This Earth Day, we’re looking back at two projects with very different starting points, and one shared commitment.
The R.W. Kern Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, was designed from the ground up to prove that a building can give back more than it takes. A certified Living Building since 2018, it generates its own energy, harvests and treats its own water, and was built without harmful materials.
At MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, Building 6 starts from a very different place: a 19th-century industrial complex where decades of manufacturing had taken a toll on the land. By working with what already existed rather than starting fresh, the project transformed the former mill building into over 130,000 SF of world-class museum space, dramatically reducing embodied carbon compared to similar new construction.
Both earned AIA COTE Top Ten recognition, proving that there’s no single path to designing buildings that are sustainable, economically responsible, and equitable.
For us, that’s what this day is really about. Not a single strategy or a certification, but a commitment to ecological stewardship and designing with purpose.
Happy Earth Day 🌏
What happens when a site is cleared to make way for new buildings, designed to foster a community in harmony with nature?
At Bauer Hall, part of Yale Divinity School’s Living Village student housing complex, the answer is beautifully simple: the trees came back. In collaboration with @brunercott architects, we coordinated the salvage of red oak trees felled to make way for the next generation of student life. Those trees were then milled, kiln-dried, and transformed into workable lumber—from which we hand-crafted 30 tables of various shapes and sizes, which now reside in the recently completed dormitory. Full circle and full of intention.
Yale’s Living Village sets a new bar for environmental stewardship, and we are deeply honored to have played a part. By contributing to the Living Building Challenge, Hugo & Hoby helped create furniture that doesn’t just furnish a space — it tells the story of the land it came from, and supports a healthier, more sustainable environment for the students who call it home.
#LivingBuildingChallenge #HugoAndHoby #LocallyCrafted #RedOak #SustainableDesign
It's time to switch gears 🏎️ . Watch America ByDESIGN™ Episode 5: Catch the early release Producer's Cut preview now at AIA.org. (link in bio)
Or tune in live Saturday, March 28th, at 9pm EDT on the CBS News (New York Livestream).
Featuring The Charles River Speedway | Brighton, MA.
From abandoned stables to a community cornerstone. 🍻 See how the @charlesriverspeedway honors its 1899 roots while creating a modern hub for art, beer, and connection. By @brunercott
#bydesigntv #americabydesign #newepisode #architecture #designinspiration #AIA #SHGLiving #architecturelovers
@ahfboston@veolette.design
🔵 THE PLAN 168
Living Village at Yale Divinity School | @brunercott , @howeleryoonarchitecture , @andropogonltd
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Bauer Hall at Yale Divinity School reinterprets historic campus forms through sustainable design and typological refinement, embodying T. S. Eliot’s idea of tradition as an active, laborious dialogue between past and present.
▶️ THE PLAN 168 - Link in Bio
📷 @robertbensonphoto , courtesy of Bruner/Cott Architects
#THEPLANmag #Architecture #ArchitectureMagazine
America ByDESIGN™ is perfect holiday viewing. Each episode invites you to tour tastefully selected architectural projects and explore all the details from design to materials to realization. We talk with integral members of the design team and indulge in the unique stories behind each project. It's entertaining, inspiring, informative and television made specifically for fans of architecture and design.
Here's another sneak peek of this week's episode. We're featuring Frost Terrace in Cambridge, Massachusetts - a model for affordable housing that beautifully fuses the preservation of three historic homes with modern, thoughtful architecture. By Bruner/Cott Architects✨ @brunercott
Preservation and purpose, perfectly balanced.
📺 This episode airs this Saturday, 9pm EDT. CBS News (New York Livestream link)
🌐 Or you can view the exclusive Full Episode preview now at AIA.Org.
We’re thrilled to congratulate Rima Abousleiman on her election to the BSA Honors & Awards Committee as part of the newly announced 2025 @bsaaia Election results! 🎉
The Honors & Awards Committee plays an important role in recognizing excellence across our profession. Rima’s commitment to fostering positive social impact through architecture, uplifting emerging talent, and championing collaborative design makes her an inspiring addition to this leadership group.
