MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN DESIGN AND MEDIA CENTER | Boston, Massachusetts | 2016       

Architects: Ennead Architects
Client: Swift Massachusetts College of Art

An adaptive re-use plus seismic upgrade of the original Rose City Awning factory, to create a company headquarters for Swift, a fast-growing 160-person digital media agency.

Located at the edge of the Slabtown neighborhood, comprised of low-rise light industrial, warehouse, and commercial structures plus a wave of new, taller multifamily developments. The location occupies 80% of a 200’ x 200’ city block adjacent to the Portland Streetcar N-S line and the I-405 elevated freeway.

The building is a 25,000- s.f. uninsulated one-story CMU warehouse composed of 5 equal 50’ x 100’ units. Built over 20 years from 1950 to 1970, the existing structure had few windows, 3 overhead doors, and 3 small north-facing rooftop “sawtooths.”

Upon completion, the final design is a 30,000-s.f. space including 5,000-s.f. of loft space distributed over 4 new mezzanines fit into new double height “sawtooths” with North-facing windows. The design arranges new 5’ x 9’ sheets of storefront glass in a composition that creates openings in locations where the existing CMU wall was structurally weak.

Architects: Ennead Architects
Client: Swift Massachusetts College of Art
General Contractor: Walsh Brothers

Photographers: Jorg Meyer Photography; Alex MacLean/ Landslide Photography; Richard Barnes Photography; Fadi Asmar / LERA Consulting Structural Engineers; Don Weinreich / Ennead Architects; Peter Vanderwarker