Notes of Interest
As a pivotal building in the urban revitalization of South Boston, the Macallen’s design required a reassessment of conventional residential typologies to produce an innovative and sustainable building that worked within a developer’s competitive budget. Occupying a transitional site that mediates between highway off-ramps, an old residential fabric, and an industrial zone, the building negotiates different scales and urban configurations through varied spatial conditions, various ways of reacting to the public sphere, and different material and façade articulations.
On the western end, the building responds to the highway and Boston skyline with a glass curtain wall yielding panoramic views for the residents inside. On the eastern end, brickwork mirrors that of the neighborhood’s building fabric, extending the logic of the storefront and pedestrian scale elements. On the north and south facades, bronzed aluminum panels reflect the industrial zone and express the structural system within.
The Macallen is fully integrated— in structure, and sustainability— and is replete with sustainable features to make it the first LEED gold certified building of its type in Boston.
Architect
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Office dA, Inc.
Burt Hill
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Owner
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Pappas Enterprises, Inc.
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Location
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Boston
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ADDITIONAL CREDITS
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Consultant
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Acentech, Inc
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Falk Associates
William Elliot
Schirmer Engineering Corporation
Walker Parking Consultants
Lerch Bates Associates
North East Aquatic Design
Audio Visual Designs
Rider Hunt Levett & Bailey
GEI Consultants
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Engineer
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Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.
Burt Hill
Commercial Construction Consulting
BSC Group
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General Contractor
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Bovis Lend Lease
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Landscape Architect
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Landworks Studio
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Photo Credit
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© John Horner Photography
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JURY COMMENTS
This is a bold architectural
statement in which the
architects and the client did
not shy away from taking
risks. The building is
inventive and at times,
ingenious.
Many sustainable strategies
are clearly evident and
skillfully incorporated into
the architectural expression
of the building.
It is rare that a developer-
driven project rises to this
level of excellence,
especially one of this scale.
As the cost of transportation
escalates and more
Americans move back to the
city, density will be
paramount. Mixed use
buildings that address the
needs of residents,
businesses, and
communities will abound.
Macallen is a stunning
example of a pragmatic
solution with a compelling
design that meets all these
needs.
2010 INSTITUTE HONOR AWARDS FOR ARCHITECTURE JURY
Richard L. Maimon, AIA (Chair)
KieranTimberlake
Philadelphia
Jeanne Gang, FAIA
Studio/Gang Architects
Chicago
Sam Grawe
Dwell /At Home in the Modern World Magazines
San Francisco
Jeffrey Lee, FAIA
Pearce Brinkley Cease & Lee P.A.
Raleigh
Justine N. Lewis
AIAS Representative
Atlanta
Miguel A. Rivera Agosto, AIA
Miró Rivera Architects
Austin
Mark Simon, FAIA
Centerbrook Architects & Planners
Centerbrook, Connecticut
H. Ruth Todd, AIA
Page & Turnbull Architects
San Francisco
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