A new Harvard University graduate housing complex designed by Kyu Sung Woo Architects has opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo: © Timothy Hursley — The Arkansas Office Extra Large Image

New York · 2008.1104
Construction is complete on the Action Center to End World Hunger, an interactive multimedia center developed by Mercy Corps on the ground floor of a residential tower at Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. Gary Shoemaker Architects, PC of New York City designed the 4,000-square-foot (370-square-meter) project to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Sustainable features include radiant heat flooring, FSC-certified wood, a recycled water supply, and the use of deconstructed materials. More than 75 percent of the project's waste was recycled. The project team also included exhibit designers ESI Design and construction firm John Gallin & Son, both of New York City.

Amsterdam · 2008.1103
The Scala housing complex has been completed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Designed by FARO Architecten of Lisserbroek, the 207-unit project is bookended by a 15-story residential tower and a seven-story assisted living building, with a six-story block in between.

Baltimore · 2008.1030
Glen Burnie, Maryland-based architecture firm L2M, Inc. has revealed its design for a Panera Bread bakery cafe in the Old National Bohemian Beer Distributing and Bottle Building in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore. The design for the 5,200-square-foot (480-square-meter) space incorporates the high ceilings and exposed brick of the historic building. Opening is scheduled for fall 2008.

Cambridge · 2008.1029
A new Harvard University graduate student housing complex (pictured above) has opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Architect Kyu Sung Woo of Cambridge designed the 115,000-square-foot (10,700-square-meter) project, located on the Charles River adjacent to the 1960s Peabody Terrace apartments by Josep Lluís Sert.

The complex houses 215 beds in over 30 different suite types, and includes a faculty director's suite, a fitness room, study lounges, a multipurpose room, and a garage that extends under the building, its courtyard, and a new public open space.

A six-story brick block building with glassy bay windows faces the river. On the neighborhood side, a low-rise wood-clad building refers to adjacent three-story wood-frame houses and Sert's vertical concrete formwork. A section of the new building cantilevers dramatically over the outdoor deck to preserve sight lines from the community to the river at street level. Projecting bay windows create patterns of light and shadow, and animate the facade. Double-height curtain wall windows at the corners reveal two-story lounges.

The project was designed to achieve a high-level LEED certification. Building systems minimize energy usage, and finishes include regionally sourced siding with recycled content, renewable bamboo flooring and wall paneling, and low-VOC finishes.

Greensburg · 2008.1029
Ground has been broken for a highly sustainable K-12 school facility in Greensburg, Kansas. The Kansas City office of Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects (BNIM) designed the project with the goal of achieving LEED Platinum certification.

The $43 million, 120,000-square-foot (11,100-square-meter) facility will include classrooms, science laboratories, a library, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, and a stadium. Sustainable features will include wind-power generation, geothermal heating, extensive daylighting, water consumption control, rainwater reuse, reclaimed materials, water-efficient landscaping, flood-zone and prairie restoration, and a green roof. Completion is expected in time for fall 2010 enrollment.

Boston · 2008.1028
John R.A. Pears, RIBA, and Jana G. Silsby, AIA, have joined Perkins Eastman to lead the firm's new office in Boston, Massachusetts. Both join Perkins Eastman from Boston-based international practice Steffian Bradley Architects (SBA).

Pears joins the firm as a principal. During his 20 years at SBA, he participated in the firm's international expansion into both the Chinese and European markets. Silsby joins Perkins Eastman as associate principal. As a principal at SBA, she implemented an integrated firmwide approach to sustainability

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