Hacin + Associates [architecture + design in boston]

Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard

As part of a multidisciplinary team led by Sasaki Associates, H+A has recently completed work on the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard study for the city of Pittsburgh, PA.

This study was funded by a $1.5 million Partnership for Sustainable Communities grant from the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  These agencies, together with the EPA, established six livability principles for this program: 

1.  Provide more transportation choices.
2.  Promote equitable, affordable housing.
3.  Enhance economic competitiveness.
4.  Support existing communities.
5.  Coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment.
6.  Value communities and neighborhoods.

Flour 4 Grand Opening

January 11^th was the grand opening of Flour Bakery + Cafe on Clarendon Street in the Back Bay.  Designed by H + A, it’s the 4th Flour for owner Joanne Chang who has locations in Fort Point, the South End, and Central Square.

David Hacin, Matt Arnold, Joanne Chang, David Tabenken

Flour’s entrance on Stanhope Street is opposite the newly completed Frieda Garcia Park.  On a Thursday, a few days after its opening, there was already a crowd of people sitting at the oak bar lining the cafe’s 15 foot high windows.  While patrons were taking in the view, they were also becoming part of the streetscape and, together with the park, transforming a piece of Stanhope into a vibrant urban square.

The café operates on both an urban and human scale.  The dining area, which has a relationship to the street, optimizes the natural light and views provided by the high ceilings of the existing architecture by concentrating the seating areas along the windows. The service area is defined by a patterned wood clad soffit which lowers the ceiling height, giving the space a more intimate scale and a distinct retail identity.

The idea of craft, the handmade, and sustainability were used to guide decisions about furniture, lighting, and material selection.  The soffit, service counter, and cabinetry are clad with reclaimed wood, complemented by new oak at the bar and tabletops.  Vintage inspired lighting fixtures illuminate the dining and service areas.  The color palette of the interior is a collection of greys and whites which provide a neutral backdrop to the most important aspect of Flour—the food.

For more photos and info visit Joanne Chang on twitter @jbchang and bostoneater.com.

Boston Home Magazine: Mount Vernon Street Townhouse

Featured this week in Boston Home Magazine, is Mt. Vernon Street Townhouse.The 10-page spread, "Into the Light," discusses the challenges involved in transforming a narrow historic Beacon Hill townhouse into an illuminated, well-functioning, modern home.

"Mathematic physicists [Jennifer Chayes and Christian Borges] were seeking a home as sophisticated as they are - one with plenty of light, advanced sound and climate systems, and a bright, clean interior... Fortunately a tabula rasa appeared at just the right time, in the form of a gutted five-story townhouse in Beacon HIll. Abandoned by a developer, all that remained was a hollow shell and some basic framing. Chayes and Borgs agreed that they could handle a major construction project. So with design help from Hacin + Associates architects, they set about turning the pitiful construction zone into a contemporary home in the heart of the city."  Check out some of the blog - exclusive before and after photos!

The design team took every opportunity to maximize natural light during the gut renovation of this 13-foot-wide building. Because Jennifer and Christian had an extensive collection of art glass, exploring the properties of glass became a major conceptual driver for the project, for reasons both practical and aesthetic. The focal point of the house became the central stair: its glass treads and structural glass panels allow daylight to filter from a large skylight down into the deepest spaces of the slender vertical home. Click here to read the full article. 

The Buttery 2 opens on Clarendon Street

On December 13th the South End Buttery opened its 2^nd location on Clarendon Street. H + A was asked to transform the once staid office space into a sophisticated urban market with old world charm. The space features handmade cement tiles by Granada Tile in Nicaragua. Check out the video 'Granada Tile revives the fine art of making cement tile' to see how they create these well-crafted works of art.

 

The Buttery, brainchild of Richard Gordon with Joanne Gregory as Executive Chief, opened its first location in 2005 on Shawmut Avenue, expanding in 2012 to include the additional market (also designed by H + A). In keeping with the original Buttery's history, the shop features a warm but sophisticated color pallete, materiality, and texture. Painted tin ceiling panels were used to mimic those found in original South End building, polished carrara marble line the counter surfaces, and glistening glass display cases showcase the Joanne's delectable menu of food made from organic and locally grown ingredients and provisions supplied by local producers. It’s a little bit of culinary heaven. 

Sneak peak: Chandler Inn Studios

H+A is delighted to announce the grand opening of one of our current projects the Chandler Studios a boutique hotel, located in Boston's historic South End neighborhood.

The Chandler Studios, an annex to the adjacent Chandler Inn, offer a unique twist to the boutique hotel experience. Guests of the hotel check into their reservation remotely via the internet and are given a key prior to arrival that provides direct access to the hotel parking lot, entry, and their individual Studio. Each of the twelve Studios, complete with full kitchenette, offer an ease-of-accessibility useful for a variety of guests - from those traveling on business, seeking a no-nonsense escape, to long-term guests looking for intimate accommodations with the comforts and resources of a large-scale hotel. 

The design challenge of this boutique hotel was to balance the old with the new; translating the idea of a hip, urban traveller into the context of a historically rich building and neighborhood. Thoughtful consideration was taken into account with the architectural details -- refurbishing window casings, the historic stairwell, and other features to maintain the charm and character of existing structure. The contemporary look is introduced within each individual guest suite. Walnut flooring, modern integrated millwork, custom furniture and "pops" of accent color create interesting juxtapositions, simultaneously paying respect to the historic context of the inn while providing the sophistication of a high-end hotel, comforts of home, and vibrant energy of an urban city. Each suite features an image of Boston's historic elevated Orange Line, which used to run through the South End, blown up as a large-scale wall graphic mural.

Enjoy this sneak-peak of a few of the suites from our recent photo shoot.