The March 2023 ASHE PDC Summit in Phoenix Arizona did not disappoint. A lively mix of baseball spring training, the world baseball championship, and several thousand healthcare professionals descending on downtown Phoenix provided a level of energy to the area that was exciting to see. At the conference, I was lucky enough to present with Jeff O’Neill from RWJBarnabas Health and Teresa Harris from isgenuity a presentation titled “Herding Cats: Implementation & Management of Functional Programs & Safety Risk Assessments” in which we facilitated a lively morning conversation on critical requirements of the FGI guidelines and who is responsible for completing them for each project. I learned a lot from the conversation, and if you have any questions on these two areas of the guidelines, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help!
There were great talks and keynotes throughout the conference. These are my top hot topics from this year’s conference:
BIG DATA is coming! Investing in sensors and data collection for augmented reality, personal device customization, and improved clinical predictive medicine.
Healthcare transitions to retail experience. Healthcare organizations need to shift their thinking from “patients” to “customers” and design for that experience.
Lots of doom and gloom on the financial side of things with a variety of examples of the financial toll COVID-19 has had on hospitals and their employees.
Telehealth reimbursement has been extended for two additional years; an inkling that this delivery of care model is here to stay in terms of reimbursement. It will be interesting to see if this sparks any new investments in projects related to expanding the implementation of virtual visits.
Of these hot topics, I see a hospital’s ability to invest in data collection across a wide spectrum of disciplines, from building management and infrastructure to patient clinical information to real time location services for staff patients and equipment, a key area of investment over the next 3 years. A great idea from “Hey Alexa, How Can Hospitals Use Intelligent Lighting?” by Todd Hermann from Smith Seckman Reid and Abigail Lipperman from Children’s Health was purchasing Wi-Fi sensors that are integrated into light fixtures. This simple concept allows a hospital to expand their sensor coverage via a hardwired system when areas are renovated, or lighting upgrades are made. The sensors are often open-source code, allowing them to integrate with bio med for medical equipment tracking and personal devices for patients and staff wayfinding and navigating the hospital as well as wellness prompts, for instance, to take the stairs vs. the elevator.
So, that was what was discussed on stage, but what was everyone talking about at the bar? The electrification of the hospital to reduce carbon emissions was a key goal being discussed. The question I kept hearing was: Why take a critical care facility and place it at the bleeding edge of this transition with the current state of the broader electrical grid? A diversity of systems and fuel sources seems like a more resilient answer to the overall risk assessment for the critical care hospital. Hospitals should be focused on proven sustainable solutions to help their energy reduction, but a move to full electrification, even with the benefits of the microgrid, seems to be putting all the eggs into an infrastructure basket that has capacity issues. Failure could place peoples’ lives at risk. This question really resonated with me, and it is often how I assess new products to the marketplace. Cool and shiny work well in a lot of commercial real estate projects, but when I am specifying products and designing for healthcare, I lean towards tried-and-true solutions that will hold up to the heavy use of environments of care.
Investment management firm sought new workspace at One Beacon Street
BOSTON – April 5, 2023 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has completed the renovation of 31,000 SF at One Beacon Street for Boston Trust Walden, an independent, employee-owned firm providing investment management services to institutional investors and private wealth clients. The firm has approximately $14 billion in assets under management and is known for its compelling investment philosophy, excellent track record, and decades-long leadership in ESG impact investing. The renovation project transformed the 34th floor at One Beacon Street into a light-filled space with stunning 360-degree views of Boston.
“We decided to move when we realized our office space would no longer accommodate our growth,” said Sarah Kelly, COO and general counsel at Boston Trust Walden. “We took the opportunity to reevaluate how we use space for working and found a partner in Margulies Peruzzi. Their talented team listened to our goals and designed a beautiful, modern space that achieved these and much more. The space is transparent and welcoming and encourages people to move around and interact with one another — something we were missing before. We are thrilled with the results.”
