Leers Weinzapfel Associates

A model student for sustainable design practices. Project: UMass Amherst Design Building Photo Credit: Albert Vecerka/Esto Architects: Leers Weinzapfel Associates Construction Manager: Suffolk Construction

NEWS: UMass Amherst Breaks Ground on School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub -- The University of Massachusetts Amherst held a ceremonial groundbreaking in September of 2024 for the School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the $43 million facility will collocate six departments previously dispersed in seven campus locations. Flexible classrooms for team-based learning will promote student engagement, complemented by sophisticated seminar rooms, collaboration spaces, and an outdoor event venue. Office areas will include time-share cubicles to support hybrid work models while maximizing efficiencies. The 26,800-gsf structure will also offer research space for interventional data collection and focus group discussions. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the building, which has a projected EUI of 29 kBTU/sf and is expected to achieve an 82 percent reduction as compared to baseline energy use. In alignment with the university's Carbon Zero Plan, the Hub will feature net-zero-ready, all-electric systems. A high-performance exterior with triple glazing will leverage deep vertical fins for passive sun and glare control. Fontaine Bros. is the general contractor for the development, with TERVA Corporation acting as the owner's project manager. Site work began in May of 2024 and completion is expected in summer of 2026. https://lnkd.in/eT6bj5e2 #HigherEducation #AlliedHealth #ConferenceRoom #EducationClassroom #EducationFacultyOffice #EducationLectureOrSeminarRoom #Collaboration #Sustainability #EnergyUseReduction

Yesterday I attended the "Taking on Climate Change and Affordable Housing with Mass Timber" conference, organized by WoodWorks and New England Forestry Foundation at Boston University. Great event with lots of interested people. It was one of the few events where the intent was to depict the interlinkages that exist between forests and buildings, how they are part of the same complex system that functions as a continuum, as a single “forest-to-frame” entity, and not as a binary. What stood out for me: - Scott Cutler from Cutler Development describing how they used scrap decking to make stairs in their Des Moines, IA projects, in an attempt to use as much of the mass timber that didn't make it into a panel, and how they were able to circumvent a typical QfP process through a "Housing Innovation Set-Aside" mechanism within the Federal Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC), aimed at unconventional and innovative projects - Jeff Spiritos, Andrew Ruff, GOA, Michael Scancarello, WSP presented their 340+ Dixwell project and told how the main impetus for the project was to prevent the area from being gentrified and people being displaced, which was powerful to hear. They also showed the challenges that come with having to manage construction schedules & supply chain schedules at the same time. Contrary to popular belief that you have to lock in your mass timber supplier early in the process, they didn’t know who their CLT supplier will be until late in the process, because of many different funding streams. And they still managed to pull it off.  - Tom Chung from Leers Weinzapfel Associates presenting a Mass Timber Housing Study and Prototype, which showcases a number of international mass timber housing projects and their building systems, materials used, cost, technical details, relevant codes etc. Things we need to get better at: - mass timber is sometimes still cheaper to import from Europe, - developers, designers and engineers when talking about forest benefits, primarily (exclusively?) refer to carbon – I don’t remember anyone talking about biodiversity and other ecosystem services we can impact when harvesting and managing forests poorly (kudos to NEFF for covering this in great detail!)  - claims that US forests are carbon neutral because national scale carbon stocks are non-declining – this is a great simplification as almost no forest is carbon neutral, it is constantly adding or removing carbon from the landscape over time - do we always know which forest the wood came from? How transparent are our wood supply chains? Looking forward to the next event organized through the New England Climate-Smart Commodities project! Jennifer Hushaw Shakun Vanessa Komada Patrick Duffy, P.E. Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP) #climatesmartforestry #climatesmartwood #masstimber #forestcarbon #affordablehousing #multifamily

