This project reuses and adds to a vacant 1960’s library in the heart of the medical school quad, transforming it into a vibrant faculty center.

Located at the heart of 1960s medical school buildings on the school’s siloed north campus, the 32,995sf Dana Hall project — as well as new entrances for its surrounding buildings, a wide pedestrian bridge, and new circulation between buildings — is transforming the college’s least compelling area into a well-scaled, inviting north quad. Read more

Read article here:http://schoolconstructionnews.com/2020/01/15/dartmouth-renovation-project-on-target-for-leed-gold/

ArchDaily features Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects, Inc., Mackey Mitchell Architects, Modus Studio and OLIN’s pioneering project; the nation’s first large-scale mass timber residence hall and living learning setting at University of Arkansas.

Read Article here: https://www.archdaily.com/931692/adohi-hall-leers-weinzapfel-associates-plus-modus-studio-plus-mackey-mitchell-architects-plus-olin?ad_source=search&ad_medium=search_result_all 

Washington Post features Adohi Hall at The University of Arkansas and Design Building at The University of Massachusetts Amherst in recent article on Mass Timber construction and its potential on slowing climate change.

Principal, Andrea Leers, FAIA is quoted in the article saying, “There’s an experiential aspect of wood, It feels like a connection to nature. Everyone yearns for it.”

Read full article here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2019/12/12/forget-log-cabin-wood-buildings-are-climbing-skyward-with-pluses-planet/?arc404=true

Informed Infrastructure notes the North Chiller Plant as “New Core Infrastructure [that is] Sustainable, Educational and Beautiful”
Read article here: http://read.informedinfrastructure.com/publication/?i=638477#%7B%22issue_id%22:638477,%22page%22:0%7D

The Architect’s Newspaper notes that this years categories expanded to 47 and received over 800 submissions. Declaring that the 2019 awards are the most successful yet, the jury selected projects from firms both big and small across America that exemplified quality design.

This year, the UMass Amherst North Chiller Plant was awarded Best of Design in Infrastructure. The new 10,592-square-foot chiller plant, a component of the university’s 2012 Campus Master Plan, is designed to increase the reliability and capacity of chilled water service throughout the growing north campus core by reimagining the existing regional plant it replaces. The design of the North Chiller Plant was proposed to remain outside a view shed from the center of campus to the Northwest, referred to as “The Feather” in the Campus Master Plan. Its innovative parallelogram shape accommodates new chillers parked at an angle inside the narrow building, while allowing important campus views from the existing engineering building.

View the online cornerstone article announce all of the winners, honorable mentions, and editors’ picks of this year’s AN Best of Design Awards: https://archpaper.com/2019/12/2019-an-best-of-design-awards/#gallery-0-slide-11 

The renovation of the Sophia Gordon Creative & Performing Arts Center transforms a mid-century theater facility into vibrant theatrical teaching, performance, and support spaces for a new generation of students. Originally constructed in 1958 as a general use auditorium on a developing campus, the 650-seat Mainstage Theater building was ripe for reimagining, longer meeting the current needs of the theater department and the wider university.

See all recipients here: https://www.architects.org/2019-design-awards/accessible-design

Located on Main Street in an historically sensitive town, the addition to and renovation of the 1930’s Franklin County Courthouse adds significant new space and reconceives the original building to create a coherent new whole for Greenfield’s future.

See all recipients here: https://www.architects.org/2019-design-awards/accessible-design 

See all recipients here: https://www.architects.org/2019-design-awards/honor-awards-for-design-excellence 

“Jane and I came to the beginning of our profession in what I would call the second wave of feminism, after the first wave of suffragettes.That was the 1970s, there was a real woman’s movement in the United States. And we worked very hard and long to advance the equality of women at that time, despite enormous differences. Then we went through a long period of thinking it was fixed.” -Andrea Leers, FAIA

“Women’s right are continuously fixed now. This is since Athens, when women were put back in their house, after centuries of being out in the world.” – Jane Weinzapfel, FAIA

View Here: https://caviar.archi/women-in-architecture/

“America’s largest mass timber building has officially opened at the University of Arkansas, an architectural marvel set to inspire the future of sustainable building design.” – U2B

Read full article here: https://u2b.com/2019/12/03/major-construction-collaboration-opens-first-mass-timber-building-in-uark/