YMCA Selects Award-Winning Architectural Design Firm for Greenway Project - February 2008
YMCA SELECTS AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FIRM FOR GREENWAY PROJECT
CBT offers progressive approach to urban design and use of "green" technology
BOSTON (February, 2008) - The YMCA of Greater Boston announced today that the award-winning architectural firm CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc. has been selected to design the new YMCA planned for the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The state-of-the-art facility will become a new landmark for the city of Boston and serve as a community center for residents of the North End, West End, Charlestown, South Boston and part of Beacon Hill.
CBT's ability to incorporate the latest "green" technologies into architectural design was a key factor in their selection for the building that will be located on Greenway Parcel 6 at the intersection of the North End, Government Center and downtown Boston.
The firm has been recognized by the business and architectural community, as well as the city of Boston, for its green initiatives. CBT was one of just 12 business and five residents to be honored by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino as a recipient of the City of Boston's first annual Green Business Awards in the Green Business Practices category.
"CBT's commitment to sustainable design and integration of green principles meshes quite well with our vision for the Y on the Greenway," said John Ferrell, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston. "Members of the community specifically cited the need to make the Greenway Y a truly green, energy-efficient building, as well as a work of art. We are excited about the possibilities and look forward to working with them on this very important endeavor for the Y and the city of Boston."
CBT is well known in the Bay State for its landmark projects, including the Prudential Center Redevelopment, NorthPoint, and the John Adams Courthouse and Social Law Library. The firm has 41 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-accredited professionals on its staff.
"We are very pleased to have been selected by the Greater Boston Y for this ground-breaking project," said David Hancock, AIA, LEED AP, principal of CBT. "The success of our firm has been built on the creativity in our designs, social responsiveness in our community and collegial behavior in our efforts. We will utilize this philosophy when working with the Y to build the new facility."
Expected to accommodate up to 15,000 children, teens, adults, and seniors, the Greenway Y is an important part of the YMCA of Greater Boston's urban improvement agenda that includes renovating and expanding the Dorchester and West Roxbury Family YMCAs, rebuilding the 1902 Hyde Park branch, and revitalizing the Central Branch Y in the Fenway.
During a groundbreaking, "100 Great Ideas" public brainstorming session conducted in late 2007, more than five dozen of the city's prominent business, non-profit, civic and academic, leaders came together to discuss how the Y on the Greenway can better serve Boston's residents. The session generated a wide range of programming and design ideas, including a number intended to take advantage of green technology.
The planned Y facility is the only Greenway development proposal that promises to bring vital community services to an underserved section of Boston, particularly to residents of the North End, West End, Charlestown and South Boston. Forty percent of Boston's poor live in the neighborhoods that will be served by the facility. Some 29,000 children - half of them under age nine - live in this facility's service area. The newY will create approximately 400 new jobs.
About the YMCA of Greater Boston
Founded in 1851, the YMCA of Greater Boston is the first Y in the United States. The YMCA of Greater Boston is dedicated to improving the health of mind, body, and spirit of individuals and families in our communities. We welcome men and women, boys and girls of all incomes, faiths and cultures. One of the largest urban YMCAs in the country and Boston's largest provider of social services for children and families, the Greater Boston Y has more than 75 branches and program centers serving 100,000 men, women, and children in more than 40 eastern Massachusetts communities. (http://www.ymcaboston.org/)
About CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc.
CBT is a professional design firm providing services in architecture, urban design, and interior design. Founded in 1967, the firm's practice ranges from multi-family residential structures and developments, to major office towers and urban district renewals, to a host of academic campus facilities and civic projects. This variety of experience informs the unique approach we take to understanding all user needs. Over 175 awards recognize excellence and creativity in our design of new buildings and the renovation of existing structures. CBT currently employs 240 architects, planners, interior designers, and support personnel. (http://www.cbtarchitects.com/)
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelley Rice, 617-927-8127
Cell: 508-241-9028
KRice@ymcaboston.org
Don Martelli, 617-937-2570
Cell: 617-413-6773
donald.martelli@mslpr.com
Kristi Sprinkel, 617-646-5287
sprinkel@cbtarchitects.com
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