BOSTON–Kripper Studio completed the design and implementation of several improvements at Northeastern University’s West Village G Student residences. Shared amenity spaces, classrooms, the main entrance, and other access points received a comprehensive refresh as well as the introduction of greater energy-saving efficiencies.
Work commenced in May 2023, at the conclusion of the academic year and continued with a greatly accelerated time frame over the summer to meet the deadline of students returning in late summer 2023 to accommodate the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. A year after re-occupancy, energy-efficiency results and anecdotal observations confirm the success of the design decisions.
This existing West Campus residence hall is a six-story apartment-style building that includes residences and also houses classrooms with tiered seating. The building is located at 450 Parker Street, set between West Village H, Willis Hall, and West Village B.
The scope of work called for Kripper Studio to upgrade, enhance and re-imagine the 109,000 sqft of usable space within the building. The intention was to enhance the quality of the students’ experience and nurture a sense of community. In addition, achieving better energy efficiency for the building was a primary intention.
Adhering to his belief that the most sustainable building can be an existing building, architect Amir Kripper led a design team, which included Turner Construction as the general contractor, to enhance the existing structure and interiors. In addition to selecting energy saving appliances for the kitchens and energy saving LED lighting options for the approximate 1,180 light fixtures throughout the building, original pendant lights on the ground floor were easily retrofitted with new LED bulbs for greater energy efficiency.
Existing flooring in the hallways and dorms was removed and replaced with a durable and low VOC luxury vinyl tile with a…