Yesterday in Boston, WoodWorks Regional Director Patrick Duffy, P.E., New England Forestry Foundation's Vanessa Komada, and Boston University's Dennis Carlberg, Boston University kicked off a day of presentations on the critical relationship between healthy forests and robust markets for forest products and case studies on constructed mass timber affordable housing projects. Thank you to the many guest speakers for sharing about their work, and to our co-sponsor, Boston University! - Jennifer Hushaw Shakun, New England Forestry Foundation - Troy Harris, Jamestown - Jeff Spiritos, Spiritos Properties - Andrew Ruff, GOA - Michael Scancarello, P.E., WSP - Nick Nigro, Leggat McCall Properties - Natalia Escobar, AIA, Stantec - Bryan Maltais, P.E., McNamara • Salvia, Structural Engineers - Molly Cutler & Scott Cutler, Cutler Development - Tom Sung-Jin Chung, Leers Weinzapfel Associates This workshop was the first in a series hosted by the New England Forestry Foundation and its partners in support of the New England Climate-Smart Commodities project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Leers Weinzapfel Associates designs new public health facility at UMass - Read More here: https://hubs.la/Q02VtjPd0 #NEREJ #commercialrealestate

We are excited to announce that Boston Public Library, Roslindale Branch has received the AIA New England Architecture Honor Award 2024! “Don’t judge a book by its cover: while the Roslindale Branch’s exterior is richly authentic, it contrasts strikingly with its interior, which offers an ethereal experience of simplicity and light—like being immersed in a great book. This public library project skillfully combines rich materials and textures, sidestepping conventional library design to craft a serene and inviting space. It’s more than just a repository; it’s a vibrant community hub with minimalist design. Seamlessly integrating with its neighborhood, the branch stands as a compelling and engaging amenity that balances evolving community needs and services.” – Jury Quote AIA New England

NEWS: UMass Amherst Breaks Ground on School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub -- The University of Massachusetts Amherst held a ceremonial groundbreaking in September of 2024 for the School of Public Health & Health Sciences Hub. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the $43 million facility will collocate six departments previously dispersed in seven campus locations. Flexible classrooms for team-based learning will promote student engagement, complemented by sophisticated seminar rooms, collaboration spaces, and an outdoor event venue. Office areas will include time-share cubicles to support hybrid work models while maximizing efficiencies. The 26,800-gsf structure will also offer research space for interventional data collection and focus group discussions. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the building, which has a projected EUI of 29 kBTU/sf and is expected to achieve an 82 percent reduction as compared to baseline energy use. In alignment with the university's Carbon Zero Plan, the Hub will feature net-zero-ready, all-electric systems. A high-performance exterior with triple glazing will leverage deep vertical fins for passive sun and glare control. Fontaine Bros. is the general contractor for the development, with TERVA Corporation acting as the owner's project manager. Site work began in May of 2024 and completion is expected in summer of 2026. https://lnkd.in/eT6bj5e2 #HigherEducation #AlliedHealth #ConferenceRoom #EducationClassroom #EducationFacultyOffice #EducationLectureOrSeminarRoom #Collaboration #Sustainability #EnergyUseReduction

Spaces4Learning features the new HUB for University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, currently under construction. "The new SPHHS Hub will be a modern, inspiring building designed to serve as the heart of our School, providing a dedicated space for students to come together, find their campus home, and enhance their experience of belonging to UMass." -Anna Maria Siega-Riz. Dean, School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Foundations are underway at our University of Massachusetts Amherst SPHHS Hub project! Fontaine Bros., Inc. Leers Weinzapfel Associates RSE Associates, Inc.

We are excited to share that our study for Eliot Church Affordable Housing has won the Future House International Residential Award in the Affordable, Social, and Community Living Housing category. Affordable housing at Eliot Congregational Church aims to help the underserved community of Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, MA. A 4-story, 15-unit addition will occupy the 4,500sf portion of the site, currently a parking lot. The project’s scale is consistent with triple deckers and other multi-family housing in the neighborhood and is intended to be a prototype with multiple roof profiles, façade arrangements and cladding materials that can be tailored to similar small-scale developments on empty smaller lots across Boston. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dUetiws7