Boston Trust Walden prioritized smaller, uniform offices, direct access to daylight for workstations, and a focus on socialization and collaboration. To achieve these goals, Margulies Perruzzi designed perimeter offices with full glass fronts to bring light into the interior of the space and created alcoves at the perimeter for workstations with access to natural light. A lot of thought was put into creating an employee hub to serve as the core collaboration area. Featuring a coffee bar, pantry, and a variety of seating options including booths, high top tables, and traditional café seating, the employee hub encourages spontaneous collaboration and can also be used as informal meeting space. A client area is located adjacent to the reception area and employee hub and boasts four conference rooms of various sizes.
A unique feature of the Boston Trust Walden office is the trading area. Located in the interior of the space with direct access to an adjoining social area, it was designed to have a direct sight line to the stunning view. Margulies Perruzzi leveraged space at the heart of the interior of the office for ADA-compliant restrooms, locker space, and a multi-purpose wellness room.
Margulies Perruzzi selected earthy natural tones mixed with brighter colors to complement the natural wood floors, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for employees and visitors. The design team took care to select materials for the space that not only visually embodied Boston Trust Walden, but also aligned with the firm’s focus on social and environmental responsibility, ensuring products used met this high standard.
The project team for this project included:
Architect / Interior Designer: Margulies Perruzzi
GC: Corderman & Company
MEP/FP: WB Engineers
Furniture: Officeworks
Lighting: Boston Light Source
OPM: Newmark
New linear accelerator installed to allow team to treat more complex cases with a higher level of precision and efficiency
BOSTON – March 21, 2023 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has completed renovations for the radiation oncology department at Beth Israel Lahey Health’s Winchester Hospital. Located at 620 Washington Street in Winchester, Mass., the radiation oncology department is part of the hospital’s Center for Cancer Care. This is the twenty-eighth project Margulies Perruzzi has designed for Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) and the eighth at Winchester Hospital. Other projects at Winchester Hospital include the Microbiology Lab, a CT replacement, and a Bone Density Clinic at Unicorn Park.
Winchester Hospital is a 229-bed facility and leading provider of comprehensive health care services in northwest suburban Boston offering a broad range of surgical specialties, including general, bariatric, urologist, thoracic, otolaryngology (ENT), vascular, and orthopedic surgery. Winchester Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
The radiation oncology renovation project was driven by Winchester Hospital’s need to install a new linear accelerator. It will allow the clinical team to treat more complex cases with a higher level of precision and efficiency. The vault reconstruction also provided an opportunity to upgrade support spaces and refresh the aesthetics throughout the department.
“Linear accelerator installations have always been a favorite project type of mine,” said John Fowler, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP, associate principal and partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “They require a high degree of technical proficiency, but they also create opportunities to improve the patient experience and contribute in even a small way to the incredible care that the radiation oncology teams provide to their patients.”
The project team strategically planned the construction and equipment installations for the shortest construction duration possible to minimize the diversion of patients to other BILH cancer centers during the renovations. Over the course of four months, the existing linear accelerator was removed, the vault, control room and CT sim room were renovated inclusive of new shielding and below slab conduit runs, the new equipment was installed, tested and the department was back open for patient care. Cosmetic upgrades and custom millwork were designed to fit the accessories and equipment associated with radiation treatment.
“BILH asked us to create spaces that were bright, serene and complimentary to the equipment being installed while adding whimsical touches of design and a customizable patient ambience with color changing LED lighting and music that can be selected by the patients for their treatment sessions,” said Julia Donahue, IIDA, NCIDQ, WELL AP, interior designer at Margulies Perruzzi.
The project team included:
Architecture and Interior Design: Margulies Perruzzi
Margulies is an award-winning architect, community leader, real estate industry mentor, and philanthropist who has made a difference in the communities where he lives and works. After serving as Fidelity Investments’ manager of real estate design, Margulies founded Margulies & Associates in 1988. Now known as Margulies Perruzzi (MP), Margulies has grown the firm to one of New England’s top architectural and interior design firms, focusing on workplace, health, science & technology, and real estate development projects. Margulies strongly believes that people are deeply affected both by their workplace and by where they live, and that architects can contribute enormously to making businesses more successful and their employees happier. His clients recognize the value of this expertise, resulting in commissions to design and strategize on many exciting and provocative headquarters projects. Margulies is also involved in a number of volunteer efforts, most notably working on behalf of Boston’s Wharf District Council to develop waterfront resilience to rising sea levels, and on designing and building cost-effective modular micro-units for the homeless.
