Case Studies Architecture & Design

Standing before a judge or sitting down with a probation officer can test anyone’s stress level, especially in a place like Essex Probate and Family Court in Salem, Massachusetts, where the most sensitive of issues may be resolved to not everyone’s satisfaction. But the anxieties there may be somewhat lessened by the consummation of extensive […]

Architecture is more than aesthetics. It’s a service-oriented and relationship-driven profession that the Boston firm of Miller Dyer Spears takes to heart as it tackles projects for some of New England’s most prominent institutions. MDS specializes in institutions that, among other purposes, serve educational and health care needs, and must constantly be served in kind […]

Standing on the manicured lawn of the Brightview senior living development in Canton, Massachusetts, it’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago, the same plot of land was a pit of sand and gravel. Today, a stately, three-story, 167,000-square-foot building stands there, surrounded by carefully landscaped grounds, courtyards and a quarter-mile walking path […]

The door to a better Buffalo seems to be opening, and brothers-in-law Kevin Dikeman and Tony Genovese have their hands on the knob—literally and figuratively. Respectively, president and vice president of Door Specialties Inc. in nearby Tonawanda, the two men have seen indications aplenty of an urban renaissance at Western New York’s largest city, with […]

For decades, if a truck passed under a concrete bridge with low clearance and hit one of the support beams, there was a standard fix. Depending on the severity of the damage, the struck section would be cut out and removed, a new beam lowered or hoisted in place and welded in. There’s a new […]

Operating amid the hustle and bustle of Canada’s biggest city of Toronto, Joseph Waldman has a knack of seeing regions ripe for development north and south of the 44th parallel and even overseas. The constantly on-the-go president of Highgates Group, Waldman is the man behind many successful projects in such diverse locales as Ontario, Iowa, […]

There was a familiar challenge Renaissance 3 Architects P.C. undertook in 2004 when it was tapped to lead the team that would redesign and renovate the landmark Chevron Science Center that housed the University of Pittsburgh’s chemistry department. One of the largest chemistry teaching and research facilities at any American college or university, the 14-story […]

What’s in a name? Plenty, if it’s Michael Graves Architecture & Design in New York City and Princeton, New Jersey. For seven principals today, it means living up to the legacy of the late, great and often-times eccentric architect whose name graces the firm’s letterhead. It’s a daily reminder of what’s at stake as its […]

When John W. “Jack” Somerville sold his architecture and engineering firm, Somerville Inc., he wanted to preserve the reputation his family had built over 50 years. He wanted to avoid selling to a large firm that might gut Somerville Inc. of its legacy or its longtime employees. Converting the firm to an ESOP, or employee […]

In the heart of sunny Kissimmee, Florida, Lugano Apartments may represent the future of high-end living for those seeking a community full of indoor and outdoor amenities with all the privacy necessary for hosting friends and family. Lugano is made up of four, four-story buildings and one three-story building. Also part of the complex are […]