William Rawn Associates

Architects Inc.
William Rawn Associates,
Architects, Inc., in Boston,
formed in 1983, has
completed a large number
of projects, ranging from
complex urban buildings
to college campuses, from
performing arts facilities to
affordable housing.
Within the last seven years, William Rawn
Associates was ranked #1 (in 2009), #2 (in 2014
and 2012), #3 (in 2011), and #4 (in 2013) in
ARCHITECT Magazine’s annual list of the
nation’s top 50 firms. It was also named the
industry leader in sustainable practices in 2011.

In the past twenty years, the firm has won over

180 national, regional, city and state AIA Awards
and other design awards.
William Rawn Associates has extensive
experience in optimizing institutional
resources and guiding clients as they
evaluate first costs versus annual
operating cost of new construction.

Their team of experts implement a

holistic approach to high performance
building design and sustainable site and
system strategies.

Whether a client is pursuing a net zero

emissions project or a LEED platinum
project, WRA has always made high
performance a baseline design goal.
 William L. Rawn III Douglas C. Johnston Clifford V. Gayley

All the design staff of WRA are LEED Accredited

Professionals. Samuel M. Lasky Eric Tellander Kevin P. Bergeron
Harvard Business School - Tata Hall
Boston, MA
 Located on the banks of the
Charles River at the
northeast corner of the
campus,, the arc-shaped
building creates a porous
edge to the campus and a
new sense of openness
between the school and the
city of Boston.

Dedicated to the Executive

Education program the building
groups students into clusters of
eight-person suites, each with a
common space for work,
collaboration and presentations.
 Climate of Boston

Boston, the capital of the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has
a humid subtropical climate.

This climate is characterized by warm

and humid summers, cold and stormy
winters, and mild but varied springs
and autumns. Boston is conveniently
located on the shores of the Atlantic
Ocean, but the prevailing winds
minimize the effect of the Atlantic
Ocean on Boston's climate.
The arc shaped LEED
Platinum certified building is
oriented with its concave side
facing East, so as to incorporate
the morning sunlight as well to
minimize the intake of cold
winds from the west during the
winters.

This orientation and

massing also helps to gain
intake of mild breezes that
originate from the east
during the hot and humid
summer months.
 LEED Platinum certification factors

Presence of a Double skin façade system,

helps to bring in natural light, and regulate
wind intake and hence minimize the need for
artificial lighting, heating and cooling loads.

Presence of a water treatment facility along

with rainwater harvesting system helps to
achieve water efficiency

The Complex also has houses waste

management system

Presence of three Green roofs helps to

reduce heat gain on roof and prevents Storm
water run off into Charles river

280 Photovoltaic panels placed on the roof

generate approximately 71 kw of electricity
and helps in saving 5 – 8% of energy costs

The campus landscape designed as an

expansion of the urban greenway along with
Charles river, adds on to become a regional
asset for Boston.
 Double skin Façade System

THREE FOOT AIR CAVITY

between two layers of glass, reducing
peak cooling loads by 72% and heating
loads by 20%.

IMPROVED THERMAL COMFORT

TRANSPARENCY is maximized

ADJUSTABLE BLINDS prevent low

angled sun glare from entering the
building
The Lofts at Washington University
St. Louis
 The Lofts of Washington
University is located both
on Delmar Boulevard, in a
six-block area known as
“the Loop,” and in the
historic Parkview Gardens
neighborhood.

The Lofts of Washington

University is an off-campus
student housing project, with
ground-level retail, that provides
housing for 414 undergraduate
students in the Delmar Loop, a
vibrant commercial corridor, half
mile from the university’s main
campus.
 Climate of St. Louis, Missouri

Missouri generally has a variety of
seasonal humid subtropical climate.
St. Louis has four seasons: hot, humid
summers; wet, cool falls; cold, damp
winters; and even wetter springs.
Due to its flat, inland location, St.
Louis receives its fair share of
extreme weather, including
summertime highs, wintertime lows,
tornadoes, and flooding
The Lofts project energizes the
Delmar streetscape via a series of new
storefront shops.

On the Delmar side, perforated

aluminum louvers cover the south
facade, serving to provide residents
privacy and shade.

One of the most distinctive elements

in the architecture of the Lofts is its
relationship to the surrounding streets.

These streets differ widely in

character: from the lively Delmar
Boulevard commercial corridor on the
south to the quieter residential Enright
Avenue to the north, populated by
red-brick multifamily residences.

The project is LEED Platinum

Certified.
The Lofts was awarded LEED Platinum certification in 2014 by
the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed to be 46% more
efficient than standard construction, the property includes the
following green design elements :

Sustainable Sites:

Redeveloping a barren site: formerly a corner gas station

Student Housing in an urban environment:

• Access to Public transportation
• Significant accommodations for bicycles (including
repair station)

A pedestrian mews traverses the large city block and acts as a

collector and focal point of entry for the new student
community.
The Lofts was awarded LEED Platinum
certification in 2014 by the U.S. Green Building
Council. Designed to be 46% more efficient than
standard construction, the property includes the
following green design elements :

Water Management:

Surface run off is channeled to a rain garden.

Three main roof Gardens control storm water
run – off and are irrigated by cistern.

Two landscaped courtyards located on ground

cover the below ground parking structure and are
themselves drained into a bioswale, thereby
recharging underground water table

A second storey roof deck over the grocery store

provides a landscaped place for students to gather
and observe the life of the street
The Lofts was awarded LEED Platinum certification in 2014 by
the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed to be 46% more
efficient than standard construction, the property includes the
following green design elements :

Energy saving systems:

Extensive use of indoor and outdoor LED lighting

Solar thermal panels heat 25% of the buildings’ domestic hot

water and photovoltaic cells provide 10% of the electrical needs

Distinctive aluminum louvers on south facing two-story walls

that serve as both an attractive design element and a tool to
maintain thermal comfort

lights are set up on occupancy sensors, so the lights turn off

when no one is home

To run the heating and air conditioning requires inserting a

card in a card reader; when the last person leaves and removes
the card, everything returns to a minimal setting
 A Transparent southern
façade connects students to
the vibrancy of Delmar
while maximizing
daylighting

Amount of daylight is
managed by the perforated
external aluminium
sunshades

The angle of the

aluminium sunshade is
such that the much needed
winter sun enters the
building whereas the
summer sun is blocked
 The practice of designing and constructing energy efficient LEED
certified buildings by William Rawn Associates, Architects Inc., is an
excellent example of how buildings can achieve the foal of sustainability
without compromising aesthetics. In fact these green buildings stand
out in their context aesthetically as well as functionally for being
sustainable. Although the initial costs of constructions seems to be
huge, the savings made in terms of energy as well as energy costs turn
to be fruitful. In contrast to the vernacular architecture where active
strategies were predominant, Passive strategies tend to outweigh in case
of contemporary architecture

- S.P.Haricharan
2018701517