Once completed the new lab spaces will be home to MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES). Everyone at PLA is excited to being this new project and partnership with MIT and IMES. Stay tuned over the coming months for updates on the project.
On June 3rd, 2008 two children living in a small hamlet overlooking a lush valley in rural Honduras were murdered by four thugs. Jennie Lopez (12) was killed first. Her brother Karlin Adali Valdez (10), a witness to Jennie’s brutal murder, was killed soon after. Their lives were going to be different, before the tragic night when their home was broken into while their parents had briefly stepped out. Their deaths greatly affected the local community. Jennie’s life in particular represented hope. Her love of learning and her infectious enthusiasm promised a bright future. She was a star student at the local parish church, and walked several kilometers to school each day. The community, enraged by one more injustice perpetrated against the Honduran poor, organized protests and demanded justice. To their great surprise, three of the four killers were brought to trial and sentenced to death.
While that sentence can never bring back the children’s lives, the community wants to commemorate the joy that they brought into the lives of so many others. Furthermore, Jennie and Karlin offer exemplary role models to the children of the local community. Their abandoned home will become a memorial called “Jennie’s Place.” This simple house is a place where people can come to meditate, and also serves as a space to conduct meetings or classes. The design is extremely simple, composed of five elements placed within the shell of the original house””the floor, the medallions, two lights, the benches, and the window shutter. The budget is extremely tight, with $2,500 for materials and volunteer labor. The children were murdered in the main room of the house (6.4m x 11.5m). Two gold medallions inscribed with their names will mark the spot where each child was murdered. The disk-shaped medallions are set into a black polished concrete floor. Like two bright stars in the night sky, the medallions are illuminated by two lights suspended from the roof structure. Arranging the hand-hewn benches in various configurations within the room allows the space to serve a range of functions and take on different qualities.
Every year the BSA in collaboration with other organizations honor design excellence throughout Massachusetts, New England and elsewhere. The awards celebrate excellent architecture and reward clients for investing in it. To see all of the award winners and their respective categories please visit the 2012 Design Award Website.
The Ragon Institute was founded at MGH, MIT and Harvard with two goals. First, to contribute to an accelerated discovery of an HIV/AIDS vaccine and secondly, to serve as a world leader in the collaborative study of immunology.
To that end, through the generous funding by Susan and Terry Ragon, the Institute has emerged since 2009 as a leader in its field. To accommodate its growth, the institute has established a 70,000 SF headquarters in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. Occupying four floors of an existing concrete mid-rise built circa 1970, the program calls for a mix of offices and lab space and supporting public amenities.
The design was developed in collaboration and partnership with Linea Five Architects (Richard Radville RA). The photographs above were taken by photographer Peter Vanderwarker.
Located in Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is a city of nine million and growing 100 miles southwest of Shanghai. It has a favorable location given its proximity to the ocean, a river delta, rich farmlands, and scenic hillsides. Its temperate climate yields lush vegetation, abundant crops and a pleasant year round environment.
The client, a large Chinese housing developer, wished to create a new building that represented its vision for sustainable housing and “healthy” living in the future. To that end, this project was intended to embody the design concepts and technologies which support sustainable housing practices. While this building was about the “future” strategies for meeting China’s environmental challenges, it was also important that the design relate to the local culture.
The program serves both the local residential community as well as outside visitors. Consequently, recreational spaces and amenities comprise 50% of the program. They include a pool, running track, small gym, and restaurant. The remaining half of the program combines conference and meeting spaces with exhibit spaces highlighting the sustainable concepts and features integrated within the building. The exhibit and gathering spaces are designed to be flexible, so they can accommodate a range of different functions.