Utile, Inc. Architecture + Planning

E+ Housing receives approval

deean — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:25:21 +0000

Utile and GFC Development recently received approval from the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals for the E+ (energy positive) project on Catherine Street in Jamaica Plain. The decision comes after a substantial engagement with the BRA and the neighborhood to tailor the design for the site and neighborhood. The project is on schedule with optimizing the energy performance and developing the construction documents. Construction will start around Labor Day.

Save that Stuff Mobile Office Building

AdmiN — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:17:56 +0000

Our new mobile office building for Save That Stuff, a recycling and composting company in Charlestown, has arrived on site. Stack Design Build, our partner on this project, has been managing on-site construction. In keeping with Save That Stuff’s mission, former construction trailers have been repurposed to provide sustainable and efficient office space.

Blackstone Market

AdmiN — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:47:45 +0000

Utile, as part of the Blackstone Market team, recently submitted a proposal for MassDOT’s Parcel 9 in Boston’s Market District. The development team is led by Cresset Group, developers of Liberty Wharf in Boston’s Seaport District, and DeNormandie Companies, owner of many of the historic properties on the Blackstone Block. Utile and Sy Mintz are lead architects for the project.

For more information about Blackstone Market, and the full design proposal, see blackstone-market.com.

Harbor Islands Pavilion on the cover of Concrete Construction

AdmiN — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:35:36 +0000

The Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion made the cover of the March 2012 issue of Concrete Construction magazine, the official publication of World of Concrete.

Save That Stuff Mobile Office Building is Underway

deean — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:50:29 +0000

Our new mobile office building for Save That Stuff, a recycling and composting company, is well into construction at the factory. In keeping with the client’s mission, the project started with old construction trailers to provide efficient, sustainable, and well day-lit space for the company’s headquarters. The main space features a 30’ long central meeting table/counter that will be the nucleus of office activity. It is currently being constructed (shown above) from 2 ¼” chestnut planks removed from a nearby factory building.

Press

deean — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:40:47 +0000

The Atlantic Cities Website

Anthony Flint, “The Tricky Second Wave of Urban Highway Removals.” Posted January 9, 2011. [McGrath Highway De-elevation Study]

Spacing Magazine

“No mean city: The genius of walk-up apartments” by Alex Bozikovic. Posted January 5, 2012.

Boston Magazine

Harbor Hotel Provincetown was named Best Boutique Hotel, Cape Cod. August 2011.

Planetizen

“Rethinking the Streetspace: What’s Next?” by Georgia Sheridan and Amber Hawkes. July 21, 2011. [Boston Complete Streets]

Boston Globe

“Critic’s Notebook: Greenway Art Needs to Grow” by Cate McQuaid. July 8, 2011. [Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion]

Boston Magazine Blog

“Park It: Getting to the Harbor Islands” by Janelle Nanos. July 7, 2011. [Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion]

New Haven Register

“New Haven, state of Conn. look to rejuvenate Mill River Area” by Mary E. O’Leary. June 14, 2011. [Mill River District Planning Study]

Boston Globe

“Getting on tourists’ maps: Harbor Islands get a publicity boost with eye-catching new pavilion” by Casey Ross. June 1, 2011. [Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion]

Boston Globe

“Concrete Link” by Renee Loth. May 21, 2011. [Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion]

Boston Globe

“A 10-year plan for City Hall Plaza” by Casey Ross. March 16, 2011. [Greening City Hall Plaza]

Boston Globe

“Boston’s City Hall Plaza – Past and Future” by Casey Ross. March 16, 2011. [Greening City Hall Plaza]

Boston Globe

“Designers hope to grow a greener City Hall Plaza” by Jeremy C. Fox. February 9, 2011. [Greening City Hall Plaza]

Boston Globe

“Reclaiming the Center: Midsize cities rediscover the allure of downtowns, attracting millions to transform them into 24-hour neighborhoods of businesses and homes” by Casey Ross. January 16, 2011.

Next American City

“Street Science: All Eyes on the Street” by Jeanne Haffner. January 14, 2011. [Boston Complete Streets]

Maine Home + Design

“Life inside the Lightbox” by Debra Spark. January/February 2011. [North Bridgton House]

Boston Globe

“Lights on or Lights off?” by Renee Loth. September 25, 2010.

Unhappy Hipster

Moose Hill House. September 21, 2010.

