Tag: Design

Design for One and All

It’s been 34 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a fully codified victory for those with physical disabilities. As our awareness grows about individuals with learning disabilities, memory issues, sight, and hearing losses among others, we, as designers and makers of human context, are charged with a mission to make our […]

BVP Project Wins AIA CT Business Architecture Award of Excellence

AIA Connecticut has announced the winners of the 2024 Business Architecture Awards. This prestigious award honors architects and their clients whose projects help achieve the client’s business goals and create an outsized impact through the design of the built environment. Amenta Emma’s project for Bessemer Venture Partners, located in New York, NY, has been selected […]

AE Design Tour: Quinnipiac University

For our second design field trip of 2024, we toured the campus of Quinnipiac University. We started with a walk-thru of our project, in partnership with Ayers Saint Gross, The Grove – a new 417-bed residence that will open in the fall. The Grove is part of the University’s new South Quad which includes the SITE […]

Mass Timber: Challenges

3-Part Series In previous posts, we introduced readers to mass timber technology and some of the hidden benefits of this structural system in our residential development, Bushnell South in downtown Hartford. While we are excited to be using mass timber for the project, we would be remiss in not addressing some of the challenges we […]

AE Design Tour: Cambridge

Typically held 4-5 times a year and open to everyone in the firm, our design tours offer staff a chance to go beyond our screens and physically engage with notable projects while encouraging critical conversation around our collective experience. We aim to get at the heart of how and why projects are considered a success. […]

Working Towards A Sustainable Future

Amenta Emma’s Commitment to a Sustainable Design Practice The built environment bears a substantial responsibility to planetary health, contributing a staggering 42 percent of global carbon emissions and significantly influencing climate change and future landscapes. Sustainable Architecture Week 2024 provides a forum to reflect on our progress and the work we’ve done to change that […]

Design Development with Rens Hayes IV

Founding Partner, Tony Amenta, was a recent guest on the Design Development with Rens Hayes IV podcast. In this episode, Rens and Tony explore the entrepreneurial journey of establishing and growing a successful architecture firm in changing markets. Listen or watch on YouTube, Spotify, LinkedIn, Apple or Google Podcasts.

New Building Technology: Mass Timber

3-Part Series One exciting thing about architecture is the possibilities of evolving technologies and materials. An example is Amenta Emma’s downtown Hartford project – Bushnell South. The project will replace a currently underutilized parking lot in the heart of the city with more than 200 residential units in a mix of rental and ownership models. […]

Carbon Neutrality: The Sustainable Case for Designing With Wood

The construction industry contributes approximately 40 percent of global CO2 emissions. These emissions can be broken down into operational and embodied carbon. Operational carbon is realized during a building’s operation, while embodied carbon is released before and after a building’s operation. To lower carbon emissions and meet the Architecture2030 goal that all buildings, developments, and […]

2023 Year In Review

As we anticipate the possibilities of the new year, we take a moment to share a snapshot of events and accomplishments from 2023. Read here.

The Power of Adaptive Reuse in Architecture

As of 2022, the average commercial building in the United States was 53 years old. Too commonly, we view these assets as forgotten relics – prime to be replaced with a newer, shinier building to meet the current need. As architects, we have long sought after the ‘blank slate’ of the new building with its […]

Fall ’23 Teaching Firm in Residence at RWU

We are honored to join a distinguished list of Teaching Firms in Residence at RWU Cummings School of Architecture. Amenta Emma team members Eric Weyant, Jeremy Jamilkowski, and Thomas Barker will be teaching the graduate-level design studio focused on multi-family housing this fall semester, with project sites in Martha’s Vineyard and Boston. Established in 2007, the Architecture Teaching Firm […]

Senior Living: Revolution or Evolution?

The generation that influenced cultural change in the 60’s and 70’s with marches for civil rights, women’s rights, and against war, is on the cusp of another social movement. They want to age differently. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2050, 22 percent of the world’s population will be over the age of […]

Animal Resource Center Breaks Ground

The Animal Resource Center for Connecticut Humane Society (CHS) in Wilton, CT broke ground on September 7. The new 13,971 GSF building will convey the organization’s goals and values, providing a professional and compassionate environment to support the adoption and treatment of animals. In attendance were Amenta Emma design team members, our collaborators, Animal Arts […]

Template Design: Tips, Tweaks and Tips

More often than not, we work with clients on singular projects, developing a specific scheme to meet the client’s needs at that particular point in time. That being said, when receiving the opportunity to develop a company standard for workplace design, we have the ability to create a template that will be recreated multiple times. […]

Research! Innovate! Explore! Design!

