structural, cosmetic and energy efficiency improvements to reposition itself in the highly competitive high-rise tower class. Energy efficiency improvements include, installation of 8 Quattro DC Elevator drives, a new boiler plant reducing annual heating costs by 50%, the installation of nearly 4,000 new double pane thermal insulated windows reducing heating and cooling loads by 20%, improved central plant air handling units, a new cooling tower, garage free heat, and the utilization of single stream recycling, increasing the recycling percentage to 65% for the building. Steward Health Nominated by: Environmental Health & Engineering Steward Health implemented an Energy Optimization Program to reduce energy consumption by a minimum of 10% without installing expensive capital equipment. An initial review of the hospital's overall energy usage was performed to identify usage patterns, and real time data was collected. The primary opportunities for energy savings were identified that would achieve and exceed the 10% savings goal and maintain budget neutrality. Savings for 2012 exceeded the initial optimization target with overall energy savings of 14%, cost saving of $185,000 and a reduction in carbon emissions of over 1,000 metric tons of CO2.