Newton-based Commodore Builders will spend the summer working on 11 new projects on nine New England school and college campuses.
Jim Dunn, CFO of the Boston Architectural College, expressed enthusiasm about working with Commodore again on the upcoming restoration of the College’s signature 1887 entrance.
Commodore’s roster of summer projects includes bathroom renovations in dorms at Wellesley College; renovations of two early 20th century buildings at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street at Berklee College of Music, which when complete, will accommodate a new Barnes & Noble bookstore and new academic classrooms and offices; and Carmichael Residence Hall at Tufts University in Medford is undergoing a 94,000-square-foot renovation to the bathrooms, showers and plaza area.
Heading out to western Massachusetts, Commodore is working in conjunction with Livermore Edwards at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, upgrading the 5,400-square-foot Blake Student Commons Dining Hall.
In Building 31 on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commodore is working with D’Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects on the conversion of an existing mechanical room into a new laboratory to support state-of-the-art combustion research. Also on campus, a chemistry lab, classroom and assembly space in the Landau Building – designed by I.M. Pei – are undergoing renovations, the firm said.
Enhancements to the gymnasium lobby and exterior repairs to the administration building have begun on the campus of St. Sebastian’s in Needham. Aesthetic improvements are being made to the entry walkways connecting the administration and gymnasium.
A new 1880 adapted Victorian-period boathouse is being planned for the campus of the Middlesex School, located in a residential neighborhood on the banks of the Concord River in Billerica. Working with Robert Powell of WP+G Architects, the preconstruction phase of the project is now underway. Demolition of an existing structure will be followed by construction of a new retaining wall along the river’s edge. Construction of the boathouse, including a new dock for the crew team, is expected to begin in early fall.
The architectural upgrades to Blackman Auditorium and lobby on the campus of Northeastern University required the entire auditorium to be scaffolded to the ceiling.
Commodore’s relationship with the Boston Architectural College continues with the start of phase three renovations to the 951 Boylston St. building, formerly the Institute for Contemporary Art. The massive arched wood entrance of the BAC is being restored to its original 1887 Richardson Romanesque Revival state. Working with The Institute for Human Centered Design, the simultaneous interior renovations will create more adaptable, multi-use space for education and for the display of student work, the company said.