ArchDaily

Moose Hill House. August 7, 2010.

NPR

WBUR, Radio Boston: “Christian Science ‘Infinity’ Pool may be Finite.” June 23, 2010. [Tim Love as guest]

Boston Globe

“A Reflection of the Times: Boston church plans user-friendly revamp of famed pool, plaza” by Matt Byrne. May 19, 2010.

The Architect’s Newspaper

“Seeding the Greenway: Boston masterplan to guide development along new park” by Matt Chaban. May 3, 2010. [Greenway District Planning Study]

Next American City

“Making Stuart Street” by Jeanne Haffner. February 17, 2010. [Stuart Street Planning Study]

Boston Globe

“Visions and Revisions” by Casey Ross. September 20, 2009.

Boston Globe

“Industrial Strength” by Robert Campbell. November 30, 2008. [Ames Shovel Works, North Easton]

Boston Globe

“Looking good: Developers add modern touches to affordable homes” by Ted Siefer. August 3, 2008. [Hyde-Blakemore Condominiums]

Boston Home

“Suburban Inversion” by Chris Grimley. Summer 2008. [Moose Hill Geothermal House]

Architectural Record

“The New Establishment meets the Next Wave” by Hubert Murray. Spring 2008.

Boston Magazine

“Next Generation Design: Spoiler Alert!” by Terri Trespicio. April 2008. [The Advent School]

Boston Globe

“Seven steps to Sofa Heaven” by Meaghan Agnew. [Color Space Style by Mimi Love and Chris Grimley] March 13, 2008.

Boston Globe

“New Edge to South Boston: At a crossroads of old housing and commercial blight, contemporary design takes root in a wave of new projects” by Gail Ravgiala. June 17, 2007. [557-559 East Second Street, 321 West Second Street, and Trolley House]

Boston Globe

“Shades of Green – Sustainable, energy-efficient design from city to suburb, old to new” by Gail Ravgiala. February 15, 2007.

Boston Globe

“Old street, new life: Originally designed in 1805, Broad Street is being transformed into a neighborhood fill of housing and eateries” by Tina Cassidy. August 27, 2006. [Reconstruction of Broad Street]

ArchitectureBoston

“Conversations on Architecture: Tim Love” by Rachel Levitt. Spring 2005.

Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion wins Honor Award for Design Excellence

deean — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:55:28 +0000

We’re very pleased to announce that the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion won a 2011 Honor Award for Design Excellence from the Boston Society of Architects.

From the jury comments:

The design is a wonderful example of how a simple issue—in this case, providing shelter and dispersing rainwater—can lead to a poetic solution. The two roof forms, basically flat, are subtly curved and molded to divert rainwater to a tidal pool. The result is a functional and beautifully sculptural form.

MIT Center for Real Estate Opens

deean — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:46:30 +0000

This winter Utile completed work on the MIT Center for Real Estate’s new offices overlooking Massachusetts Avenue on the third floor of MIT’s Building 9. This new home will further the integration of the real estate program with graduate education in city and regional planning, architecture, engineering, transportation and logistics, and the Sloan School of Management—linkages that will ensure that the program’s alumni/ae will continue to be among the best trained real estate professionals in the world. The new facilities include a state-of-the-art lecture hall, classroom spaces, a student lounge, and offices.

SMART Lab adds engineering lab, art and music studios, and gallery space to The Advent School

deean — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:24:43 +0000

This past summer Utile completed work on The Advent School’s SMART Lab, a satellite facility housing the independent elementary school’s science, math, and art programs. Located a few blocks from the school’s main campus on Beacon Hill, the new facility transforms an existing two-story brick building into a collection classroom, studio, and workshop spaces that invite students and teachers alike to explore, innovate, and experiment. The first floor houses a math classroom, a faculty office, and a music room. On the upper floor, a large art studio adjoins an engineering workshop. The program also includes a gallery, faculty workroom, and breakout rooms that provide further opportunities for collaborative learning opportunities.

Stay tuned to our website in the coming weeks for new photos.

Utile studies cafe designs for The Arsenal on the Charles

deean — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:53:26 +0000

Utile has been hired by The Beal Companies to develop a sustainable cafe concept for the main office building at The Arsenal on the Charles complex. The study reveals how the surplus space in the lobby area can facilitate increased employee interaction and provide new meeting, assembly, and dining spaces.