Boxford, MA Gienapp Architects was awarded a design contract by the town for the building envelope repair and HVAC design project at town hall. Gienapp was selected based on their history of creative design solutions that address clients’ needs, minimize construction impact to building inhabitants and carefully guard against scope creep and unforeseen costs. Gienapp Archts. has worked with the town before, notably on the Aaron Wood Building and the Lincoln Hall project.

First built in 2004, town hall has had ongoing issues with water infiltration and building leaks. After a thorough investigation and analysis, it was determined that fully removing and reinstalling brick would be prohibitively expensive for the town. Instead, the Gienapp team designed targeted repairs to the brick that are cost effective and coincide with other repairs to minimize disruption in the active public facility.

The town hall also has had heating and air conditioning problems. The current system has proved to be insufficient for the building’s needs. The air is excessively dry and half of the building is too hot while the other half is too cold. Gienapp Archts. has evaluated a number of systems provided by HVAC engineering consultants and designed minimally invasive replacements to fix the air quality and temperature problems. Gienapp Architects’ goal in this project is to perform the necessary repairs at the same time, to minimize the need for municipal staff to be in a building under construction.

“We’re excited to continue working with the town of Boxford,” said principal, Dale Gienapp, AIA. “Our team relishes the chance to take on this challenging project and be part of delivering a solution to the town.”