The well-deserving 2023 winners will be honored at the in-person Awards of Excellence Gala on April 27, 2023 at the Westin Boston Seaport District.
A critical part of any lab planning and design project is getting the equipment list correct. Traditionally, the end users provide an initial list to our lab planning and design team that includes each piece of equipment they need for their work. The list should include the size and weight of each piece of equipment, as well as all electrical, plumbing, and gas requirements. We review the list for accuracy with the client and then against a database we have developed. The content is adjusted so that it’s formatted correctly and ready to integrate into our Revit Model. For existing equipment, if the equipment list is insufficient, our design team can survey the equipment to create an accurate list that includes any computer requirements, UPS or backup power, special exhaust requirements, or waste streams. This is also beneficial to the design process because it provides a look into the existing lab and confirms which pieces of equipment are adjacent to one another or directly connected.
For startup client’s advancing from the incubator environment and leasing their first new space, the equipment list is still a critical piece of laboratory planning and design. The design team can work with the end users or procurement team to help develop and maintain their equipment list, even working through projected growth and workflows for equipment that may be purchased later. There are also specialized lab procurement companies that can help procure the equipment to get client’s operations up and running.
Overall, the equipment list becomes a central design tool for the project. It’s used to layout the different sections of a laboratory. Once it’s loaded into Revit, it helps determine the size of each room or clearance requirements, as well as how many adjacent laboratory spaces are needed. We have developed a plugin integrated with our Revit software that loads the equipment list into Revit and creates detailed individual items called “families” for each piece of equipment. These “families” automatically show the utilities needed on the equipment drawing itself. The Revit plugin also creates a 3D visual for clients to view the lab, including the lab equipment. This helps end users visualize how their space will look and how the lab is laid out.
The Revit file is then sent to our MEP engineering partners to reference the information in a single document. This makes it less likely that there will be inconsistencies between the architectural and engineering drawings. BIM360 is also used to integrate consultants’ drawings with the architectural drawings. Prior to developing this approach, engineers had to reference both the equipment plan and the equipment matrix or schedule to see all the details of the equipment, often resulting in conflicts. Since the MEP drawings are the primary resource that the subcontractors on-site use to install the utilities, accuracy is critical. The contractor also can use a 3D view of the lab to coordinate where lab benches, equipment, and other components will be located. It can be shared with the subcontractors that otherwise may not look at the architectural drawings but often will reference a 3D view of the lab if it includes equipment to inform their work on-site.
The value of this process becomes evident at the end of the project when the space is built out and the owner moves in their equipment. These laboratories are critical to the success of our clients. Avoiding delays in operations is paramount. Because the utilities are installed in the correct locations to service the owner’s equipment, the company can begin operations on time, avoiding costly delays.
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BOSTON – March 7, 2022 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, today announced the addition of seven new professionals to support the firm’s growth in its workplace, healthcare, science, and real estate practice areas. This roster of new employees will add their respective talents and strengths to MP’s team of more than 50 creative and client service-oriented professionals. MP is pleased to welcome:
Jonathan Bailey-Francois ~ Project Designer
Jonathan has explored the importance of interdisciplinary coworking, master planning, the impact policy has on architecture, the introduction of new technologies in a professional environment, and the benefits of volunteering as a designer. Jonathan’s passion for craft, thought, and sustainability led to his Master’s Thesis winning the Thesis Award for Excellence; he will use this passion to develop and grow as a designer with intentions to become a licensed architect.
Michael Fortunato ~ Marketing Coordinator
Mike is a marketing professional within the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. He specializes in client-facing communications, content creation, graphic design, and proposal planning and development. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Public Relations from Suffolk University.
Marissa Meads ~ Interior Designer
Marissa brings a balance of creativity, forward thinking, and innovative designing skills to the MP team. She is talented interior designer with over five years’ experience and strives to design unique and transformative interiors spaces for workplaces and life sciences companies. She helps clients achieve their vision through a structured design process by balancing colors, textures, and lighting to create spaces that reflect their unique qualities.
