Boston Scores is a non-profit group that provides after school programs for local youth in grades K-12. These programs are centered around soccer activities and team-based educational enrichment programs.
For several years, Margulies Perruzzi has been involved with Boston Scores as a participant in their annual Scores Cup soccer tournament at Gillette Stadium. The tournament allows companies like ours an opportunity to extend our team building outside the office while also supporting a great cause. This year, I had the opportunity to take over from longtime team MP captain, Rui Ribeiro. And while our team didn’t take home the trophy, we still had a great time out on the turf, seeing Gillette from a different perspective.
MP Soccer Team at Boston Scores’ Scores Cup at Gillette Stadium.
Beyond participating in the annual Scores Cup, we have been lucky to also work with Boston Scores. For almost five years, Boston Scores has been searching for a home for their youth programs and staff offices, and we’ve been proud to be able to assist them in those efforts. After searching and studying several different properties, Executive Director John Maconga was able to guide the organization into a partnership with the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of East Boston. The existing building will house the staff offices for the organization, as well as provide a large homework help space and coach training room. We will also be placing several high-end soccer fields nearby, complete with restrooms, a playground, an outdoor classroom, a walking path, and parking.
When I asked John recently what this means for his organization, he told me, “This project will enable Boston Scores to more than double the number of youth served while enhancing the quality of instruction we provide, deepening our commitment to the youth of East Boston and the City at large.” He added, “We look forward to deepening our connections with the East Boston community.”
Rendering depicting the front exterior view of Boston Scores’ new headquarters.
Other improvements that the project will bring to the community include adding an elevator to the existing Boys and Girls Club building to provide inclusive access to all three floors of the building. The parking lot will also be reconstructed to provide more environmentally friendly stormwater management and increased activity spaces for the area youth.
Rendering of a field providing increased activity space for Boston Scores’ youth programs.
It has been an absolute pleasure working with John and his team at Boston Scores on such a worthwhile project, and we look forward to competing in future Scores Cup events!
There is a bit of a Renaissance mindset in all of us architects. Many architects come to this field through various paths and have landed here after other pursuits and academic degrees. I was a painter as far back as age 12, went on to music, ultimately graduating from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging, and finally, became an architect.
I feel that successful architects are endlessly curious about many forms of self-expression. That is why we gravitate toward the Arts.
What we ultimately do is tell a story, and that story is the element that holds all the various parts of a building’s design together as a cohesive whole. But how do we achieve that story in the language of architecture? It’s important to consider how other artists are successful in telling a story in the language of their own art discipline. This is where boundless curiosity comes into play.
Some ideas to consider are:
How do writers tell a story?
How do movie directors tell a story?
How do sculptors tell a story?
How do painters tell a story?
How do musicians tell a story?
When designing, architects take in many factors that will influence the story of a space or building. For example, the renovation or repositioning of a historic building will have a different design narrative than the blank slate of a new ground-up building.
But most of all, we strive to tell the story of our clients; their culture, identity, and aspirations as an organization. As no two works of art are the same, the stories of our clients are unique, and in turn, so are the aesthetics, functions, and spatial requirements of each project.
The more we absorb how other artists navigate through their work, the greater and richer our architecture ideas are informed.
Paul is an Associate Principal and Partner at Margulies Perruzzi, responsible for many of the renderings coming out of the office. His spare time is spent making sculpture, combining his love for painting and architecture with his improvisational jazz background. You can find Paul’s sculptures on Pinterest.
The impact of a global pandemic on the complex, interconnected nature of supply-chains has quite literally brought home to us how fragile that infrastructure is in today’s global economy. While there are signs of recovery, it is impossible to predict the availability of commonplace products, let alone highly specialized building materials and equipment. This is particularly evident when owners, architects, engineers, and contractors are consumed by the frenetic pace of delivering life sciences projects.
In this perplexing new world order, architects must communicate, adapt, and respond more diligently than ever before. Gone are the good old days when specifying a product and receiving it on time was taken for granted. An apt example of how science and technology projects are impacted now is the delivery of essential mechanical and electrical systems equipment such as rooftop HVAC units, variable air volume (VAV) boxes, and generators. Even before the pandemic, these were considered long-lead items. Today, that list has grown to include such components as variable fan drives, electrical panels, lighting, glazing, specialty ceilings, lab gases, quick connect valves, lab furniture, and more. We are also seeing lead times become a moving target even after an ordered product has been given a ship date and tracking number. This can wreak havoc on construction scheduling and cost, stranding crews on site without the materials they need to complete the job as specified.
