One of the most important buildings of the second half of the 20th century and a breakthrough design by Louis Kahn, Richards is a designated National Historic Landmark. The complex structure is configured as a group of laboratory towers with a central service tower. Considerable functional shortcomings had made this design icon the target of much venom for over the past fifty years. Our modernization brought the technical requirements of the laboratories into alignment with Kahn’s plan and spatial design, while vastly improving building functionality and energy performance.
After studying the feasibility of renewing and repurposing existing wet biomedical bench research laboratories to dry computational medical research laboratories, we developed Design and Preservation Guidelines to inform our work on this, as well as on subsequent projects. The inaugural phase of the modernization focused on portions of Towers C and D. We integrated new engineering systems, replaced and preserved the existing exterior walls, and introduced chilled-beam cooling, all of which significantly improved energy performance and occupant comfort.
Building Facts
-
16,000 GSF modernization
-
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCN)
-
Center for Functional Neuroimaging (CfN)
Awards & Honors
Following a rigorous analysis of the building program and Kahn’s design principles, we developed guidelines and a “kit of parts” for exterior restoration and interior transformation.
Collaborative, open-office environments paired with the careful preservation of existing materials, creates an inviting research environment.
New systems were threaded throughout the historic landmark to help improve energy efficiency and occupant comfort.
The project restored custom stainless steel frames and replaced the original polished plate glass with high-performance laminated glass.
Preservation, planning, and engineering expertise reinvent Richards as an open collaborative environment for team-based research. Multiple design room-layout studies were explored to optimize room configurations within Kahn's rigid nine-block planning grid.
Modernization Historic Preservation Collaborative Space Interiors
How we can best shepherd the legacy of modernism into a durable and sustainable future raises many issues that are fundamentally changing the way in which preservation professionals approach the rehabilitation of a large segment of the built environment. More
No Thermal Break, No Problem: Upgrading Kahn’s Stainless Steel Windows in the Richards Building
In this conference presentation, David Fixler and Matt Chalifoux discuss strategies for making a famously dysfunctional landmark work for science while respecting the original design vision.
Modernization Historic Preservation
