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McNeil Avian CenterSaylorGregg ArchitectsBy Rosemarie Fabien

context | WI/SP2010 | 27

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When the long-legged hammerkop

builds its home of sticks and mud in

the Acacia tree, the nest can reach

four feet across and still not be

large enough for this denizen of the

African Savanna. Visitors to the

newMcNeil Avian Center at the

Philadelphia Zoo can crawl into a

big hammerkop nest, constructed of

fiberglass, and find that it’s just

about the perfect size. Similarly,

when SaylorGregg Architects were

asked to expand the Bird House for

the 150th anniversary of America’s

first zoo, they found that although

the building was too small, the

lovely view of the 1916 Mellor &

Meigs neoclassical building from

across the duck pond was perfect

as it was.

“The Zoo needed a much larger shell inwhich to replicate natural habitats, care forand house the birds, and showcase conser-vation efforts,” said project manager DavidSearles. “We had to figure out a way to pre-serve the view of this landmark building,while making way for exhibits that require ahuge amount of air space.”

Adding on to the back of the original build-ing, the architects designed a 7,300-square-foot addition with a roof that soars to 30 feet,strategically camouflaged. They renovated the10,000-square-foot original, restored andpainted the exterior stucco and limestone trim,removed the trees growing out of the limestonegutters, and replaced all the leaky skylights.

“Mellor & Meigs’ original building hadopen bird cages in the front that had been

enclosed many years ago so we didn’t restorethose,” said principal Peter Saylor. “Today,the zoo presents animals in their natural habi-tat wherever possible, and that drove our de-sign for the addition’s open spaces.”

The maintenance free, galvanized, struc-tural steel grid that supports the addition isexposed to the outside, like an exoskeleton,to prevent the birds inside from perching. Adouble-layered, insulated, acrylic panel sys-tem hangs on the inside of the steel supports.The panels let in light, like those used ingreenhouses, but in three variations to createa natural, dappled effect.

Working closely with zoo staff and exhibitdesigners Main Street, The Portico Group,and Science North, SaylorGregg crafted a de-ceptively compact facility that celebrates thebirds of several bioregions. Lush walk-through habitats reflecting the tropical rainforest, African savanna, Pacific Islands and aCentral American shade coffee plantationguide visitors to rare and endangered birds

PHILADELPHIA

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from around the world, separated by protec-tive Invisanet. A 50-seat, 4-D immersion the-atre with a glass floor, in which mist, windand lightning effects join sight and sound inconveying the migration experience, is one ofthe few indoor theatre spaces at the zoo, andis used for live animal demonstrations as well.Behind the scenes, sick or hurt birds are se-cured in cages that have removable steel andaluminum walls to suit the size of the bird.

In this sustainable structure, a geoexchange(geothermal) system uses the Earth’s naturaltemperature to cool and warm the building, re-ducing the energy needed to maintain desiredtropical conditions and also reducing the build-ing’s overall carbon footprint. New skylightshave awnings that are controlled by a weatherstation on the roof to monitor changes in tem-perature and humidity – a critical element inmaintaining a tropical rain forest.


Location: Philadelphia, PA

Client: Philadelphia Zoological Society

Size: 17,370 square feet

Architecture: SaylorGregg Architects:

David Searles, AIA, LEED AP, Associ-

ate-in-Charge; James R. Bush, AIA,

RIBA, LEED AP; Vivek Ghimire;

Charles. E. Dagit, Jr., FAIA; Peter M.

Saylor, FAIA

Exhibit Designers: Main Street Design;

The Portico Group; Science North

Structural/MEP Engineer:

CMX Engineering

Civil Engineer: CSA Group

Lighting Designer: Eclectic Precision

Contractor: Hessert Construction

Group

Photography: Tom Crane Photography

Joan Manufacturing, now Joan FabricsCorporation, produced fabric for auto seatsat 27 Jackson Street, a 660-foot-by-120-foot,four-story red-brick structure. Idle and emptylike so many other properties, 27 Jacksonstood out, with its huge footprint and anideal location on the Pawtucket Canal.

Winn Companies, of Boston, acquires, de-velops, and manages multi-family and mixed-in-come properties throughout the United States.Winn bought the mill, named it Loft 27 and setlofty goals: Go edgy. Attract young profession-als. Install conveniences like a WiFi lounge anda yoga studio. Select an architectural firm withexperience renovating mill buildings.

Winn hired JKR Partners, formerly JKRoller and Associates.

“We have redesigned 40 mills and com-mercial properties in New England and themid-Atlantic states, yielding 5,000 residentialunits,” says JKR Partners’ Matt Koenig, prin-cipal in charge of the project. “This was oneof our largest, with 173 apartments.”

The exterior needed only masonry clean-ing, minor window repairs and a new canopyat the entry. Koenig and Richard Stewart,project manager, maintained the historic na-ture of the building – on the outside.

They transformed the former loadingdock into a modern, metropolitan entry,treating the canal as backdrop. The ap-proach, driving down from Jackson Street towater level, meets a new, curved ramp.

