Demolition of the old buildings is complete and foundations are under way for a new residential village in the heart of downtown Beverly, MA, for the Montserrat College of Art. This project is being delivered under a design/build collaboration between Windover Construction of Manchester, MA, and Siemasko/Verbridge Architects of Beverly, MA. The project is a unique grouping of two-, three- and four-story buildings designed to blend with the surrounding neighborhood. A modern steel and glass connector serves as a gathering space for students as well as an art gallery for exhibitions. The lowest level is designed as flexible studio space that allows use for a variety of art mediums. The project design integrates the historic architectural fabric of the surrounding homes with new “green” technologies and the modernistic flare of a creative art college. The design’s commitment to being green and sensitivity to the surrounding neighborhood have led the team to implement a geothermal heating and cooling system that will utilize ground-source heat pumps in lieu of the more conventional rooftop heating and cooling towers. In addition to the state-of-the-art building systems and the use of environmentally friendly materials, Windover will divide the building construction into a series of modular units, allowing many of the major building components to be constructed off-site in a climate-controlled environment.
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