When facing such a predicament, an architect has two choices: Either accept information given as indisputable and move on, or commit to communication at multiple levels to connect the key players and develop a creative solution. On a recent life sciences project to design a relocating lab facility and its administrative and support spaces, we chose the latter course of action, because failure was not an option. Prior to March 2020, people who had been doing their jobs quietly and efficiently in the background without an architect’s intervention were suddenly integral to an all-hands-on-deck effort. For this lab fit-out, where a key piece of electrical equipment was unavailable by the deadline, we forged strong connections between manufacturing plant managers, distribution centers, and the electrical engineer and contractor to brainstorm different combinations of off-the-shelf products that would take its place and temporarily bridge the lead time gap so the owner could take occupancy as scheduled.
The results of such deliberate communication are measurable. Had we done nothing, an eight-month schedule would have been extended by five months. But in this case, through intensive coordination, the project team was able to re-engineer and redesign the component on the fly and shorten the delay to one month. Our MacGyvered solution allowed the owner to be up and running on day one, and the team is prepared to revisit the project once the originally specified product becomes available.
Although product bottlenecks are beginning to ease slightly, until the supply-chain fully recovers, we foresee owners, project teams, manufacturers, and shippers working in tandem as never before to keep the wheels of commerce moving in the right direction.
BOSTON – June 21, 2022 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has named Kerrie Julian, RA, LEED AP, CDT as the new director of science strategy. Reporting to Dan Perruzzi, AIA, LEED AP, principal and partner, Kerrie will be responsible for lending her expertise to projects, managing and recruiting staff, and developing new client relationships.
“Kerrie brings excellent design, construction, and project management skills in addition to exceptional knowledge of research and development spaces, lab equipment and utilities, and control areas,” said Dan. “She has spent the past 15 years focused on life science, biotech, biopharma, and laboratory projects and will be a valuable addition to our growing science studio.”
With over 25 years of experience in project programming, detailed design, and construction administration, Kerrie worked on a wide variety of projects in the Greater Boston area, including Boston Heart Diagnostics, Biogen, Quest Diagnostics, Smith and Nephew, Frequency Therapeutics, Triplet Therapeutics, J&J/DePuy, EQT Exeter, Pfizer, and Moderna.
Kerrie earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and completed a Lab Safety Seminar at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is VP of Alumni Relations on the Wentworth Institute of Technology Alumni Board and co-chair of the Wentworth golf committee.
With an inspirational science portfolio, Margulies Perruzzi specializes in life sciences, medical devices, research and development (R&D), and manufacturing. Margulies Perruzzi has worked with a wide range of industry leaders, including Siemens, Nuvera Fuel Cells, Millipore Sigma, Philips, Metabolix, Boston Scientific, and many others.
MP was excited to attend the annual SMPS Boston Awards Gala on June 8th, 2022 at the Boston Harbor Hotel. We congratulate all our A/E/C industry marketing peers awarded for their past year’s marketing and marketing communications achievements. We were thrilled to be awarded first place in the Holiday Piece category!
What does it take to succeed in your specific industry? To succeed in the world of architecture, good communication and good partnerships are key. A thoughtful project team includes the general contractor, architects, engineers, and owner’s representatives, and, of course, a good client. This team is only as strong as its weakest link. Each of these roles needs the other to be balanced to be truly successful. When any one of these entities exudes more influence than the other, a project will fall far short of what it truly could be if everyone pulled together.
What led you to your current profession? I’ve always believed that our physical environment curates our experiences and that people react, whether subconsciously, consciously, or both, to the built environment around them. Their behavior is deeply influenced by it in ways not fully understood. Architects, builders, and developers are challenged with creating our world and doing so in a responsible, meaningful way. This responsibility is very intriguing and fun to be a part of as an architect.
What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
Heli-snowboard in deep powder backcountry Montana
Scuba diving along the Great Barrier Reef
Watching the Portuguese national football team win the World Cup during my lifetime
What are you doing when you aren’t working? Coaching two successful youth soccer teams and raising a young family.
What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of? I was recently promoted to partner at Margulies Perruzzi. I have been with the firm for over 10 years and within that time I have held several roles. Most recently, my focus has been on partnering with our science team members to continue to grow and strengthen the studio. As an architect and project manager, I enjoy working closely with our science clients to create a design that is both functional and truly unique to them. For this next chapter, I am excited to join the other partners to help continue to lead the firm’s growth.
