Institutional
A Time to Look Back
The start of a new year brings optimism and refreshed energy for the future, and also a chance to look back on accomplishments from the previous year. 2012 was a busy year at Arrowstreet. We celebrated the opening of two new charter schools in the Boston metro area, the corporate headquarters for Rechler Equity in Long Island, White Elephant Village Inn in Nantucket, a T-station garage and cool new bridge in Revere, and an LL Bean store in Danbury. The Arrowstreet construction banner was flying high in 2012…
New Photography at KIPP Academy Lynn
We’re happy to share this new photography of the new KIPP Academy Lynn, which just opened for the 2012 school year. Working with the dedicated staff at KIPP was a unique experience: the school is one of a network of charter schools across the country that follow a rigorous academic program that focuses on getting their students into and through college, and on developing character right alongside educational goals. The program has been very successful – 89% of the most recent class matriculated to college compared to 41% of their underprivileged peers nationwide…
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…
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,…
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.
Green Apple Day of Service
USGBC MA is organizing several activities in the Boston area for the first annual Green Apple Day of Service this Saturday, September 29th. “Where we learn matters” is the theme of this national day of service, organized by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Sign up for one of the activities on the Green Apple website or organize your own, and be sure to let others know about these activities.
KIPP Academy Lynn Opens
I was able to be present at the KIPP Academy Lynn’s first day of school in their new Arrowstreet-designed facility. Enthusiasm was high among teachers and staff about the new school and start of the school year; the students, while appreciative of the building, weren’t quite ready for summer to be over. We plan on taking professional photography in the next few weeks, but until then, we hope you enjoy these photos of the finished school building.
Student Tours at KIPP Academy Lynn
Over the past few months Matt Rice and I have had the opportunity to give the 7th, 8th and 9th grade students of KIPP Academy Lynn a tour of their new school, which is currently under construction, and speak with them about the role of an architect in this project. We teamed together with the Consigli, the building contractor, to walk them around the site and share information about the building and process. It was a fun experience for all involved. The students had great questions and the excitement they had for their new space was apparent. The new KIPP Academy Lynn building is scheduled to open for the start of the 2012 school year…
Visiting Waterfront Square and KIPP Academy Lynn
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the site of two of our projects currently in construction: the Waterfront Square at Revere Beach parking garage and KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School. Our first stop was the Revere Beach parking garage. We started this tour walking through the bus access way to the main lobby, and then continued up the main…