As an interior design professional, I love nothing better than a great space. But the more I read and learn, I am convinced there is much more we can do. That was my motivation for pursuing accreditation and certification in Evidence-Based Design (EBD) from the Center for Healthcare Design. The program teaches how to apply […]

Orange Pop! Innovation Central

Amenta Emma completes the new engineering building at Central Connecticut State University – Applied Innovation Hub.

Buckingham Garage Receives PCI Design Award

Amenta Emma’s new garage at 315 Buckingham Street in Hartford, CT has been awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2022 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Design Awards.

Designs for a Hybrid Workplace

What kind of environment can employers provide that will encourage people to come back to the office? How will employers and employees negotiate the politics of shared space? Our research has revealed three overarching ideas about the future workplace.

Return to Office: Is There No Place Like Home?

With vaccine roll-out in high gear, it is time to consider our return to the office. What will that look like? Full staffing? Hybrid models? Changes in workplace design? One thing is certain: pandemic lockdowns have changed our perception of what an office should be.

Discovery Academy: An Environment for the Environment

Discovery Academy is a wonderful example of ways sustainability lessons can be incorporated into design and curriculum. CREC’s clear goals, paired with creative strategies from the Amenta Emma team, have combined to challenge learning in an interdisciplinary and interactive environment.

AMENTA EMMA WINS THREE IN AIA CT DESIGN AWARDS

Amenta Emma has been honored with three Merit awards in the 2020 AIA Connecticut Design Awards. The New Haven offices for quasi-public venture capital firm Connecticut Innovations was recognized in the Interior Architecture category. Amenta Emma’s workplace studio adapted a 1950s-era bus station into a 9,000-square-foot headquarters, encompassing offices, meeting rooms, collaborative areas and open work areas. […]

FOX 61 FEATURES AMENTA EMMA SENIOR LIVING DESIGN

Amenta Emma was recently recognized with the 2020 IIDA NE Senior Living Design Award for the Southington Care Center second floor reception area and courtyard. FOX 61 met Myles Brown, who heads Amenta Emma’s senior living studio, at the site to discuss how the design is helping residents through the pandemic. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Myles and […]

AMENTA EMMA WINS CREW CT AWARD FOR WEAVER HIGH SCHOOL

Amenta Emma Architects and talented project team won the CREW CT Best in Class: Academic award for the amazing transformation of Weaver High School in Hartford, CT. The winning projects were announced at the virtual Blue Ribbon Awards presentation held on October 1, 2020. Renovations to the 1960’s building include a new transparent façade which […]

AMENTA EMMA WINS IIDA NE AWARD FOR SOUTHINGTON CARE CENTER DESIGN

Amenta Emma Architects won the 2020 IIDA New England Senior Living Award for the firm’s design of the Southington Care Center second floor outdoor patio garden, garden room and nurses’ station. The award was announced September 16, 2020, at the IIDA New England Chapter’s virtual award presentation live from Boston. The International Interior Design Association […]

OFFICE SNAPSHOTS HIGHLIGHTS AMENTA EMMA IN RETURN-TO-WORKPLACE FEATURE

Amenta Emma’s design for the new Connecticut Innovations office at District New Haven is included in an Office Snapshots roundup of return-to-workplace solutions for the post-COVID office. Flexible glass spaces within an exposed, high-ceiling, semi-industrial environment turned out to be a better design choice than we ever could have guessed–and a big help in working […]

NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF HIGHER EDUCATION PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY MICHAEL TYRE

The New England Journal of Higher Education, the publication of the New England Board of Higher Education, published a detailed article by Amenta Emma Principal Michael Tyre about how colleges and universities can express and build their brand through campus design. Michael offers a framework for thinking about long-term campus planning, as well as questions […]

Big Building, Small(er) Carbon Footprint

After eight or more weeks of working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, people can begin going back to the office. But how? It is a confusing landscape, but experts in facilities can help interpret the new rules, and help you develop a plan.

