ARC designs 95,566 s/f for Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge has completed the design of an estimated $64 million, 95,566 s/f expansion and renovation of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine building at One Kneeland St. The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board on October 3rd approved Tufts' proposal to proceed with its plans for the five-story vertical addition to the existing 10-story building. Pending Tufts University board of trustee approval, construction is scheduled to begin in the spring 2008. Shawmut Design and Construction is the construction manager on the project. The original building for Tufts University School of Dental Medicine was envisioned in 1972 to be a 15-story building as one of the first buildings of the Tufts University Health Sciences Campus Master Plan in Boston. However, the building plan was revised to construct only 10 floors. ARC's design to complete the building with five additional floors will include two new clinical patient floors, an expanded simulation lab and teaching facilities for students, as well as a continuing education conference center and administrative offices. This is an exciting opportunity working with Tufts to design a facility that will not only play a vital role in the development and expansion of environmentally-friendly patient and student space at Tufts, but will also provide public improvements for the neighborhood, said Rob Quigley AIA, a principal at ARC who is heading the ARC design team. The expansion and renovation is designed to integrate contemporary forms and materials with the framework of the existing pre-cast concrete building. The new vertical addition adheres to the modular order of the original building while introducing new textures and forms which look to balance the elements of the existing building and create a new overall image for the Dental School. As part of Boston's mandate for sustainable design, ARC is designing the addition and renovation with the goal of LEED certification. "ARC clearly understood what we wanted to accomplish in terms of design and space requirements, and came up with an innovative design that blends very nicely with the existing building and enhances our neighborhood", said Joseph Castellana, Executive Associate Dean at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. "We're looking forward to construction starting in the spring so that we can get closer to our goal of having improved facilities for our student body of 800-plus and more than 200 full and part-time faculty."