The Boston Preservation Alliance Recently Awarded the 2013 Preservation Achievement Award to the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Project in Boston, MA. The Boston Preservation Alliance Preservation Achievement Awards are bestowed annually to honor outstanding achievements in historic preservation and compatible new construction in Boston.
The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, located at Parcel 6, has been one of the more difficult sites to develop in the Charlestown Navy Yard. This northeast end of the Navy Yard, often referred to as "Yard's End" had a long life as part of the military complex dating back to 1800 when the navy bought this pastureland for ship repair, storage and as an arsenal. Over the years, and through expansion, the area had multiple uses: timber receiving dock, wharfs and dry docks, and naval hospital for injured sailors. When the Boston Redevelopment Authority acquired the property, hard-to-find century-old live and white oak found on the site were donated to the Mystic Seaport preservation shipyard to repair historic ships. A considerable amount of granite block found on site incorporated into the site landscaping of the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Spaulding undertook a challenging site with this project: hazardous waste cleanup, state open-space requirements due to its harbor adjacency, harborwalk issues, and more. Spaulding's LEED-certified building, developed by Partners Healthcare Real Estate and Facilities, incorporates cutting-edge energy efficiency and sustainability technologies in a design that integrates well with the historic waterfront site. To meet the fifty percent publicly accessible open space requirement, Spaulding developed outdoor space to cater to both patient and public populations with a therapy garden and active sports plaza for patients and dining and environmental plazas that all can enjoy. (Source: BostonPreservation.org)
GZA's involvement included condition assessment and design of repairs and reconstruction of existing waterfront structures. Additionally, GZA designed a fully accessible Harborwalk and floating dock at an adjacent property on the Little Mystic Channel. The floating dock provides water access for Spaulding's water therapy program. Access to the float was provided by a series of pile supported floats and gangways that maintain fully compliant handicap access.
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