HARTFORD COURANT HIGHLIGHTS HISTORY AND FUTURE OF ONE PARK

The Hartford Courant recently published a detailed article about the $65 million conversion of the West Hartford convent on Park Road into apartments. The Courant explores the history of the site and the future of the project–which will bring 292 much needed rental housing units to the city–and describes how Amenta Emma Architects created a […]

West Hartford Town Council Grants Tax Abatement for One Park Road Project

The West Hartford Town Council made a historic move – in part for the sake of history – by granting a tax stabilization agreement to the developer of Amenta Emma designed One Park Road, paving the way for the $66 million project to move forward in a manner that preserves the chapel and the grounds […]

TOPPING OFF CEREMONY MARKS PROGRESS ON CONSTRUCTION OF CCSU ENGINEERING BUILDING

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, construction of the new engineering building at Central Connecticut State University has continued on schedule toward a spring 2021 completion. KBE Building Corporation recently completed the steel framework for the project, which was designed by Amenta Emma Architects, and celebrated with a topping off ceremony. Photos by Fly on the Wall […]

BOSTON HERALD PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY TONY AMENTA ABOUT THE FUTURE OF RETAIL

The Boston Herald recently published an article by Amenta Emma partner Tony Amenta about how the COVID-19 pandemic may reshape the retail landscape toward a mixed-used model and solve traffic and housing problems faced by cities. “Boston has a housing problem wrapped up in a transportation problem,” writes Tony, who explains that the rapid closure […]

BUSINESS INSIDER FEATURES AMENTA EMMA’S WORKPLACE READINESS ASSESSMENT

Business Insider recently published an article titled, “5 businesses detailed their reopening plans, including what they’re buying, how much it costs per employee, and a floor plan layout showing how it all works.” Amenta Emma Principal Michael Tyre is the main expert featured in the article, sharing insights from our workplace readiness assessment offering, as […]

SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE QUOTES AMENTA EMMA IN JUNE 2020 COVER STORY

The latest issue of Senior Living Executive (published by Argentum, the nation’s largest senior living association), explores the future of senior living design. Myles Brown, head of Amenta Emma’s senior living studio, is quoted several times in the cover story (page 11). “This crisis will accelerate the process of senior living communities becoming one of the more […]

Welcome Back! Strategies to Reopen the Office

After eight or more weeks of working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic, people can begin going back to the office. But how? It is a confusing landscape, but experts in facilities can help interpret the new rules, and help you develop a plan.

What’s the Big Idea?

As we tackle larger and more complex projects each year, the diagram remains at the core of the Amenta Emma design process.

Back to School – Lessons from the Summer Slammer

It’s mid-May, a stream of packed SUVs has departed campus, the last evidence of end-of-year festivities and commencement ceremonies is cleaned up; signs of faculty are few and far between. Queue up contractors, architects, engineers, and vendors on a three-month mission: the SUMMER SLAMMER. University of Connecticut –  Putnam Refectory It’s that intense period most […]

Ideal Healthcare Spaces Consider Staff, Too

When designing in any healthcare or senior living environment, it is important to understand not only how to best suit resident or patient needs, but those of the caretakers as well. Providing an effective and stimulating environment for both staff and residents results in happier and healthier employees and enhanced patient care. This goal played […]

Spatial Systems and Design Clarity

We’ve all been in spaces that feel right, and we’ve all been in spaces where something feels off. For those not in the architectural/design profession, it may be difficult to articulate what it is about a space that affects us positively or negatively. In design, we begin by understanding the spatial systems that are already in place. By using the existing conditions as an underlay, we can ensure that what we add to the space feels right.

Every Day a Spa Day

Bathrooms don’t have to look institutional to function well for our more senior population. Andrus on Hudson is leading the way with an update to its central bathing room that will provide residents with a luxurious environment that can accommodate the special needs of users with various levels of disability.

Walk the Walk

Numerous clients who approach us to invigorate their office spaces are familiar with many of the popular movements that exist in office design today. Trends such as open office concepts, flexible spaces, and wellness initiatives all sound great on paper, but many are still skeptical. “Will it function for us?” Of course, we have countless success stories to share, but it means a lot when our firm can can show that we practice what we preach. It helps to reinforce our points.

The Phone Booth Is Alive and Well

While the use of strong, bold colors works well for visitors to a building or parking garage, different strategies are needed for people who work in the same place.