What does it take to succeed in your specific industry? Succeeding is about making a positive impact on the field you are in, and the people who surround you. Being a successful architect is about making each client feel something exciting, unique, important, or significant about their building or space. Everyone I work with is different, so finding that niche for each of them can often be the most intriguing part of design. If I can help be the liaison in creating that feeling, then I have done my job well.
What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
Visit all 7 continents
Heliski
Have my name on a building
What are you doing when you aren’t working? Traveling, skiing, golfing – listed from skill level of best to worst
What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of? I am finishing construction documents for a project to create a four-story, ground up lab and office building in Somerville. The goal of this building is to reflect the surrounding brick and beam buildings while introducing some modern elements such as curtain walls. We are targeting LEED Platinum certification. We are looking to use CLT (cross laminated timber) for the upper floor slabs for the first time in the Boston area. This will look great when it’s complete and be more sustainable than concrete and steel, while still achieving the same vibration and acoustical properties as steel and concrete.
What does it take to succeed in your specific industry? To succeed in the architecture industry, you need to collaborate with your project teams. I prioritize not only taking time to mentor junior staff, but also to ask questions myself to more senior staff in order to work more efficiently. It’s also important to collaborate with partners involved in disciplines outside of your firm. For instance, I find it helpful to talk to the members of the construction team to learn different ways to construct elements and details, as well as more cost effective and practical ways to achieve design details.
What led you to your current profession? I majored in architectural engineering technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology and completed a co-op to receive real world experience, which led to a 13-year employment at a firm that focused on workplace and real estate repositioning. I moved to a firm focused exclusively on life science projects. During my four years there, I got to work on a variety of lab spaces, mostly for tenants, as well as a repositioning project. I learned a ton about this exciting and quickly growing market sector. I recently joined Margulies Perruzzi to help contribute to our growing life science practice.
What are the top 3 items on your bucket list?
Backpacking in Europe for a summer
Trip to Hawaii
Win the lottery
What are you doing when you aren’t working? Working on renovating my 1823 house or at the beach in the warmer months.
BOSTON – June 2, 2022 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has promoted Caitlin Greenwood, AIA, IIDA and Jenna Meyers, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP to partner. The move is the continuation of extensive long-term planning for the firm’s growth and expands MP’s leadership and management team in all practice areas.
“Both Caitlin and Jenna have distinguished themselves as leaders through their project work as well as through their efforts to build awareness of the important work we do here at Margulies Perruzzi,” said Dan Perruzzi, AIA, LEED AP, principal, and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “Their promotions to partner are a public acknowledgment of how important Caitlin and Jenna are to the continued growth of Margulies Perruzzi.”
Caitlin Greenwood, AIA, IIDA
As an architect and project manager, Caitlin brings extensive design experience to the MP team through all phases of design and construction. Caitlin has been with the firm for over 10 years, and is a member of the Workplace, Real Estate, and Science studios, spanning both architecture and interiors. Currently her focus is partnering with MP’s science team members to continue to grow and strengthen the studio. She particularly enjoys working closely with science & technology clients to create a design that is both functional and truly unique to them. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Roger Williams University.
Jenna Meyers, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP
As a senior interior designer, Jenna brings 15 years of extensive design experience to the Margulies Perruzzi team, contributing her strengths in design development, programming, project management, and coordination. As a Workplace studio leader, she specializes in working closely with clients to create custom-designed spaces, reflecting their unique brand, mission, and culture. She has worked on projects for clients such as Fresenius, United Way, and Zipcar. Jenna has been influential in helping develop several workplace strategy reports for the firm. The most recent report focuses on Embracing the Hybrid Workspace. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Interior Design from Buffalo State College.
Jess Hamilton is a project manager with Margulies Perruzzi in Boston. Lab Manager recently spoke with Jess about his career, experience, and personal interests.
Q: How did you get started in your career? Did you major in your field in college, get an internship, switch careers mid-stream, etc.?
A: I majored in Architectural Engineering Technology at Wentworth Institute of Technology. While a student, I completed a co-op to receive real world experience, which led to a 13-year employment at a firm that focused on workplace and real estate repositioning. Once I had solid experience established, I decided I wanted a bigger challenge and switched to a focus on the life sciences field by moving to a firm that did exclusively that. While there for four years, I got to work on a variety of lab spaces, mostly for tenants, as well as a repositioning project. I learned a ton about this exciting and quickly growing market sector. I recently joined Margulies Perruzzi to help contribute to our growing life sciences practice.
