Allston, Mass. – Architecture, interiors, and planning firm PCA has completed Arthaus, an art-focused residential development in the heart of Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
Located at the intersection of North Beacon and Everett Streets, Arthaus, the latest development by The Mount Vernon Company, is composed of a five-story, 72-unit apartment residence and a separate nine-unit condominium building.
Arthaus’s glassed-in lobby showcases local artists and a street-level public plaza with seating on North Beacon Street. The gallery, managed by Unbound Visual Arts, an Allston-Brighton–based nonprofit arts organization, engages those passing by to view an ever-changing display of locally created artwork.
PCA’s design features a distinctive, contemporary façade inspired by the Japanese origami, with waveform patterns zigzagging through the corrugated metal exterior.
DESIGN ADDS NEW ENERGY TO ALLSTON NEIGHBORHOOD
“We know from years of experience that a great design appeals to tenants and outperforms competing properties,” said Bruce A. Percelay, Chairman and Founder of The Mount Vernon Company. “We want to be the best in any neighborhood where we compete, and we express that through architecture. PCA’s design adds new energy to a neighborhood known for its eclectic eateries, entertainment venues, and locally owned shops.”
“With Arthaus, we wanted to create a one-of-a-kind residential experience that reflects the artistic and diverse cultural character of the neighborhood,” said PCA Principal Dave Snell, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. “Allston has long been at the heart of Boston’s arts and music community, and the connection between the Arthaus design, the building’s amenities, and its community engagement clearly struck a chord with residents.” Arthaus was fully leased before its completion.
WIDE RANGE OF TENANT AMENITIES
The recently occupied residence offers a wide range of high-end tenant amenities at a price point below competing properties: a rooftop gathering and entertaining space with 360-degree city views, on-site underground parking, a high-tech fitness center with Peloton bikes and a MIRROR interactive fitness system, electric vehicle charging stations, and a dog park and pet spa.
Arthaus is the latest of a dozen creative collaborations between PCA and The Mount Vernon Company over the past decade. The two teamed up to produce the LEED Platinum–certified Allston Green District in Boston, the 164-room Revolution Hotel – selected as the #1 Hotel in Boston by Condé Nast Traveler, and Radius, a LEED Gold–certified, mixed-use development featuring 132 apartments and ground-floor retail space in Brighton.
Owner: The Mount Vernon Company
Architect: PCA
Construction Manager: Cranshaw Construction
Branding & Design: Visual Dialogue
Interior Design: Superette Studio
Structural Engineer: Odeh Engineers
Landscape Architect: RBLA Design
ABOUT PCA
PCA, founded in 1982 and based in Cambridge, is recognized as one of Greater Boston’s largest, most responsive and innovative design firms. The firm’s creative staff brings a blend of business insight and creative problem-solving to each project. With expertise in architecture, planning, and interior design, the firm’s thoughtful, award-winning design has generated one success after another for our clients — projects that thrive in the marketplace and bring lasting value to the community.
ABOUT THE MOUNT VERNON COMPANY
Mount Vernon Company is a real estate investment company recognized as one of the leading apartment property owners in Massachusetts. The company, founded by Bruce A. Percelay, has grown over the past 30 years to include 1,600 apartments, five hotels, and select commercial and vacation properties. Mount Vernon Company received the Community Excellence Award from the Rental Housing Association of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the Paragon Award for Industry Excellence by the National Apartment Association, Best Landlord in Boston recognition by Boston Magazine, and Best Places to Work in Boston award by the Boston Business Journal.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
And the world's tallest building is…
At more than 2,600 feet high, the Burj Dubai (right) can still lay claim to the title of world's tallest building—although like all other super-tall buildings, its exact height will have to be recalculated now that the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) announced a change to its height criteria.
| Aug 11, 2010
Luxury high-rise meets major milestone
A topping off ceremony was held in late October for 400 Fifth Avenue, a 57,000-sf high-rise that includes a 214-room luxury hotel and 190 high-end residential condominiums. Developed by Bizzi & Partners Development and designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, the 60-story tower in midtown Manhattan sits atop a smaller-scale 10-story base, which creates a street façade t...
| Aug 11, 2010
Mixed-use Seattle high-rise earns LEED Gold
Seattle’s 2201 Westlake development became the city’s first mixed-use and high-rise residential project to earn LEED Gold. Located in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, the newly completed 450,000-sf complex includes 300,000 sf of Class A office space, 135 luxury condominiums (known as Enso), and 25,000 sf of retail space.
| Aug 11, 2010
Triangular tower targets travelers
Chicago-based Goettsch Partners is designing a new mixed-use high-rise for the Chinese city of Dalian, located on the Yellow Sea coast. Developed by Hong Kong-based China Resources Land Limited, the tower will have almost 1.1 million sf, which includes a 377-room Grand Hyatt hotel, 84 apartments, three restaurants, banquet space, and a spa and fitness center.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brooklyn's tallest building reaches 514 feet
With the Brooklyner now topped off, the 514-foot-high apartment tower is Brooklyn's tallest building. Designed by New York-based Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects and developed by The Clarett Group, the soaring 51-story tower is constructed of cast-in-place concrete and clad with window walls and decorative metal panels.
| Aug 11, 2010
RMJM unveils design details for $1B green development in Turkey
RMJM has unveiled the design for the $1 billion Varyap Meridian development it is master planning in Istanbul, Turkey's Atasehir district, a new residential and business district. Set on a highly visible site that features panoramic views stretching from the Bosporus Strait in the west to the Sea of Marmara to the south, the 372,000-square-meter development includes a 60-story tower, 1,500 resi...
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
| Aug 11, 2010
Colonnade fixes setback problem in Brooklyn condo project
The New York firm Scarano Architects was brought in by the developers of Olive Park condominiums in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to bring the facility up to code after frame out was completed. The architects designed colonnades along the building's perimeter to create the 15-foot setback required by the New York City Planning Commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
U.S. firm designing massive Taiwan project
MulvannyG2 Architecture is designing one of Taipei, Taiwan's largest urban redevelopment projects. The Bellevue, Wash., firm is working with developer The Global Team Group to create Aquapearl, a mixed-use complex that's part of the Taipei government's "Good Looking Taipei 2010" initiative to spur redevelopment of the city's Songjian District.
| Aug 11, 2010
Recycled Pavers Elevate Rooftop Patio
The new three-story building at 3015 16th Street in Minot, N.D., houses the headquarters of building owner Investors Real Estate Trust (IRET), as well as ground-floor retail space and 71 rental apartments. The 215,000-sf mixed-use building occupies most of the small site, while parking takes up the remainder.