Rima brings a wide range of experience to the committee, including her leadership as Bruner/Cott’s EDI Working Group Co-Chair, former BSA EPNet Co-Chair, former BosNOMA Treasurer, adjunct professor at Wentworth, published writer, and active member of several design and advisory groups.
Join us in congratulating Rima on this well-deserved accomplishment! We’re proud to see her continue shaping and supporting Boston’s design community! 👏✨
#bsa #aia #architecture #design #equity #community #boston #brunercott
We’re honored to share that the transformation of Gund Hall at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design has been named a 2025 @docomomous Modernism in America Award winner! 🏆
This recognition celebrates exemplary projects that preserve and adapt modern architecture in ways that honor original design intent while meeting contemporary needs.
Our work at Gund Hall reimagines John Andrews’ 1972 Brutalist landmark for the next generation of designers — enhancing energy performance, improving accessibility, and creating a more comfortable, collaborative learning environment while preserving the building’s bold architectural character.
We’re deeply grateful to Docomomo US for this recognition and to our collaborators and clients for their partnership in shaping a more sustainable future for this iconic modern building.
We look forward to celebrating Gund Hall and the many inspiring projects recognized this year at the Modernism in America Awards event this November!
📸: @oldcastleinc
Excitement is building, literally! 🚧✨
Construction is moving fast on the new Mayflower Hill Residence Hall at Colby College, part of a $150M investment in student life. The new 4-story residential complex will provide a vibrant, fully residential academic experience for upperclassmen, blending private and communal spaces to foster connection, wellness, and growth.
A standout? The building’s mass timber frame (Maine’s largest CLT structure) which brings warmth, sustainability, and a striking aesthetic to campus.
The hall also includes a café open to the campus community, flexible student spaces, and thoughtful amenities that support both daily life and campus events.
This project is a true collaboration: Bruner/Cott Architects as Executive Architect and Hopkins Architects as Design Architect, combining innovative design with careful execution.
#ColbyCollege #MassTimber #SustainableDesign #HigherEd #StudentLife #ConstructionUpdate #DesignWithPurpose
Back to campus, back on the water!
The Newell and Weld Boathouses at Harvard are restored and ready for a new generation of rowers. Our work, in collaboration with Peterson Architects, preserved their individual historic characters while providing modern updates for function, durability, and student life.
Swipe to see history meet innovation. 🚣♂️✨
📸: Richard Mandelkorn Photography
#BrunerCott #HarvardCrew #HarvardRowing #BoathouseRestoration #HistoricPreservation #Campus #DesignwithPurpose
We’re proud to share that Bruner/Cott has renewed our commitment to equity, transparency, and accountability by achieving the Just Label 3.0 from @living_future 🎉
As the first company in New England to adopt the Just Label, this milestone reflects our belief that good design starts with supporting people — in our projects, our communities, and within our own studio.
For us, Just is more than a framework. It’s a way to grow as better designers, employers, and citizens.
🎥 In this segment of ‘In Practice, On Purpose,’ our Director of Operations, Meg Gatza, shares why the JUST Label matters to our practice.
#brunercott #designwithpurpose #justlabel #just3.0 #Boston #architecture #equity #inpracticeonpurpose
5 Huskies walk into 225 Friend Street… and instantly make our practice better. 🐾✏️📐
Meet our incredible Northeastern co-ops in architecture and marketing—an essential part of the Bruner/Cott team. From fresh perspectives to serious talent, they bring energy, curiosity, and insight to everything we do.
We asked them a few questions about their time with us—swipe to see what they had to say!
#CoopLife #DesignCulture #BrunerCott #NortheasternCoop #HuskiesInTheStudio
@nuarchitecture_soan@northeastern@neuaias