“The long, narrow building allowed us toput in more apartments than usual, and thealmost-endless supply of massive windowsmade the retrofit easy to achieve,” saysKoenig. Fourteen-foot ceilings and 12-foot-high windows, some as wide as eight feet,provide high drama for occupants.

The designers placed the living, dining,and kitchen spaces at the perimeter, near thewindows, with the bedrooms deep inside. Allbedrooms receive indirect light through inte-

PHILADELPHIA

Loft 27JKR PartnersBy Susan Perloff

Downtown Lowell, Massachusetts, 40 miles northwest of Boston,

features dozens of early 19th-century mill buildings, relics of the

Industrial Revolution. A small national park that pays tribute to

New England’s textile boom encompasses the mill district.


Location: Lowell, Massachusetts


Client: Winn Companies

Architecture: JKR Partners; Matthew

Koenig, AIA, Principal-in-Charge;

Richard Stewart, AIA, Project Manager

General Contractor: Keith Construc-

tion, Inc.

Structural Engineer: Michael Horton

Associates, Inc.

Historic: Lowell Historical Department

Photography: Rixon Photo

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rior clerestory openings. Standard one-bed-room apartments contain 1,000 to 1,200square feet, and two-bedrooms, 1,400 to2,200 square feet.

In a windowless ground-floor space, JKRPartners placed a lounge area, fitness center,basketball court and a theater room for 16people – amenities that attract tenants. Alsoon that level, invisible but essential, an activehydroelectric plant, dating to the 1700s, con-tinues to hum.

“Winn Companies spent time and moneyimproving the common areas,” says Koenig.Seeking to cultivate a contemporary aura, JKRPartners chose sealed, exposed-concrete floor-ing and rust-colored metallic tiles for accent

walls in the lobby and administrative areas.The designers dropped decorative soffits

with recessed lighting in the waiting areas,providing a clever contradiction to the mill’shistory. Wide hallways with angled walls fun-nel people toward the leasing center and aglass-enclosed mailroom, then toward agallery featuring local artists.

JKR Partners worked closely with Winnthroughout all phases of the project. The ar-chitectural firm likes to work in partnershipwith owners. “The collaboration with Winnwas – forgive me – a win-win,” says Koenig.

PHILADELPHIA

As the new gateway to Delaware

County Community College’s main

campus, the Science, Technology,

Engineering, andMathematics

(STEM) Building was designed to ex-

acting environmental standards.

Driven by Burt Hill’s commitment to

integrated design, engineering, and

environmental concerns, the building

is intended to achieve LEED Silver.

The 100,000-square-foot STEM facilityfeatures a faceted plan and elevations thatcomfortably integrate the building with itscampus. In addition to the STEM educationalprogram of flexible, collaborative learning en-vironments, a large student-life componentmeant incorporating an auditorium, fitnesscenter, computer center, and café accessibleto the campus and community. ArchitectsBurt Hill stretched the geometry of the linearbuilding so it rises above a small creek andshapes a new campus courtyard.

The site’s adjacency to both the wetlandand the front of campus forced a tight inte-gration of the building with its context. The de-

sign team created a building less massive thanits large program would imply by shaping threeundulating parts that sit lightly on the land.

Accenting the building is an angled glasscorner called “the prism.” Illuminated atnight, the two-story prism offers a glimpseinto the building’s interior. Exhibits can behung in the unoccupied area, serving as abeacon for sciences on campus.

“In essence, the prism will signify the col-lege’s pursuit of science and enlightenment,”states the college’s website.

Burt Hill Principal-in-Charge Anton Ger-mishuizen, AIA, agrees. “They have been anenlightened client. The project represents

Delaware County Community CollegeSTEM BuildingBurt HillBy Amanda Gibney Weko


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their commitment to STEM education andthis building is very symbolic of this mission.”

Burt Hill paralleled the college’s commit-ment to STEM with its own emphasis on ad-vanced technology. Early energy modelingand photometric simulation allowed archi-tects and engineers to evaluate multiple en-ergy strategies in plan and cross section.

“It was both a design issue and a behaviorand operations issue,” explained Ger-mishuizen, of the energy-intensive STEM pro-gram. Much of the design was motivated by

how the building would respond to climate.The design team evaluated complex dig-

ital models similar to CAT scans to assess day-lighting at 12-inch intervals. Interior daylightis maximized (25 foot candle rating over 75percent of the building) through a wovenpattern of metal panels and glass on thenorth, east, and west elevations and sub-stantive curtain wall on the south elevation.Sun shades and ceramic frit on the glazingminimizes summer heat gain.

The modular fenestration and rust-colored metal panels do more than conserve energy.Their pattern and color complement the terracotta brick of nearby buildings and downplayfloor height differences in adjacent structures.

High-efficiency HVAC, occupancy sen-sors, and a 4,000-square-foot green roofwith gray-water harvesting contribute to op-erations efficiency. Designers predict annualsavings of roughly $60,000 through opti-mized energy consumption.

The brightly lit building offers a stimulat-ing learning environment for students and acommunity center for local businesses. Onthe first floor, an oval-shaped lecture hallshapes circulation through public areas. Theremaining three floors of STEM classroomsare elevated above the oval, demonstratingthe college’s commitment to 21st centurytechnical education.

