The American Institute of Architects honored Dean Monica Ponce de Leon at the 2010 American Institute of Architect’s Annual Convention in Miami, June 2010, for work on Boston’s Macallen Building. The Macallen Building is fully integrated — in structure, and sustainability — and is replete with sustainable features to make it the first LEED gold-certified building of its type in Boston.
Ponce de Leon is a principal of Boston-based architecture firm, Office dA, with offices in Ann Arbor and New York. Office dA was one of two firms recognized by the Jury with the 2010 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture for the Macallen Building design.
As a pivotal building in the urban revitalization of South Boston, the Macallen’s design required a reassessment of conventional residential typologies to produce an innovative and sustainable building that worked within a developer’s competitive budget. Occupying a transitional site that mediates between highway off-ramps, an old residential fabric, and an industrial zone, the building negotiates different scales and urban configurations through varied spatial conditions, various ways of reacting to the public sphere, and different material and façade articulations.
On the western end, the building responds to the highway and Boston skyline with a glass curtain wall yielding panoramic views for the residents inside. On the eastern end, brickwork mirrors that of the neighborhood’s building fabric, extending the logic of the storefront and pedestrian scale elements. On the north and south facades, bronzed aluminum panels reflect the industrial zone and express the structural system within.
Learn more about the award and view images: http://www.aia.org/practicing/awards/AIAB082064
Comments from the AIA Jury included:
This is a bold architectural statement in which the architects and the client did not shy away from taking risks. The building is inventive and at times, ingenious.
Many sustainable strategies are clearly evident and skillfully incorporated into the architectural expression of the building.
It is rare that a developer-driven project rises to this level of excellence, especially one of this scale. As the cost of transportation escalates and more
Americans move back to the city, density will be paramount. Mixed use buildings that address the needs of residents, businesses, and communities will abound. Macallen is a stunning example of a pragmatic solution with a compelling design that meets all these needs.
