BSA Design Awards: Project Spotlight

Every year, the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) gathers to celebrate the people and projects shaping excellence in design across the region. This year's gala recognized 31 projects and individuals whose work demonstrates the power of the built environment to strengthen communities, drive meaningful changes, and advance a more sustainable and equitable Boston.

TGE Projects

Dartmouth Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH | Completion 2022

BSA Design Awards | Adaptive Reuse, Renovation, or Historic Preservation | Merit

A Mohegan preacher once described identity through the parable of a well-worn knife: no matter how many times its blade or handle was replaced, it remained the same knife. That spirit of enduring identity through change guided this 35,000 SF renovation of Dartmouth College's oldest and most beloved building.

After two fires and multiple reconstructions over 250 years, this latest transformation was the most ambitious yet. The exterior was faithfully restored while the interior was completely reimagined — new open stairs, an elevator, and a front terrace brought full accessibility to a building that had never had it. Seventy faculty offices, twelve classrooms, and a humanities and writing center were reorganized to foster closer faculty and student collaboration. New galleries give voice to the histories of Dartmouth Hall and Dartmouth Women, including narratives that had long gone untold.

Backed by a women-led campaign and over 3,000 alumnae, the $27.5M project is LEED Gold certified and geothermal ready. Tradition is honored, the future is embraced, and the building endures.

Firm name: designLAB architects

Client: Dartmouth College

Jury comments: Handled with respect, elegance, warmth, and love, this high-performing historic renovation is a wonderful project that blends preservation, accessibility, sustainability, and inclusive storytelling. The interior is transformed and modernized without changing the exterior one bit, achieving first-time full accessibility in a 250-year-old building through thoughtful ADA upgrades. Deep community ownership, significant improvements to equity and environmental performance, strong conceptual framing, and a powerful integration of history and future identity make this an impressive and meaningful project.

• _{Images/Photographer(s): Anton Grassl; Andrew Shea}
• _{General Contractor: Engelberth Construction}
• _{Civil Engineer: RFS Engineers}
• _{Specifications: Kalin Associates}
• _{Sustainability: The Green Engineer, Inc.}
• _{Structural: RFS Engineers}
• _{Mechanical: RFS Engineers}
• _{Electrical: RFS Engineers}
• _{Plumbing: RFS Engineers}
• _{Acoustics: Cavanaugh Tocci Associates}
• _{Audio Visual: Cavanaugh Tocci Associates}
• _{Interiors: designLAB architects}
• _{Landscaping: Stimson Studio}
• _{Lighting: Available Light}

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The Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA | Completion Date 2024

Project type: Institutional & Cultural Facilities | Honor

Bridging research from three leading academic and medical institutions, the Ragon Institute unites scientists at the forefront of eradicating infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and SARS/COVID. The new 323,000 SF building occupies a freestanding triangular site on Main Street in Cambridge, nestled in a bustling corridor between major city landmarks.

The design embraces the triangular site as a singular object, cantilevering dramatically at three corners and floating the mass above the landscape on all sides. A green roof slopes downward three stories around the block, while an elliptical courtyard carved into the mass scales the building's profile and creates a dynamic silhouette along Main Street. This courtyard is an extension of the organically shaped atrium that defines the heart of the institute.

The exterior stands in quiet contrast to the hard edged corporate architecture typical of Kendall Square. The building pulls back from adjoining facades to define a new urban forest, while a minimalist cladding of scalloped vertical sunshades wraps the performance driven facade. These elements respond to changes in program and orientation, mask mechanical spaces, and convey a sculptural sense of movement. The matte textured finish nods to the solid materiality of the three partner institutions while achieving substantially lower carbon impact than traditional materials.

‍Firm Name: PAYETTE

Client: The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard

Jury comments: The institute’s dramatic cantilevers, sculptural sun-shaded façade, and sweeping green roof transform a constrained triangular site into a bold civic landmark. Deeply sustainable, all-electric, daylight-rich labs and 15,000+ SF of new public landscape set a benchmark for high-performance research facilities. Wonderful interiors, well-detailed, and a great attitude to the public realm create a building that contrasts beautifully with typical office/research projects.

• _{Images/Photographers: Robert Benson Photography, Warren Jagger Photography}
• _{Project/Construction Manager: Consigli Construction}
• _{Civil Engineer: Bristol Engineering}
• _{Structural: Arup}
• _{Mechanical: Arup}
• _{Acoustics: Acentech}
• _{Audio Visual: AVH Technology Partners}
• _{Lighting: Arup}
• _{Sustainability: The Green Engineer}
• _{Envelope: Studio NYL}
• _{Geotechnical: Haley & Aldrich}
• _{Vertical Conveyance: VDA}
• _{Energy Modeler: Arup}
• _{Food Service Consultant: Colburn Guyette}
• _{Parking: Walker Consultants}
• _{Wind Dispersion: CPP Wind Engineering Consultants}
• _{Childcare: StudioMLA}