MFDS Office Promotions!!!
Congratulations to Alex Yoon, William Lee, Emily Driscoll, & Tom Merchel!!!
MFDS Recipient of Two 2023 BSA Design Awards
Congratulations to 11. E Lenox & New Madinah teams for achieving MFDS first awards!
11 E Lenox featured on Passive House Accelerator!
As the project nears completion in Q4 2022, we spoke with PHA about some of the design challenges and goals in developing this mass timber Passive House multifamily. Link below.
Mass Timber Topped Out
We conclude this year with the topping off of our 7 story mass timber project, 11 E Lenox. The installment of the last CLT slab went smoothly, becoming Boston’s first ground up mass timber project. We are overwhelmingly thankful for our incredible team and collaborators on this project. A huge shout out to our team who made this possible: Boston Real Estate Collaborative, D2 Development, Urbancore Development, Haycon, Nordic Structures, Code Red, H+O Structural Engineering, BLW Engineers, and Passive to Positive.
11 E Lenox Under Construction
Boston’s first ground up new mass timber project is now under construction! When complete in Fall 2022, 11 E Lenox will be the first Passive House (PHIUS+ 2018) mass timber project in the Boston metro area. With foundations complete and the prefab modular steel form vertical cores now fully installed, the first mass timber components are due to arrive in less than two weeks. Stay tuned for more progress shots as the mass timber is erected!
MFDS is now Passive House CPHC® certified
Congratulations to William Lee and Alex Yoon, who are now PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultants! MFDS is committed to providing for and building towards a more ecologically mindful and sustainable future — and the PHIUS CPHC training will help us employ sound sustainable design and judgements to all our projects, whether they are PHIUS+ pursuant or not. The images above are some snippets from William’s and Alex’s design submissions for the CPHC exam.
Roundtable Discussion on Mass Timber Collaboration
It was a pleasure to do a roundtable discussion on BIM, mass timber, and collaboration with Eli Gould from the Quebec Wood Export Bureau and Jean-Marc Dubois from Nordic Structures. Check out the ArchDaily post below, which features an upcoming Revit plugin by QWEB for mass timber design and our roundtable video. We discuss our 11 E Lenox project and how a pro-active and open-minded approach from the OAC team was key in developing this mass timber project from its nascence.
We wholeheartedly believe in utilizing the expertise of our team members, as well as from outside parties such as Eli and Jean-Marc – QWEB and Nordic have been great resources and wellsprings of knowledge and guidance.
Much thanks to our team for our past and current collaborations – BREC, Haycon, and H+O.
Link to ArchDaily post.
BIM Collaboration Snippets
Adaptive Reuse Mill Buildings
Adaptive Reuse Mill Buildings
For this adaptive reuse project, a site study of these early 20th century power plant buildings revealed extensive craftsmanship and thoughtful functionality. They once supported bustling textile mills that operated 24 hours a day and employed thousands of workers. We are now working to bring new life into these buildings while maintaining their character and history.
CLT & Mass Timber Passive House Multifamily
A CLT & Mass Timber Passive House Multifamily Development.
We’re excited to announce that we are in development of a 7-story CLT and mass timber multifamily in Boston! In collaboration with Boston RealBosto Estate Collaborative, D2 Development, Haycon, H+O Structural Engineering, Code Red Consultants, and Passive to Positive – the project at 11 E Lenox will utilize a rapidly emerging sustainable structural system and integrate efficient energy and enclosure systems in pursuit of Passive House Certification.
Some key facts and benefits of the design and various building systems:
– A carbon sequestering structural system composed of 5-ply CLT panel floors & glulam columns and beams
– Generous 8′-8″ ceiling heights while staying below high-rise classification with 7 floors under 70ft
– Prefabrication of floors, structure, and stairs project for a 2 month schedule savings
– No structural steel, no fireproofing, no podium
– Energy efficient enclosure assemblies and HVAC systems
The project will be a future case study as a market-rate low-carbon Passive House multifamily development in urban areas. The project is currently undergoing zoning, state building code, and BPDA approvals – stay tuned for more updates!
Project page:
https://www.mfds-bos.com/project/11-e-lenox/
A New Team Member – William Lee
We are thrilled to announce the addition of William Lee to our team as a project architect. Despite starting during current covid conditions, his knowledge, experience and positive demeanor have enabled him to slot right into our team and workflow.
William brings over a decade of experience to the firm, with a background in both construction and architecture. With a BFA and M.Arch from Massachusetts College of Art & Design, his educational background contributes to the creative problem-solving skillset he now provides at MFDS and our projects. He endeavors towards artistic and pragmatic solutions that are in service to a project’s owners, users, and the community at large.
Beyond practice, William enjoys furniture making in his woodshop, mountain biking at the local trails, and hiking on the weekends with his family.