Arup Celebrates Start of Construction for Phase 3 of MASS MoCA

BOSTON, Mass. — Arup has commenced construction for renovations at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in Boston. Arup is the structural engineer for the transformation of a 120,000-square-foot industrial mill building into a world-class contemporary art museum. Building 6 is the third phase of a 25-year museum master plan, and will make MASS MoCA the largest contemporary art museum in the U.S. “

Working directly for Bruner/Cott Architects and Planners, Arup is developing structural solutions that serve to implement the architect’s vision to preserve and enhance the building’s natural assets of openness, light and texture, while bringing the 100-year old building into modern structural compliance by resolving inherent lateral deficiencies.

The existing warehouse building was originally constructed using a variety of materials, including brick, wood, reinforced concrete and cast-iron. To highlight the integrity of the historical building features while bringing the structure into compliance with modern seismic lateral upgrade standards, Arup responded with structural solutions that solve aesthetic, programmatic and functional needs. It designed steel-braced frames and foundations that integrate easily with existing wood features. As the architects sought ways in which they could open up gallery spaces and expose building elements, Arup installed structural steel to create expanded openings and column free zones by transferring large weights to the reinforced foundation. Keeping some of the steel transfers exposed is a design element consistent with other buildings on the campus, and creates an industrial aesthetic that is simultaneously rudimentary and graceful.

Arup performed on-site investigation of the structure and existing building system to determine which elements could be retained safely, economically and sustainably. With an eye towards forthcoming exhibit needs and the potential for additional load-bearing components, Arup’s structural design is flexible to accommodate future improvements. Early foundation phase work, while unglamorously hidden in the basement crawlspace level, was prudently accepted by the owner and methodically implemented by Waterman Excavating to serve as key elements enabling the installation of follow-on lateral upgrades and facilitation of future MEP work by creating a far safer usable basement zone.

Additional similar historic existing building renovation projects include the Cutter and Ziskind Houses at Smith College, the Smith Campus Center at Harvard University and the Bruce C. Bolling Building in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.