News
NET-ZERO ADDS UP
March 26, 2010
| One frontier of green building, you may have heard, is net-zero energy, where Finegold Alexander is a pioneer. For 50 years it's also been adapting old buildings for new uses, as it did with Ellis Island, Boston's Old City Hall, and now the former Cambridge Police Station in Central Square. |
 |
| We snapped Tony Hsiao, Asia Dubiel, Pat Morse, and Moe Finegold examining a model of the new $110M, 250k SF Lowell Judicial Center. Tony says they're pushing the envelope for sustainability, with the building's shape, orientation, photovoltaics, wind turbines, biomass fuel, and solar preheating of fresh air. Bottom line, says Pat, the design created a structure that needs less energy to operate and offsets what it does use on-site with renewable technologies. Slated for completion in 2016, the Center will be 48% more energy efficient than a traditional structure. We're sure even most hardened of criminals will appreciate that. |
 |
| Seated is Nancy Goodwin, Josephine Penta, Adam Settino,and Nicole Kuhar, with Regan Shields-Ives, Jim Alexander, and Uri Natanel. They're discussing the $75M, 375k SF transformation they've designed for Methuen High School. Nancy says the existing building, reminiscent of an airplane hanger, is 160 x 600 feet with few windows. Their iteration will introduce sunshine with skylights and light courts, glazed bridges, partitions and windows at the end of corridors. A new wing will house a media center, auditorium, art/music studios, and dining. Construction on the renovation project will to begin in '11 and be completed in three years. |
 |
| Nicole, Christopher Lane, Aaron Udy, Ellen Anselone, and Rebecca Berry told us how their design for a new public library on High Street will introduce Westwood to LEED. The $14M, 40k SF project will double the size of the library and since it goes through the center of town, it'll become a new focus of community activity. Drawing on its adaptive re-use roots, FA also finished a feasibility study to convert Cambridge?s Central Square police station into a HQ for the city housing authority. The firm has also been doing prep schools, colleges, universities, and housing. As Moe tells us, ?By being generalists in an age of specificity, we've adapted ourselves to changing times.? |
