An article in the latest Fine Homebuilding Magazine by Jeremiah Eck presents an interesting and useful set of massing principles to consider when designing a new home.

To read the article, click here (permission to reprint kindly offered by Fine Homebuilding). 

In the article, Jeremiah, senior partner at Eck|MacNeely Architects, uses a recent residential project overseen by Paul MacNeely, also a partner at Eck|MacNeely, to illustrate his principles. The residence is modest in size - slightly under 2,000 square feet - yet the variety of its massing helps it to appear larger, as can be seen in the photo below. 

To see a Web Extra on the Fine Homebuilding website, click here.

An article on the 99 Winchester Condominiums, a 5-unit luxury condominium suite in Brookline, Massachusetts, that incorporates a historic home and a modern addition designed by Eck|MacNeely Architects, has been published in Banker and Tradesman ("Transforming Green Design into Luxury" by Harold Simansky, March 2008 edition).

In the article, owner Harold Simansky outlines many of the green strategies adopted for the condominiums. These are an interesting read for anyone interested in what it actually means to make a home "green".

The 99 Winchester Condominiums are the first LEED-certified condominiums in Brookline. They were certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the country's leading certification program for environmentally responsible construction developed by the US Green Building Council.

Although they did not initially seek LEED certification, the owner and architect discovered that strong design choices very often proved to be the most environmental choices as well. As Mr. Simansky explains in the article, "...when it became clear that environmental friendliness would actually ensure healthiness and that a healthy home dovetailed nicely with a green approach, 99 Winchester became green in the extreme."

Interestingly, environmental friendliness was not accompanied by a significant increase in cost, which supports our conviction that sustainability stems inherently from good design in many ways.   

To read the full article, please click here.

On April 3, Jeremiah Eck, senior partner here at Eck|MacNeely Architects, helped teach a course in green design at the Residential Design and Construction convention in Boston. The poster from the course is below.

The course focused on the 99 Winchester condominums, a 5-unit complex recently completed in Brookline, Massachusetts. Eck|MacNeely Architects designed the project for owner and developer Harold Simansky to be LEED certified due to its sustainability features and environmental integrity. Construction, by G. F. Rhode, adhered to these principles. This means the project met the exacting criteria of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the country's leading certification program for environmentally responsible construction developed by the US Green Building Council.   

A main theme of the course was that incorporating the sustability features required for LEED certification did not add significantly to the overall project cost. This finding reinforces Eck|MacNeely's conviction that good design is inherently green in many ways.

Click here for more images of the 99 Winchester condominiums.    

A renovation by Eck|MacNeely Architects has been published in The Boston Globe Magazine of Feb. 17, 2008.

The feature, titled "Back to the Present: An Old-Fashioned Kitchen Can Have All The Comforts Of The 21st Century," by Regina Cole, explores how the homeowners were able to combine sensitivity to the historic elements of the home and district with the needs of modern life. By incorporating period antiques and 19th-century colors and textures alongside very modern kitchen features, old and new were successfully blended.  

The same fusion was achieved on the exterior of the house, thus preserving the integrity of the historic district.

Below you'll find the article and a photo of the exterior.  Please enjoy!    

Click to see more interior and exterior images from our webiste.    

The Wall Street Journal has published an article on a house currently in design by Eck MacNeely Architects.

"The Architect Will See You Now," by Sara Lin, is about the the Samborn residence, a timber frame home designed for a site on the North Shore of Massachusetts by Eck MacNeely Architects. In the article, Mr. and Mrs. Samborn describe their experiences working with an architectural firm. 

The article also offers Tips for Homeowners seeking to work with an architect. The architects at Eck MacNeely concur that these are a valuable read for any homeowner considering renovating or building a new home.

To read the full Wall Street Journal article on the Samborn residence designed by Eck MacNeely Architects, please click here.  

As the year draws to a close, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the many successes of 2007 at Eck|MacNeely Architects and those who made them possible.

Of the many projects under way, here are a few highlights: 

Much of the office has been involved in the 550-seat Thayer Center for the Arts at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts, south of Boston. We were delighted to see the building emerge from its foundation as construction advanced throughout the fall.

A rendering of the theater:

 Construction progress:

Our most recently completed campus project was a dormitory at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts:

On the North Shore of Massachusetts, a new residence in Gloucester is nearing completion on a site with spectacular ocean views.     

In the Boston area, we are eagerly anticipating the completion of five sustainable condominium units centered around a historic home in Brookline.

2007 has been a very successful year for us due to the wonderful support and vision of our clients.

Similarly, the dedication of our team, consisting of architects Meredith Chamberlin, Donald Bartels, Bob Carroll, Leslie Raymond, Howard Raley, Keith Etzweiler and David Chase, interior designer Monica Acosta, intern Corie Zadina, and office manager Rebecca Adell, brings our projects to life.

We wish to extend our thanks to you all and best wishes for the holidays and the new year.

Jeremiah Eck and Paul MacNeely

Partners, Eck|MacNeely Architects

We were delighted to be notified last week that our founding partner, Jeremiah Eck, will be inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame in November.

The New England Design Hall of Fame describes its mission as recognizing “individuals who have had a significant career in design in New England.”

Jeremiah founded the firm in 1976 as a sole proprietor. Under his leadership, it has grown to two partners, three associates and ten designers. Today, Eck MacNeely Architects is a leader in residential design throughout New England and beyond, and is quickly becoming established as an authority in the design of private school buildings.

The firm is honored by Jeremiah’s induction.