Q: What is a typical day at work like for you?
A: There is no such thing as a typical day in architecture which is why I enjoy it so much. A few examples of what I do during the workday include having project calls, reviewing drawings, helping to create fit plans, or even getting to enjoy our office’s roof deck on nice days. I can also be out on site for existing conditions surveys or walking spaces under construction to review progress. At least once a week, I enjoy lunches with former coworkers to stay in touch and discuss industry trends or I meet with potential clients.
Q: What lab projects are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently working on two lab projects at Margulies Perruzzi. One is a conversion of a three-story, 90-year-old brick and beam former ice cream factory into a lab and office building in Boston. It’s been challenging to uncover the existing conditions of the building as well as to figure out how to reconfigure the spaces for lab use from office use. Not too far away from that building, I am also working on a project to create a four-story, ground-up lab and office building. The goal of this building is to reflect the surrounding brick and beam buildings while also introducing some modern elements such as curtain walls. We are also looking to use CLT (cross laminated timber) as the floor decks, which has not been done for lab buildings in the Boston area yet. This will look great when it’s complete and be more sustainable than concrete and steel, while still achieving the same vibration and acoustical properties as would steel and concrete.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in the next few years in this new position?
A: I want to help Margulies Perruzzi continue to grow in the life science market sector. There are so many exciting projects underway in the Boston area right now that we are seeing new opportunities on a weekly basis. We are continuing to build our portfolio of experience with multiple ground-up and office-to-lab conversion projects as well as various tenant improvement projects in construction that we are excited to see completed soon. It’s been very rewarding to contribute to the companies working to solve many of the current challenges to cure diseases and disorders to improve people’s lives.
Q: If you won a million-dollar lottery tomorrow, what would you do with your winnings?
A: I would spend half on investing in real estate and look to spend the rest on an investment into the Boston Public Schools. Both my daughter and son are enrolled there. There are so many needs throughout the school system so the money could be used to make a difference for some of Boston’s kids.
BOSTON – May 10, 2022 – The Boston office of Cresa, the world’s largest commercial real estate firm exclusively representing space occupiers, and Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, congratulate Rich Bettina, senior director of leasing for Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMC) on being named the Real Estate Executive for the Americas by CoreNet New England. Rich was honored at the CoreNet New England Awards of Excellence gala on May 5, 2022 at the Westin Copley Place.
The End User Leadership Award is designed to recognize a North America CoreNet Global New England member who provides leadership to the success of the corporate real estate industry and of their department, team, and company. Rich was nominated by Marc Margulies, FAIA, LEED AP, principal at Margulies Perruzzi, and Tim Myllykangas, managing principal at Cresa.
“I have worked closely with Rich since he joined FMC as the Director of Transaction Management – Lease Renewals for North America in 2018. It is truly impressive what he has done in such a short time,” said Tim. “Rich has a unique skill set not seen in most corporate real estate executives. Beyond basic real estate strategy and portfolio management, he has a strong knowledge and understanding of how to navigate successfully through the many management layers in a very complex and large organization. He quickly maps out the landscape of top stakeholders, builds relationships at key levels, and comes up with a plan to improve strategy, process, and measurable results for the company.”
Richard A. Bettina is an experienced professional with over 30 years of director-level management experience in North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific for companies such as FMC, Dell/EMC, Teradyne, and IBM. Rich has demonstrated expertise in corporate real estate across all aspects of portfolio management including site expansions and consolidations, lease transactions, project management, and facilities services.
“Just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, FMC was in the early stages of the complete transformation of its 2.6 million SF of non-clinical workspace under Rich’s direction,” said Marc. “Recognizing the enormous opportunity presented by dozens of lease expirations and underutilized sites across the US, Rich assembled a team to investigate consolidation efficiencies that would simultaneously improve collaboration and flexibility. Pivoting rapidly in response to COVID, Rich redirected his team to build leadership and staff consensus around a fully unassigned, highly remote workplace, dubbed the “Future of Work” at FMC.”
