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.
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.
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.
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/
MFDS has been busy with R&D on unique façade cladding system designs. For One Newcomb Place, currently in construction, we designed a custom application of NeaCera Terra-cotta Rainscreens working closely with Avenere Cladding, the manufacturer. After touring their factory in Germany and meeting with their team, we took the base NeaCera Cascade configuration that used single height stacks and reformatted the vertical support profile to accept different height panels to create a unique variated product. The terra cotta is currently onsite and waiting to be installed, see the images below to see our process of research, design, and development of a custom system configuration.
The project was originally conceived as a fiber cement clad design as a cost effective solution, but MFDS researched various terra cotta manufacturers and systems to find Avenere Cladding, who offered a promising product and system that was cost competitive and far more visually appealing and robust.
When visiting the factory, we saw the potential of the cascade system configuration and its streamlined kit-of-parts. The team at Avenere were willing partners in exploring a custom support profile pattern – and given the variability of the system and the ease in which Avenere was able to implement it, the system may be offered as a product going forward as a configuration option.
Avenere’s excellent quality control meant very tight finish tolerances that provide crisp lines in the finished façade – which was critical in our new design that utilized varied panel heights that would have slightly different clearances and overlap from panel to panel.
Our custom design allows different height panels to stack and overlap to create a seamless pattern that repeats at every floor using standard panels height and without cutting any down to fit. The standard system using uniform heights would have had to have custom cuts or would not have registered with floor lines.
The base system offered is comprised of three pieces: the panel, the support profile, and the joint insert. We customized the support profile to accept varying panel heights, relying on the manufacturer’s tight finish tolerances to make the overlap tolerances work given the different panel heights have slight changes in overlap angles and clearances.
A simple change in modifying the support profile allows the system to still be cost effective while providing a substantial aesthetic impact with the varied panel heights. Designing the panel variation to repeat at every floor also allowed the support profiles to be manufactured in a single piece, furthering the ease of installation in an already minimal single wall support system.
The interior renovations at 50 & 100 Boatswain’s Way in Chelsea, MA are complete! These lobbies are a shining example of how a few thoughtful design statements can completely transform a space, even when working within a tight budget.
For this project we used ceiling details, flooring patterns, and new furniture layouts to create a sense of scale and definition. Paired with fresh paint and updated light fixtures, these spaces are not only brighter and more inviting, but offer more functionality for the residents as well.
50 Boatswain’s Way
100 Boatswain’s Way
We’re designing a CLT mass timber building! Too early to announce anything yet, but stay tuned as we explore and develop a novel and sustainable building typology.
We’re looking forward to seeing the innovative terracotta shiplap cladding add a contemporary and complementary presence to the area. You can find more info about the project here.
The house is complete with some furniture on its way, while the landscape is nicely growing in. We’re excited with the results, as is our client – we can’t wait for our photographer to properly document and capture the project. Many thanks to Haycon, they built an exceptional home.
Foundations are set to be poured, we’re looking forward to adding another project to Boston’s much needed housing stock.