Alvaro Ribeiro, AIA ~ Senior Architect
Alvaro has over 22 years of experience designing spaces for life sciences, medical device, and technology clients. His portfolio spans projects providing cutting-edge facilities for clients across New England’s expanding science and technology industry. At MP, Alvaro is a valuable asset to any project, leveraging his experience to provide insight that helps guide the project team and deliver innovative design solutions.
Jessica Sulprizio, RA ~ Architect
Jessica is a registered architect with experience in both the interior design and architecture of a variety of mixed-use residential, academic, and workplace projects. She is passionate about design and creating spaces that are attuned to the vision and values of her clients. Skilled in both Revit and Enscape, she produces 2D and 3D drawings for all design phases.
Colin Whalen ~ Project Designer
As a project designer, Colin specializes in master planning as well as new construction and renovations for core and shell building projects in life sciences and other sectors. He strives to create welcoming and engaging facades that help support the goal to attract and retain tenants.
Joshua White, AIA ~ Project Manager
As a project manager, Josh is a collaborative and team-oriented leader, taking projects from conceptual design through completed construction. His portfolio spans a range of different project types, including mixed-use developments.
“We believe a successful design is one that not only satisfies a company’s space needs, but also creates transformative experiences that enhance and transform the way work is done,” said Dan Perruzzi, AIA, LEED AP, principal and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “We remain steadfast in its commitment to design excellence, cutting-edge technology, and superior client service. We are thrilled to welcome new designers and professional staff that espouse these values to help grow our practice and build on the strength of our core studios.”
Alvaro Ribeiro and Jessica Sulprizio have both rejoined Margulies Perruzzi. “Both Alvaro and Jessica have contributed to some of our most innovative design projects over many years, and we join our clients in their excitement to welcome them back to MP,” continued Dan.
Since its founding in 1988, MP has evolved into an award-winning design firm that creates buildings and workspaces that inspire creativity, attract, and retain talent, and enhance mission engagement. The firm collaborates with clients in the corporate, professional services, healthcare, science/technology, and real estate communities to design productive and inspiring work environments.
Margulies Perruzzi is hiring! Please visit the firm’s careers page to learn more or to apply.
By Daniel P. Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, Principal and Senior Partner at Margulies Perruzzi
Predicting the future in real estate is tricky in the best of times. The continuing uncertainty posed by the pandemic makes any prediction that much more difficult. However, we have learned a lot about how real estate and the real estate industry will respond, based on emerging trends.
Workspace
You cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube, just like you cannot make everyone recommit to five days in the office any longer. For many industries, some tasks can be performed better in remote mode. Teamwork and higher quality collaboration tools will be the reasons for maintaining office space, but the hybrid model is here to stay. That does not mean the office goes away. On the contrary, companies will continue to assess their current workspace and upgrade it to meet the higher demand for voice/video calls and meetings that can integrate those who are remote with those present in the office.
Labs
According to a recent industry panel, there is a regional demand for six million square feet of new lab space. Even if that’s wrong by 50 percent, it is still a staggering number. Look for office-to-lab conversions to continue to pick up speed, especially amongst newer, but less fully occupied, office buildings.
GMP space, where the drugs and therapeutics are manufactured, is also at a premium. Because of their demand for services and high-bay space, these will compete for suburban space with industrial uses as that market looks to expand its “last-mile” portfolio.
Environmental Design
While we were all distracted by the pandemic, alarms have been raised on the accelerating deterioration of the environment. All of us in this industry have a role to play in creating a more sustainable future. Buildings account for nearly 70 percent of the emissions in urban centers. Boston is embarking on an ambitious plan to convert buildings to full electrification. Look for other cities and towns in the region to follow suit.
At the same time, a renewed emphasis on health and well-being will mean new challenges in building design.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The pandemic has exposed the economic and social inequities that afflict our society, including our industry. All the stakeholders in the real estate sector – contractors, engineers, architects, brokers, designers, project managers – have to reevaluate how they source staff, who they choose to work with, and how they procure products. The industry has already begun that effort and must continue in a positive direction. Real estate can provide tremendous, long-term economic opportunity. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure all sectors of our community can reap the benefits.
