Amanda Hanley
Username
Amanda Hanley
Proposer First Name
Amanda
Proposer Email
ahanley@elkus-manfredi.com
Proposer Last Name
Hanley
Proposer Company/Organization
Elkus Manfredi Architects
Proposer Phone
(617) 426-1300
Proposer Job Title
Marketing
Boston 2023 Areas of Focus
Proposed Session Description
Panelists will present a case study of Emerson College’s reinvigorated Little Building. The project utilized a hybrid preservation/renovation approach using aerospace technology and innovative techniques to cleverly extend the life and square footage of the building. By salvaging the majority of the building’s structure and portions of the façade, the team was able to reduce new carbon creation, create additional square footage, and extend the life of the building another 100 years.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
The project involved community engagement in an inclusive design process to ensure the project would reflect the needs and cultural diversity of those who interact with the building, inside and out. Without this cross-functional collaboration, this project would have not come to pass. Members of the College's administration, the design team, and community worked together to preserve and restore the Little Building. Multiple meetings culminated in over 16 entitlement presentations held with design commissions, redevelopment authorities, city council members, historical commissions, neighborhood associations, as well as multiple public meetings – all crucial to including external stakeholder voices and establishing lasting connections. The project also promoted the increased presence of women in construction, presenter Katie Merrell was project superintendent, and Suffolk’s construction team was team 40% women, atypical in the industry.
The redevelopment of this existing building was also an opportunity to incorporate universal design principles, making spaces more accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities. In summary, by creating economically accessible, inclusive, and sustainable spaces that honor history of a place it promotes a sense of belonging and pride in the local community.
Learning Objectives
1. Evaluate opportunities for new build vs. potential reuse viability to develop consensus among stakeholder groups.
2. Recognize potential of reusing existing buildings to meet new program needs, and meet desired cost and schedule goals.
3. Explore the growing potential of panelized construction and digital scanning methods in accurately replicating historic architecture with a scan/model/fabricate process, and benefits of communicating directly with fabricators to streamline the process.
4. Assess the environmental impact of building reuse through an understanding of the process of completing an embodied carbon study and exploration of some of the challenges along the way.
Has this session been presented before?
Yes
When and Where?
Elements of this project have been presented before at the ArchitectureBoston Expo, the Boston Society of Architects, Boston Preservation Alliance, Facades Plus and Zak World of Façades. However, the past focus has been more on fabrication techniques, rather than embodied carbon.
Target Audiences Level of Expertise
Level 1 - No prior knowledge needed.
Session Format
Presentation followed by facilitated discussion or breakout groups
Recommended Length
60-minute session
Strongest Content Connection - Boston 2023
Comments about your speaker roster
Ross and Katie worked closely on the Little Building project, and have an easy rapport. As Sustainability Coordinator, Kristen and Ross collaborated on the post-construction evaluations.
Anything else you'd like to tell us about your session proposal?
Few EPD's existed at the time of our embodied carbon analysis. We struggled with lack of material data which made accuracy a challenge. A lot of time was spent advocating for disclosures from manufacturers, so the more we can push for disclosure, the more accurate our embodied carbon analyses can be.
Reviewer 1
Tilton, Clay
Reviewer 2
Tilton, Clay
Proposal #
156
Committee Decision
Being Considered
Presenters
Full Description
This session will be an honest discussion about the multitude of decisions and trade-offs encountered during a complex building renovation project. Together, the design and construction team will give attendees a realistic understanding of the overall process, trade-offs made in choosing materials, and the challenges of balancing different priorities—such as energy conservation and emissions reduction vs. historical accuracy—alongside budget, schedule, and programming constraints.
Emerson College made the visionary decision to preserve and renovate the Little Building, rather than building new – seeing the opportunity to re-imagine the building for today’s students in a way that would honor the building’s history, the neighborhood’s place in the city, and the environment. Re-purposing existing buildings can bring tremendous value, yet poses a distinct challenge in meeting new program requirements. In this case, Emerson needed additional capacity to offer student on-campus housing. We will look at innovative ways to economize and maximize space in a tight urban site, breaking down how our team was able to add 27,300 SF of new useable space and an additional 285 beds without changing the building’s height or footprint.
This project also demanded innovation in construction methodology – utilizing multiple 3D scans to model existing conditions was critical and uncommon at the time. By commissioning an exterior digital laser scan to capture façade details and defects down to 0.025mm, the resulting representations directed the creation of physical models and facilitated the use of panelized UHPC replication of the complex historic facade. This type of panelized façade meant an expedited installation process, minimized weather delays, tighter quality control, and improved safety during construction. By scanning the existing structure after demolition, a model was developed showing the exact locations of columns, beams, and slabs, allowing the team to identify unforeseen conditions and coordinate extensively with trades using highly accurate models, avoiding the waste of time and materials in the field. An additional internal 3D scan also proved to be highly beneficial to the project’s schedule, cost, and early identification of issues.
The reduction of embodied carbon created during raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, construction, maintenance, renovation, and end-of-life for products and systems continues to be an industry priority. This session will illustrate an argument for re-using/repurposing existing structures as a means for reducing embodied carbon. We will walk participant though the completed carbon study step by step and discuss the results, challenges, and limitations, highlighting the impact that building and material reuse has on carbon reductions.