When erecting a new student commons between historic Hutchins Hall and another academic building at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, designers discovered that the building code required a 2-hour fire-rated barrier. However, the 80-year-old Hutchins Hall façade was adorned with aged limestone and historic stained glass windows. In order to transform the existing wall into a fire-rated assembly, the building team needed to remove the stained glass and limestone, install custom designed Safti SuperLite II-XL 120 glazing and EZ frames, then painstakingly re-assemble the stained glass and limestone. “The first step was to carefully remove the existing stained glass window

Florida’s Aventura Mall recently completed a new wing expanding the Miami-area retail destination by 315,000 sq. ft. to 2.7 million. Providing a sunlit experience with indoor conveniences, a custom, vaulted skylight was installed. Opened in 1983 at less than half its current size, Aventura has grown steadily through the decades. The newest addition on the eastern edge was completed in March 2018. “Retail is certainly evolving and we’re always innovating to stay ahead of the curve,” explained Jackie Soffer, co-chair and CEO of Turnberry Associates, owner and managing entity. JPRA Architects served as the project’s architect of record, working with general co

For years the privately-owned Lovejoy Wharf was a missing link in the HarborWalk that extends 46 miles around Boston’s waterfront. Revived in 2015, Lovejoy Wharf is now home to a new pedestrian walkway and a reinvented 200,000-sq.-ft., circa 1904 office building—the new global headquarters for iconic footwear company Converse. A unique mix of retail, entertainment and commercial office space, Lovejoy Wharf hosts 600 corporate employees; Converse’s non-profit sound studio, RubberTracks, that helps non-mainstream artists record an album; a yoga studio; fitness center; café/commons and materials library. Embracing multiple old and new exposed hard surfaces, building materials

Designers customized a glass façade for San Jose’s 111 Market Square to attract new tenants. Modulus Architects customized a second-skin glass façade for 111 Market Square; the back-lit decorative glass cladding is a key element in the upgrade of two 1960’s Class B office towers into Class A commercial real estate assets.