Will there be curveballs and unexpected challenges? Of course. Look no further than the current supply chain crisis and the impact it is having on construction costs. Very few saw that coming. Inflation also is a problem today that few predicted. If supply chain issues extend well into 2022 and if inflation does not abate soon, we could be in for an easing of this growth period.
Partnering with Array Architects, a leader in healthcare planning and design, Margulies Perruzzi focused on incorporating as much access to daylight and nature as possible to leverage its clinical benefits. The team collaborated to situate activity rooms and common areas along the exterior walls of the building to bring in natural light and views of the Maine landscape for both patient and staff areas. Windows were maintained at patient areas while safety glass and borrowed light concepts were used to bring daylight deeper into the building. Art highlighting nature is incorporated at various seating areas throughout the unit to bring nature inside the building.
The new inpatient unit is secured with access through an interlocking sally port and features 20 double occupancy rooms, each with its own bathroom. To ensure the safety of patients, each room is designed to minimize ligature risk to provide both privacy and safety. Anti-ligature fixtures were used in the bathrooms and bedrooms as well as vandal proof ceilings. The design team used institutional materials with a residential look and feel to help reduce stress by providing a home-like feel for patients on the unit.
BOSTON – November 4, 2021 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has added five new design and professional staff: Staci Barber, director of marketing; Kellyn Biela, project designer; Claude Greenberg, architect and technical specialist; Grace Santos, interior designer; and Ethan Webb, project designer.
“We are always looking for talented professionals. We do not hire for specific project requirements. Instead, we seek to build our staff by selecting professionals who can make a long-term impact on how we work,” said Daniel P. Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, principal and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “We are pleased to welcome these talented individuals to our design and professional staff as we continue to grow our team and services.”
Staci Barber, Director of Marketing
A strategic marketing professional offering broad qualifications in targeted brand messaging, collateral creation, content management, proposal planning and development, B2B marketing, and team management, Staci will direct all the marketing initiatives. She brings a reputation for skill in balancing fast-changing priorities, managing projects, developing and implementing marketing plans and budgets, and supervising marketing staff. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from Saint Anselm College and an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Suffolk University.
Kellyn Biela, Project Designer
Kellyn is a project designer with broad experience working on projects, including providing initial design studies, preparing construction documents, and preparing LEED documentation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in art history with a minor in archaeology from Rollins College and a Master of Science in architecture from Roger Williams University. Kellyn is an associate member of the AIA.
Claude Greenberg, Architect and Technical Specialist
Claude is an architect with 39 years of experience in design, construction document preparation, and team management. With exceptional strengths on the technical side, he enjoys molding interesting design concepts into tight architectural solutions. He has experience in a multitude of project types, including institutional (health care, educational and judicial), and podium-type multi-family housing. Projects with complex, challenging designs, building envelope technology, and core/shell detailing are prominent specialties. His attributes include design detail problem-solving abilities, and reliable quality control with regard to both contract drawings and specifications. Other work experience included positions as a senior technical architect, project coordinator, and consulting architect. Claude received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon and is a member of the AIA and BSA.
Grace Santos, Interior Designer
An interior designer with five years of experience, Grace has worked on a variety of projects for corporate, higher education, and life sciences companies. Previously, she worked as an interior designer for three design firms in Boston where she was responsible for building Revit models, developing test fits, creating concept presentations, renderings, construction documents and selecting finishes for projects. Grace holds an Associate degree in art and design from Mount Wachusett Community College and a Bachelor of Science in interior design from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Ethan Webb, Project Designer
Ethan has spent most of his design career working with science and healthcare clients. Most recently, his focus has been on planning, design, and project delivery for various projects in the life sciences sectors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Margulies Perruzzi is hiring! Please visit our careers page to learn more or to apply.
About Margulies Perruzzi
As one of New England’s top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi (MP) designs Workplace, Health, Science, and Real Estate projects that inspire and nurture human endeavor. More information may be found at https://mparchitectsboston.com.
