Margulies & Assoc. wins lighting design award for BCBSMA project

Margulies & Associates, one of Boston's most innovative architectural and interior design firms, work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. (BCBSMA) was honored by the New England Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), the recognized technical authority on illumination, for the third year in a row. The International Illumination Design Awards (IIDA) program of the IESNA provides a unique opportunity for public recognition of professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design. Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum that represents knowledge of lighting and design excellence. The judging system is based entirely on how well the lighting design does or does not meet the program criteria. Continuing an ongoing relationship, Margulies designed BCBSMA's new south shore headquarters at 25 Technology Place. Each lighting decision was made with energy efficiency in mind. The design team maximized natural light sources and, in collaboration with lighting design firm Lisa Zidel Lighting Design, used dimmers and daylight sensors to regulate energy usage. Custom-engineered internal reflectors, metal halide track heads, and custom-modified fixtures are a few of the methods that helped achieve energy efficiency while maintaining an aesthetic and comfortable environment. Completed in June 2007, the building is expected to be certified LEED Silver. Margulies' design of the four-story, 329,000 s/f office building for BCBSMA, the regional leader in health insurance and managed care, includes a multi-purpose cafeteria space, conference/training center, major data center and child care facility. A five-level, 1,184-car parking structure is linked directly to the main lobby by an all-weather connection. The project team consisted of Lisa Zidel Lighting Design; A.W. Perry, Inc., developer; Turner Construction, construction manager; Souza True & Partners, structural engineers; SEi Companies, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineers; Brown Richardson & Rowe, landscape architects; and BSC Group, civil engineers.