{"id":229,"date":"2013-05-09T20:11:05","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T20:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=229"},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:51:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T14:51:59","slug":"massart-residence-hall-designed-as-boston-skyline-painting-with-custom-colored-alucobond-plus-acm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/massart-residence-hall-designed-as-boston-skyline-painting-with-custom-colored-alucobond-plus-acm\/","title":{"rendered":"MassArt Residence Hall Designed As Boston Skyline Painting With Custom-Colored ALUCOBOND Plus ACM"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Project Name:<\/th>\nStudent Residence Hall at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Project Location:<\/th>\nBoston, Massachusetts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ALUCOBOND\u00ae Materials:<\/th>\n174,768 sq. ft., 4mm thickness
\n7 custom colors, 5 gloss levels<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of Installation:<\/th>\n2012<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architect:<\/th>\nADD, Inc., Boston<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fabricator\/Installer:<\/th>\nLymo Construction Co., Inc., Merrimack, N.H.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General Contractor:<\/th>\nSuffolk Construction Co., Inc., Boston<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Images:<\/th>\nPeter Vanderwarker courtesy of MassArt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The practical goal of the new $61-million 21-story Student Residence Hall at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) in Boston may have been to provide 145,600 square feet of on-campus accommodations for 493 students when it opens in the fall of 2012.  But the unique design of the new Residence Hall \u2013 which is clad in 5,500 ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS aluminum composite panels in seven custom colors that are dimensionally positioned with glass to invoke Gustav Klimt\u2019s 1909 \u201cTree of Life\u201d painting \u2013 has met an aesthetic goal to set the building apart on the Boston skyline and, thereby, create an idiosyncratic image for MassArt.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the college\u2019s point of view, the building needed to express the individuality of MassArt,\u201d said Cameron Roberts, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, principal, Cameron Roberts Advisors of Boston, who serves as a professional advisor to MassArt. \u201cCollege officials were not initially convinced of the need for a hi-rise; but, once it was clear that a hi-rise was the best solution, the college did not want an anonymous residential tower. \u2026 That\u2019s how the colored ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels came about. The college was a sophisticated client when it came to color, art and expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

An 80-person design charrette \u2013 consisting of MassArt administrators, students, faculty members, trustees and alumni as well as representatives of building owner Massachusetts State College Building Authority \u2013 met with architects from Boston-based ADD, Inc., to collaborate on the design of the building, which features 136 suites configured with single, double and triple bedrooms. Public areas include workrooms, a caf\u00e9, a student health center and a \u201cpajama floor\u201d outfitted with a game room, TV lounge, group study area, laundry, fitness room, vending area and a community kitchen. The new Residence Hall will allow the college to increase housing of its student population from 26 percent to 44 percent.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond<\/a>
\n[Photo by Photo by Kate Hensley Suffolk Construction]<\/p>\n

\u201cMassArt suffered from being hidden along the \u2018Avenue of the Arts\u2019 (Boston\u2019s Huntington Avenue),\u201d said B.K. Boley, AIA, LEED AP, design principal and director of sustainable design at ADD, Inc. \u201cThe college\u2019s tallest building was a foreboding black glass tower across the street.  College administrators wanted MassArt to be recognized with a signature building. Students suggested that the building be viewed as a painting in the skyline \u2013 both expressive and exuberant.  They wanted to be identified as an art school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boley\u2019s team suggested Klimt\u2019s \u201cTree of Life\u201d painting as a point of departure and inspiration for the building that would embody the rebirth of MassArt. \u201cThe \u2018tree of life\u2019 is represented in almost every culture and art form in the world; it conveys a meaning of change and optimism,\u201d said Boley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students also wanted sustainability represented in the building\u2019s design, but they didn\u2019t want gadgets,\u201d according to Boley, who said the MassArt Residence Hall was designed to meet LEED Silver certification standards. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more organic than a tree. With this building, we\u2019ve planted a flowering tree along the \u2018Avenue of the Arts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Boley describes the work of famed Viennese artist Klimt \u2013 whose 150th birthday would be celebrated July 14, 2012 \u2013 as \u201csomewhat pointillist\u201d with the artist \u201calways contrasting one color next to the other, providing richness at different scales of perception,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe selected metal panels because we couldn\u2019t get the range of colors from other systems,\u201d said Boley.  \u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae gave us the variety we needed.  You can\u2019t design your own brick or terra cotta. With these metal panels, it\u2019s whatever you can dream up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n

ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS wall panels have a flame-spread index of less than 25 and a smoke-developed index of less than 450 when tested in accordance with ASTM E 84, and have a Class A interior finish classification.)<\/p>\n

To recreate the \u201cTree of Life\u201d image, a total of 174,768 square feet of ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS material in the 4mm thickness was ordered in seven custom colors, which also were differentiated with five gloss levels ranging from 10 to 50.  In addition to offering a wide range of stocked colors, ALUCOBOND\u00ae is known for its extensive custom color-matching program.  Working with PPG Industries, 3A Composites\u2019 custom color specialists provided 54 color matches to create these panels for MassArt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with dark colors at the bottom that lighten at the top, making the building seem to disappear into the mist,\u201d said Tamara Roy, AIA, LEED AP, senior associate principal, ADD, Inc., who served as design leader on the MassArt Residence Hall project.<\/p>\n

The ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels \u201cchange color from the trunk of the tree into the canopy,\u201d added Boley, who said the panels were oriented vertically and set in a total of five different depths from the building to simulate a tree\u2019s bark-like surface.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n

In an interview with www.MASCO.org, Roy said: \u201cThe colors range from gold to rust, creating a woody, bark-like effect.  Varying the depths of the panels imparted a sense of texture and physicality.  The green panels suggest leaves.  Finally, the base of the building is curved like the trunk of a tree and the top flares out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels were fabricated and installed by Lymo Construction Co., Inc., of Merrimack, N.H., with the Lymo 3000 Rainscreen system, which allowed the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels to be set out from the building in depths ranging from 2 inches to 7 inches. \u201cThis building is not flush,\u201d said Dan Lynch, president, Lymo Construction Co.  \u201cThis design is reminiscent of a tree in New England in the fall when the leaves are starting to change but specks of green remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lymo Construction worked with project managers at general contractor Suffolk Construction Co., Inc., of Boston, to bring the project in under budget.  (Total cost of the project was $61 million, including $52 million in construction costs, according to Roberts.) The Boston office of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) provided engineering support for the building envelope.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was happy to learn that these panels were Alucobond,\u201d said Roberts.  \u201cWhen I was a practicing architect, I designed a lot of buildings with Alucobond. The product works well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur preference is to use ALUCOBOND\u00ae based on its history in the marketplace and the product\u2019s quality,\u201d said Lynch. \u201cAlucobond has a good reputation with building owners and architects. The MassArt design team was highly satisfied up front by the effort put into color-matching by ALUCOBOND\u00ae and Lymo personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lymo was able to fabricate the majority of ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels from theoretical dimensions approximately four months in advance of their installation on the construction site, according to Lynch, who said panel installation began in June 2011, with the majority of the tower completed in January 2012. In addition to the seven custom colors and five gloss levels, the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels were fabricated in varying widths ranging from 8 inches to 3.5 feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were probably 400 to 500 different panel options,\u201d said Lynch.  \u201cWe had to organize these panels in crates for installation on each floor.  The panels had to be put in the correct order.  The logistics were very demanding. \u2026 Most jobs repeat panels.  The different colors, widths and depths of the panels used on this job made installation planning challenging.  Our system of crating the panels for installation by floor removed all of the guesswork.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with the best logistics, the installation of so many different panel options still resulted in the need to change a few panel placements.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cLymo Construction went above and beyond on this job,\u201d said Boley.  \u201cWhen we\u2019d point out a panel, they\u2019d immediately pull it off and replace it.  At the end of the day, we\u2019d see construction crews looking up at the building.  And, when it was completed, everyone started getting compliments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone involved with the design and construction of this building is very proud of it,\u201d said Roberts.  \u201cThey wanted it to be right. \u2026 This building can be seen from all over Boston.  It\u2019s put MassArt on the skyline, on the map and on everybody\u2019s mind.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project Name: Student Residence Hall at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) Project Location: Boston, Massachusetts ALUCOBOND\u00ae Materials: 174,768 sq. ft., 4mm thickness 7 custom colors, 5 gloss levels Year of Installation: 2012 Architect: ADD, Inc., Boston Fabricator\/Installer: Lymo Construction Co., Inc., Merrimack, N.H. General Contractor: Suffolk Construction Co., Inc., Boston Images: Peter Vanderwarker […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,39,37,38,28,29,41,40,54,47,30,49],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-acm","tag-acp","tag-aluminum-composite-material","tag-aluminum-composite-panel","tag-architecture","tag-design","tag-educational","tag-exteriors","tag-green-building","tag-leed","tag-residential","tag-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7492,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions\/7492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}