Fresenius is the world’s largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure. As senior director of leasing for North America, Rich is responsible for over 3,000 clinic and office sites and for internal and external teams negotiating 500 lease transactions annually. His internal and external teams manage new lease and site search activities, lease renewals, site consolidations, and all aspects of dispositions throughout North America. Rich works directly with all company executives including eight General Managers and 40 Regional Vice Presidents with ~ 30 million SF across 3,500 locations.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive this award which was only achievable by teaming up our Fresenius employees with hand-picked industry partners as part of our “Corporate Core team”. This core team was developed prior to the pandemic and was initially focused on utilization metrics for portfolio optimization,” said Rich. “The arrival of COVID-19 and its effects on the workplace enabled this team to shift priorities and accelerate its efforts toward Future of Work modelling led by our director of corporate facilities and construction, Scott Silva. This team’s motivation caused it to excel on all fronts, ensuring our real estate and facilities teams were well positioned to meet the needs of our employees and our company.”
Rich received a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University and an MBA in Strategic Business Management from Pace University. An active member of CoreNet New England, Rich has served on the Board of Directors and as a Real Advantage committee member and liaison to the board. Outside of the office he is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass./MetroWest.
The following project team members worked with MP and Cresa on the Fresenius projects:
Fort Point PM (Cumming)
iOffice
NV5
OfficeWorks
PES Associates
VergeSense
Aerial Genomics
BOSTON – April 4, 2022 – Margulies Perruzzi (MP), one of New England’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today the promotions of Tim Bailey, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Derek D’Amico, AIA, LEED AP; Cynthia Gibson Murphy, AIA; Paul McIntire, AIA; and Nathan Turner, AIA, LEED AP to associate principal within the firm.
“Since our founding 34 years ago, the firm has grown in both size and capabilities. We work with clients in the Workplace, Real Estate, Healthcare, and Science markets and design projects of varying sizes, stages of development, and complexity,” said Dan Perruzzi, AIA, LEED AP, principal, and senior partner at Margulies Perruzzi. “We are proud to celebrate our continued growth as we take the next steps toward the future. We have elevated five very deserving professionals to associate principal. All have demonstrated the qualities necessary to not only run the firm, but to also lead it by continuing to grow and develop our capabilities.”
Tim is an award-winning architect whose leadership plays a critical role in the design of real estate and workplace projects across the firm. An advocate for high-performance office and life science buildings, repositioning, creative office space, experiential design, brand awareness and sustainable development, Tim leads large and integrated projects, providing expertise on the design of the building and the interiors. His work bridges the shared interest of both building owner and user, achieving both parties’ project goals. His project experience and service to his local city planning board allows him to bring first-hand knowledge of the public approval process to each development project. As an adjunct professor of architecture, Tim teaches aspiring architects about the profession in a way to give back to the profession that has been his life-long desire.
Derek is responsible for daily interaction with clients and daily supervision of large design projects. Derek has more than 25 years of experience and specializes in solving design and technical problems to keep projects on schedule and budget. He provides design services for all phases of a project from schematic design to construction administration for large corporate and life science clients.
As an architect and project manager with over 20 years of experience, Cyndy is known for her attention to detail on every project. Her personal project portfolio spans all four of the firm’s design studios and encompasses projects of all scales. Her passion for quality, service, and teamwork is noted on every project. She has also designed and specified lighting on multiple large-scale projects, producing well-lit spaces with energy consumption below code requirements. Cyndy has been a regular mentor to junior staff and shares her love for the industry both by teaching graduate architecture classes at Roger Williams University (RWU) and supporting staff development at MP.
Paul has more than 30 years of architectural experience working on commercial, office, institutional, and multi-family projects. As a senior architect, Paul is responsible for leading teams in developing the design direction of projects, from the early conceptual stages through construction documentation. Paul is facile in utilizing multiple visualization techniques, such as 3D model building, realistic renderings, virtual reality, rendering videos, and post-production. Paul believes that creating clear rendering visualizations is analogous to making a promise. The more an architect is versed in the multiple facets of the building process, the more genuine and feasible that promise becomes. As a self-described ‘compulsively curious’ person, Paul’s architectural design development is influenced from his background in art, music, and sculpture.
With over 20 years of experience, Nate has been involved with the planning, design, and construction of projects ranging in complexity across multiple sectors. His experience within the Real Estate Development, Workplace, Science, and Healthcare studios at Margulies Perruzzi has contributed to award-winning projects centered on client needs. He takes great pride in capturing a project’s essence from its initial conceptualization and implementing a workable design solution. He is known for his ability to strategize and communicate with others while leading teams through all stages of a project. During the summer months, Nate is the office softball coach for the firm’s team, and he has been playing and coaching for 20+ years, winning two championships along the way.
