Bostonians voted the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's new wing the People's Choice Award winner for 2012, honoring the project as the city's "most beautiful new building" for the calendar year. The new wing, designed by Renzo Piano and Stantec, beat out three other projects on the short list: Fumihiko Maki's MIT Media Lab; the restoration of Alumnae Valley at Wellesley, led by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; and Temple Beth Elohim by William Rawn Architects. The winning team was honored at the annual Boston Society of Architects Awards Gala on Jan. 31.
The museum expansion provides spaces for specific programming, including a 296-seat performance hall and a 1,500-square-foot, three-story special exhibition gallery. The glass-enclosed first floor includes a new entry, a café, gift shop, greenhouses and education spaces. Administration offices, lab-quality restoration spaces, and accommodations for two Artists-in-Residence are also included in the new wing. The design team relied on BIM to coordinate the building’s many complex systems, and the new wing achieved LEED Gold certification last fall.
For more on the award, including a photo gallery of the finalists, visit: http://boston.com/advertisers/bsa/2012/index.html.
Related Stories
Smart Buildings | Oct 1, 2020
Smart buildings stand on good data
The coming disruption of owning and operating a building and how to stay ahead through BIM.
Architects | Oct 1, 2020
BIG imagines how we could live on the moon
The architecture firm has partnered with ICON on the project.
Architects | Sep 30, 2020
Sir David Adjaye OBE to receive 2021 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture
His practice, Adjaye Associates, was founded in 2000 and today has studios in Accra, London and New York, with projects across the world.
Coronavirus | Sep 28, 2020
Evaluating and investing resources to navigate past the COVID-19 pandemic
As AEC firm leaders consider worst-case scenarios and explore possible solutions to surmount them, they learn to become nimble, quick, and ready to pivot as circumstances demand.
Coronavirus | Sep 24, 2020
The Weekly show: Building optimization tech, the future of smart cities, and storm shelter design
The September 24 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Healthcare Facilities | Sep 10, 2020
Easing the oncology journey: The role of urgent care
Oncology patients are better served when they’re connected to the right staff.
Airports | Sep 10, 2020
The Weekly show: Curtis Fentress, FAIA, on airport design, and how P3s are keeping university projects alive
The September 10 episode of BD+C's "The Weekly" is available for viewing on demand.
Architects | Sep 8, 2020
The New City project by Eric Owen Moss Architects receives AIA’s Twenty-five Year Award
AIA’s Twenty-five Year Award is conferred on a building that has set a precedent for the last 25-35 years and continues to set standards of excellence for its architectural design and significance.
Architects | Sep 1, 2020
An evidenced-based approach to elevate the workplace experience
A new NBBJ report presents design concepts for providing people with opportunities to recharge and engage in the workplace.
K-12 Schools | Sep 1, 2020
The rise of inquiry-based learning in K-12 communities
Inquiry-based education offers a methodology that does not rely solely on the educator being the lead in all learning.