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Understanding Charter School Facility Development
Yesterday morning I was part of a fascinating panel discussion on the critical issues associated with the development of charter school facilities. The workshop was sponsored by Build with Purpose, Nonprofit Finance Fund, and Boston Community Capital, who were recently jointly awarded a $3.3 million federal Credit Enhancement grant to support the development of high quality charter school facilities throughout the northeast. The panel featured experts in charter school finance, law, architecture, and real estate development in an interactive discussion about the process of developing new school facilities…
Casino Bowl
It’s not easy coming up with a different theme to Arrowstreet’s annual Bowling Tournament each year, but somehow we continue to do it. This year we took a gamble with the Casino Bowl and decked out Lanes & Games with pillars of casino chips and an inflatable slot machine to set the scene. “Pit manager” Kathie greeted everyone arriving with lucky dice necklaces and casino chips while I as the “pit boss” invited everyone to try their luck playing a game of spin & win…
Artists for Humanity in Improper Bostonian
Improper Bostonian recently ran a feature on unique places to hold weddings and their reception, and included Artists for Humanity EpiCenter. Part of our design for the LEED Platinum EpiCenter included an open gallery that could be rented out as event space to help fund the non-profit’s mission. In the years since it’s opened, AFH has seen not just weddings,…
Designing for Food at the Architecture Boston Expo
I will be a panelist at the Architecture Boston Expo this year for the “Designing for Food” workshop on November 16th at 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM. We look forward to a lively discussion about the challenges and opportunities of planning, designing, and operations for urban agriculture. The workshop abstract is below…
Speaking at ICSC RetailGreen
ICSC’s RetailGreen is the premier annual conference that gathers leaders in sustainability to focus on the retail development industry. Those of us on the programming committee have seen the conference grow, largely due to the interest shown by the developers and retailers in attending, and also because the program content is so strong. Along with highly technical workshops and “big-picture”…
Excel Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
October 3rd was a great day at Excel Academy Charter School’s East Boston campus. I attended their ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the project and, while it was drizzling and dreary outside, the sun was clearly shining in their newly completed addition. Packed full of students, faculty, board members, and public officials, energy and excitement filled the room…
Artists for Humanity on Chronicle
Artists for Humanity was featured in a Chronicle piece on teens creating public art in Boston. The video shows some nice shots of the students creating a mural in a studio of the EpiCenter building we designed for the non-profit. Find out more about the creation of the beautiful 30′x70′ mural that now beautifies a previously defaced building in Roxbury at AFH’s blog.
Revere Bridge Update
I was on site in Revere last week at our Waterfront Square project and can happily report that the pylons have gone up for the pedestrian bridge that will connect the beach to mass transit and parking. The walking surface is under construction with the steel span expected to be complete this week. The stairs from the west are in place and paver installation is ongoing on the plaza…
Visiting Worcester’s CitySquare
I wanted to share a few construction photos from the Arrowstreet-designed Unum Headquarters building in Worcester. Part of the CitySquare development we have been master planning and designing, the Unum building (One Mercantile Square) will open this fall. It’s great to see this striking building set against the sky as I pass the DCU Center every site visit. We all look forward to seeing this building complete and the rest of CitySquare coming together!
Summer Bowling at Flatbread Pizza
This summer at AST introduced a new weekly tradition of heading over to Sacco’s Bowl Haven for flatbread pizza, socializing, and candlepin bowling. It’s been a great way for the firm to blow off steam and engage in some (healthy) competition. Results this year showed an even spread week to week of close games and high intensity. Competition was fierce;…