Updates meld historic aesthetics with modern, sustainable technology
Boston, MA – November 10, 2008 – Shawmut Design and Construction (www.shawmut.com), a leading national construction management firm, in collaboration with architects Goody Clancy, completed the renovation of historic Byerly Hall at Harvard University’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The complete renovation brought the stately historic building to new heights of ecological consciousness: geothermal wells will maintain a low-impact temperature regulation system for the building which is seeking LEED ® Gold certification.
The fast-paced, complex scope required a fusion of expertise and precision in both historic preservation and progressive green technology. Exterior scope included major renovations, such as the restoration of eight chimneys, repointing exterior brick, replacing granite, all new window sashes complete with historic glass, and new slate roofing over about half the building. The project team replaced an existing bluestone terrace and constructed new entrances. Metalwork included iron railings and archways. Existing lighting was replaced, including 1930s-style lanterns perched in the center of wrought-iron archways. Byerly Hall’s grounds received new landscaping, with new shrubs, grass and trees. New sprinklers, drainage and utility tie-ins were completed. Form continued to meet function with an outdoor handicap access ramp. The sleek, minimal glass and concrete design gracefully integrates the translucent ramp with the building, its railing seamlessly supported by the glass itself.
Inside, the project team built new fellows’ office space, with glass integrated heavily into design, from glass railings to corridor doors. An existing classroom – one of Harvard’s oldest – was restored, and a new energy-saving Gen2 elevator installed. The renovation featured extensive millwork, and in the basement, crews removed the existing concrete slabs and elevated classroom seating in order to create new program space at one accessible level.
Notably, Shawmut took on the drilling and development of five geothermal wells, a low-impact system which circulates groundwater in order to heat and cool the building. Four wells reach 1,500 feet below grade; a fifth reached 600 before groundwater forced crews to cease drilling. As a result of this challenge, Shawmut’s team devised an innovative hybrid system of operation for the vents, which utilize both “closed” and “open” styles of geothermal well operation.
Other challenges included fully-occupied adjacent buildings such as the School of Education and Longfellow Hall. Drilling presented a noise-level challenge, the impact of which was successfully minimized by the team’s adhesion to strict timing parameters for that work, and also by erecting a temporary wall with sound blankets. A complete signage program and weekly meetings with the Harvard community kept communication clear. Signs not only announced construction presence, but explained the green significance of the geothermal vents for the purpose of community awareness.
Byerly Hall is Shawmut’s first project for Radcliffe Institute, after several years of trusted Harvard University partnership. Other recent Shawmut projects for Harvard include Rockefeller Hall at the Divinity School; the Jeffrey Modell Immunology Center at Harvard Medical School; Sever Hall, University Hall, and the New College Theatre for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Aldrich Hall at the Harvard Business School and the North Site House Relocations for the Law School.
About Shawmut Design and Construction
Shawmut Design and Construction is a 100% employee-owned company headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, Providence, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and New Haven. Shawmut is a leading ENR top 100-ranked national construction management firm providing client-oriented services in the following markets: Academic, Commercial, Corporate Interiors, Cultural and Historic Preservation, Healthcare and Science, Gaming, Restaurants, Retail, Spas and Health Clubs. For more information, visit Shawmut’s website at www.shawmut.com.
