MASS Design Group

🌍 The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction’s sustainable design awards are open! MASS’s Co-Executive Director, Christian Benimana, joins the jury, helping select 20 groundbreaking projects to share in a $1M prize. 🏆 Entry is free, and open to client-supported projects in the final design phase (or under construction, completing after Feb 11, 2025). ⏳ Deadline: Feb 11, 2025. Don’t miss out!

We are honored to receive the Best Building Award for the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture at Autodesk University! #AU2024

Thrilled to have participated in the AIA Women’s Leadership Summit earlier this week in Chicago alongside such incredible friends and colleagues. We were honored to share our work on the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund with our partner, Casey Rogers (Telea Insights), celebrating women who are driving the future of regenerative design.

What do our monuments and memorials say about who we are, what we value and who holds power? How are leaders changing this to reflect the world we want? Next week, join us for a cross-sector panel to discuss FORWARD7: Monuments & Memorials, and explore what is next for monuments across the world: bit.ly/FWD7talk October 17, 1:00pm CDT / 2:00pm EDT Featuring Bethel Abate (Design Director, MASS Design Group), Darion Jones (Deputy Director, Office of Arts & Culture, City of Portland, OR and involved in the Portland Monuments Project) & Macy Siu (artist, foresight strategist, From Later), and moderated by Mallory Rukhsana Nezam (FORWARD Curator of Partnerships & Programming). This is part of our conversation series for our new digital publication, FORWARD Issue 7: Monuments & Memorials, which was guest edited by New Monuments Taskforce. We are a nonprofit organization and offer this program free of cost, but donations are appreciated. #PublicArt #Monuments

We are proud to share that the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture has been shortlisted for two categories of the Dezeen Awards 2024: Sustainable Building, and Education Project. RICA is a climate-positive campus built with local materials and craftsmanship, working to restore native biodiversity and train future generations of leaders in conservation agriculture. Read more about RICA at: https://lnkd.in/eg8kU2Pq #dezeenawards

Join us for a collaborative webinar between The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Centre for Science and Technology Innovations (CSTI) as we discuss "Two Pathways Towards Construction Decarbonisation in Africa." Learn about innovative approaches to creating a more sustainable future in Africa's construction industry. Engage with industry experts and contribute to reducing carbon emissions in the built environment. We'll kick off with an opening address from CIOB's Head of Environmental Sustainability Amanda Williams FIEMA CEnv, who will provide insights into CIOB’s initiatives in driving sustainability within the construction sector. This introduction will set the stage for understanding how we can collectively reduce the industry's carbon footprint and build a greener future. We have an exciting lineup of speakers and industry leaders, including Mukire Aimable Amiable - Structural Engineer, MASS Design Group Gift Mazera, CEO, iQREET_Africa Cecilia Wandiga (she/her) - Executive Director, Centre for Science and Technology Innovations (CSTI) To find out more and register, please use this link: https://lnkd.in/d-yeDSsg Asemahle Mndita #Sustainability #Construction #CIOB #CSTI #Webinar #GreenBuilding #Africa

Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC) closed on a $975,000 predevelopment loan to 2Life Communities for their Solimine House project in Lynn, MA. This project will create 150 units of service-enriched rental housing for seniors - 148 of the units will be affordable to residents earning at or below 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and two resident manager units. The project site abuts both the North Shore’s Mass General Brigham Medical Center and a new Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Center operated by Element Care, the latter of which will be connected to the Solimine project by a pedestrian walkway. The design by MASS Design Group incorporated three-season porches inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic to allow residents covered, semi-outdoor areas from within the building. 2Life’s website has more details here: https://lnkd.in/eaZ-sUnW. #CDFI #affordablehousing #seniorhousing #mapoli

Happy #WorldArchitectureDay! What better way to recognize the day than by celebrating the COTE® Top Ten program? 🌱 The 2024 COTE® Top Ten program was founded on the idea that sustainability is essential to design excellence and vice versa. It’s now become the industry’s best-known award program, recognizing innovative projects that integrate exemplary performance with compelling design. Join us in recognizing the 2024 recipients! 🎉 🏆 Alice West Fleet Elementary School | VMDO Architects 🏆 Hayward Library & Community Learning Center | Noll & Tam Architects 🏆 MASS MoCA Building 6 | Bruner/Cott 🏆 PAE Living Building | ZGF Architects 🏆 The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund | MASS Design Group 🏆 The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center at Drake University | BNIM 🏆 Thurston Hall Renovation | VMDO Architects 🏆 USG Biomedical Sciences & Engineering Education Building | Cooper Carry and Lake|Flato Architects 🏆 Pacific Landing Affordable Housing | Patrick TIGHE Architecture Get the project details here: https://bit.ly/3BtFG5t Stay involved with the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) on LinkedIn! Join the group here: https://bit.ly/3U0J52b #Architecture #SustainableDesign

It was a pleasure and an honor to help at the Regenerative Metropolis Symposium as part of the NYPH organizing committee. It was amazing to learn so much about how sustainable and regenerative materials could be used in urban context! Speakers from the architecture, agriculture, forestry, policy and engineering industries shared their experience in the fields of technology and new regulations ! I found the use of the Doughnut for Urban Development mentioned by Dani Hill-Hansen🌱 (EFFEKT) particularly interesting. Peter Jensen (Build With Nature) explained how a project, using EcoCocon straw panels, was able to store up to 322,577 lbs of CO2. I was particularly amazed by the Carbon-negative construction by François Cordier from LEKO Labs which uses 60% less wood, can be built twice as fast and are 10% cheaper than traditional construction structure. Lastly, Sebastian Moreno-Vacca (A2M Architecture) talked about modular homes, emphasizing the importance of regenerative materials for a circular architecture. A warm thank you to the organising committee led by Buck Moorhead, AIA and Andreas M. Benzing alongside to Sara Bayer, AIA, CPHC, NCARB, LEED AP, Vicki Yee, CPHD, WELL AP, LEED GA their invaluable contribution to the success of #RegMo24. Thank you ! Dani Hill-Hansen🌱 from EFFEKT Andrew Smith, PhD from Rodale Institute Jacob Deva Racusin & Ace McArleton from New Frameworks Katie Poss from Building Transparency Peter Jensen from Build With Nature Paul Lynch from EcoCocon Isabel R. from Natur Jennifer Hushaw Shakun from New England Forestry Foundation Steph Carlisle from Carbon Leadership Forum François Cordier from LEKO Labs Martha Lewis from Henning Larsen Sebastian Moreno-Vacca from A2M Architecture Sylvie A. Binder from NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Zack Aders from New York City Economic Development Corporation Mariane Jang from NYS Office of General Services James Kitchin from MASS Design Group

We're proud to share that Anton Larsen Payá, Principal in our Africa Studio, has been appointed the AIA International Country Representative for Rwanda! On September 12th, we hosted a courtesy visit from AIA Sub-Saharan Africa President Mr. Olanre G. Olusola, FNIA and Africa Union of Architects CEO Jessica GASASIRA/MBA. Congrats, Anton!