Our Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Situation:

BOND was engaged by Harvard School of Public Health to provide preconstruction and construction management services related to the historical restoration and renovation of a century-old former church. Constructed in 1889 of Roxbury puddingstone and red brick, the BOND team worked closely with HSPH to restore the abandoned building for use as an administrative office facility. The project marked the first step in HSPH’s expansion into the Mission Hill area of Boston, freeing room at the institution’s Longwood Medical Area campus for academic and research space.

 

Challenges:

  • Restoration of a Queen Anne/Georgian Revival-style structure, originally built between 1876 and 1901, within Boston Landmark and State Register of Historic Places guidelines
  • Accommodation of HSPH’s vision for the building within a designated budget
  • Site located in the dense, urban Mission Hill neighborhood
  • Work completed in compliance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) commercial interior guidelines

 

Solutions:

  • Identification of detailed protocols and logistics for exterior masonry restoration; replacement of the building’s windows, roof, doors, copper gutters and downspouts; and restoration of masonry piers and iron fencing
  • Utilization of rigorous quality control procedures tracked progress of restoration
  • Delivery of detailed budgeting, value analysis, and constructability insights contributed to budget certainty
  • Development of mitigation strategies to minimize disruption to adjacent neighborhood buildings
  • Close collaboration with local utilities to maximize energy efficiency and achieve project sustainability goals

 

Results:

  • Successful historical restoration that matched the structure’s original character and received a 2011 Preservation Achievement Award for Neighborhood Preservation from the Boston Preservation Alliance
  • Awarded the Best Green Building Project at the Harvard Green Carpet Awards