Location: Media, PA

Client: Delaware County Community

College


Architecture: Burt Hill: Anton Ger-

mishuizen, AIA, Principal-in-Charge;

Scott Sullivan, AIA, LEED AP, Project

Manager; Tahisha Anderson, RA, Proj-

ect Architect; Jill Sirota, NCIDQ Certi-

fied, LEED AP, Interior Designer;

Arman Chowdhury, LEED AP, Project

Designer; Gina Bocra, AIA, LEED AP

ID+C, Sustainable Designer; David

Hatton, AIA, NCARB, Student Life De-

signer; Melinda Johnson, PE, LEED AP,

Mechanical Engineer; David Linamen,

PE, CEM, LEED AP, Mechanical Engi-

neer; Sara Moore, RLA, ASLA, LEED

AP, Landscape Architect

Structural Engineer: MacIntosh Engi-

neering

Geotechnical Engineer: Duffield As-

sociates

General Contractor: Reynolds Con-

struction Management, Inc.

Commissioning Agent: Bala Con-

sulting Engineers, Inc.

Civil Engineer: Herbert MacCombie, Jr.

Cost Estimating: The McGee Company

PHILADELPHIA

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The Bala House Montessori School at theChurch of Saint AsaphHooper Shiles ArchitectsBy Amanda Gibney Weko

The Bala HouseMontessori School

spent 40 years teaching its pre-

school and kindergarten program

from the basement of Bala Cynwyd’s

Church of Saint Asaph. Although the

school thrived, its cramped environ-

ment lacked traditional Montessori

calmness and order. Bala House’s

founding principles of respect, chal-

lenge, and peacefulness inhabit a

new addition by Hooper Shiles Ar-

chitects, who took on the daunting

task of designing an addition that

would satisfy both the school’s

needs and the church’s long-term

campus development.

The Church of Saint Asaph evolved over116 years into a community center with theschool as an important partner. Designed byTheophilus Chandler, the original church,parish house, and rectory were completed in1890. Zantzinger Borie & Medary designedparish hall alterations in 1923. Borie & Smith

enlarged the hall in 1950. As Hooper ShilesPrincipal in Charge Matthew Heckendorn,AIA, LEED AP, explained, honoring this archi-tectural legacy was important.

“The real key was respecting the scale ofthe existing campus, yet providing a buildingappropriate to 2009,” Heckendorn said.

Sensitive site planning rotated the addi-tion to parallel the church. Scale is kept fur-ther in check by using a pair of gable roofsrather than a single volume. Modern versionsof architectural elements – buttresses, ma-sonry colors and joint profiles, and hippedroof forms – complement, rather than copy,their historic predecessors.

Respect for the educational mission andstudents of the school meant amenities anddesign appropriate for young children. The7,150-square-foot addition contains threelarge classrooms with child-height cabinetryand plumbing fixtures (amenities the schoolonce lacked), abundant natural light throughwindows at adult and child levels, and acalming interior design palette of natural ma-terials and earth tones that do not distractfrom Montessori educational materials.Hooper Shiles chose low-VOC and recycledfinishes for long-term sustainability.

The addition’s playful east elevation, with


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its staggered-height fenestration, is in con-trast to its more staid west elevation, whichfeatures a gothic-arched cloister that framesthe entry courtyard. Inspired by historic de-tails found throughout campus, the cloistertransitions between old and new.

A new shared entryway uses trans-parency to link the building’s multiple uses,including church, school, art gallery, andmusic program, with the site. A steel andglass storefront window system brings visitorsinto the facility or out onto the ceremonialpath to the garth and cemetery.

Visible through the entry is a ceiling muralby artist Meg Saligman inspired by the

church’s stained glass and artwork created byBala House students and children from thechurch. As a collaborative effort of church,school, and community, it demarcates the en-trance as a true link between the three.

Incorporating elements such as the clois-ter and ceiling mural add character and evokea sense of peacefulness that the shared spacefinally has achieved a comfortable synergy.Maria Montessori believed joy was the ulti-mate characteristic attainable through herteaching method. In September 2009, theBala House Montessori School and theChurch of Saint Asaph shared the joy as thenew Edith C. Aherne Wing was opened.

Location: Bala Cynwyd, PA

Client: The Bala House Montessori

School


Architecture: Hooper Shiles

Architects: Matthew A. Heckendorn,

AIA, LEED AP, Principal in Charge; R.

Mitchell Shiles, AIA, Principal; Janet S.

Colesberry, AIA, Specifications and

QA/QC; Jared L. Bookhamer, Project

Architect, Karen C. Kovolski, LEED AP,

Interior Designer

Structural Engineer: A.W. Lookup

Corporation

MEP Engineer: Paul H. Yeomans, Inc.

(now Bala Consulting Engineers)

Civil Engineer: Momenee &

Associates, Inc.

General Contractor: C. Raymond

Davis & Sons, Inc.

Mural Artist: Meg Saligman

Photography: Don Pearse

Photographers, Inc.

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