Hingham, MA – Margulies Perruzzi Architects received the 2009 Brick in Architecture Bronze Award in the commercial category for its design of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) South Shore office building in Hingham. With this award, BCBSMA/Hingham has won five awards to date.
Completed in June 2007, the new, four-story, 329,000sf office building 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. Currently accommodating 1,100 BCBSMA employees, the facility was designed to allow for future expansion with no additional infrastructure required. the facility is the region’s largest LEED® Silver certified project.
Clay brick was selected for the exterior of the BCBSMA building in Hingham for a variety of reasons. The building was designed to draw strong connections to, and exist in harmony with, its surrounding natural environment. BCBSMA also wanted the building aesthetics to reflect its values of solidity, a sense of permanence, and the wise use of capital. Brick naturally invests the building with solidity and stability due to its inherent durability. Because clay brick is made of natural products, it allowed BCBSMA to express in the exterior wall the connection between the building and the natural environment. Clay brick also had the benefits of helping to mitigate the apparent scale of the building and provide low long-term maintenance.
“The use of clay brick for the exterior was a thoughtful choice consistent with the sustainable design, nature-inspired color theme, and functional goals of the project,” said Daniel P. Perruzzi, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, principal at Margulies Perruzzi Architects. “We are proud that BCBSMA’s Hingham facility continues to be recognized for sustainability that safeguards the welfare of both its occupants and its surrounding environment.”
The project team for BCBSMA/Hingham consisted of Turner Construction, construction manager; Souza True & Partners, structural engineers; SEi Companies, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineers; Brown Richardson & Rowe, landscape architects; BSC Group, civil engineers; Lisa Zidel Lighting Design; and A.W. Perry, developer.
With this award, BCBSMA/Hingham has won five awards to date.
