ACADEMIC PROJECTS

THE CHILDREN’S SCHOOL, STAMFORD, CT

Maryann Thompson Architects recently completed a new classroom building for a multidisciplinary private school in Stamford. The school is conceived as a one-room schoolhouse, both linked by a diagonal view through the overlapping spaces of the classroom and divided by the structural lines of the beams overhead and the variegated exterior wall condition, which extends the spaces of the child’s world into the site. The two age groups of the school are housed in two classroom “wings,” both joined and separated by the entry area in which quiet activities are located to calm the child upon arrival. The variegated edge of the footprint helps to break down the scale of the building to make it in keeping with the scale of the child.

ATRIUM SCHOOL, WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS

Atrium School looked to Maryann Thompson Architects to design its new home when the progressive K-8 program was forced to find new facilities. The project called for the adaptive re-use of an open warehouse structure on a limited site in a densely populated residential area. Because the parcel is long and narrow, it presents specific challenges to the arrangement of parking fields and green space and the movement of pedestrian and vehicular traffic through the site. A satisfying resolution was achieved by rethinking the building’s orientation on the site. By creating an alternate entry sequence, the child approaches the school through a landscape garden rather than a highly trafficked street. We opened the warehouse with glazing that introduces ample daylighting and cross-ventilation. Dependency on daylight versus artificial light allows the child to experience the changing weather patterns and seasons on the building’s exterior. This project was completed within a restrictive design and construction time frame of under 10 months.

NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AT THE CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART,BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI

Maryann Thompson Architects was a finalist for an invited competition for the design of a girls' middle school at Cranbrook. Ideas central to the project involve referencing and respecting the horizontality of the beautiful existing Saarinen building to which the dormitory will be attached; bringing in as much light as possible into the classrooms; creating cozy spaces that will bridge the gap between the large scale of the building and the middle school girls; maintaining a transparency that will allow one to connect to the landscape and the genius loci of the place.

WOODLAND DORMITORIES, KENYON COLLEGE, GAMBIER, OHIO

Following a process of student involvement, historical analysis, and site analysis, Thompson and Rose developed a four-building dormitory complex surrounding a courtyard landscape. The neo- Gothic dormitories reflect the historic campus architecture. The project received the 1996 Tucker Award from the Building Stone Institute, the 1995 American Institute of Architects New England Honor Award for Design Excellence, and the 1994 Boston Society of Architects Design Award. The project was completed in December of 1993. It was published in the November 1994 issue of Architectural Record.

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY CAMPUS CENTER, WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

In 1999, Thompson and Rose Architects undertook the design of a new $22 million student center for Brandeis University which is still under construction. The 60,000-square-foot facility will house the university theater, a library, a café, and student service offices. The student center is envisioned as a vibrant, 24 hour building that will accommodate a variety of events including lectures, film, music and theater. The building will serve as the symbolic center for student life on campus.

THE COLORADO COLLEGE COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

The Colorado College Master Plan is a comprehensive thirty-year master plan by Thompson and Rose that identifies, clarifies, and shapes a long-term vision for the campus. The plan responds to the academic program of the college and strengthens the overall unity of the campus. The process evoked support from the campus community, neighborhoods, and the greater Colorado Springs community. The plan now serves as a guide for campus improvements into the 21st century.

THE PUTNEY SCHOOL GYMNASIUM AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, PUTNEY, VERMONT

Thompson and Rose Architects completed the schematic design phase of a new performing arts center and a new athletic facility for the progressive southeast Vermont boarding school in 1999. The performing arts building includes a five-hundred-seat auditorium, a gallery, and a dance studio. A second building houses a 10,000-square-foot gymnasium with generous views of Putney’s landscape.

THE FOOTE SCHOOL, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

This $5 million project in a leafy precinct of New Haven, by Thompson and Rose, includes a new art and music classroom building, an airy but intimate black box theater, and an expanded, renovated gymnasium overlooking the school’s playing fields. The buildings were conceived following an extensive process of student and faculty involvement.

CHILMARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CHILMARK, MASSACHUSETTS

This elementary school, in Chilmark’s historic town center by Thompson and Rose creates a town green among the surrounding historic buildings and public spaces. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates completed the Landscape Architecture design.

THE HARTSBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

Completed in 1989 by Thompson and Rose, the Hartsbrook School is located on a spectacular site with dramatic views of the Holyoke Range. The Master Plan calls for ten buildings housing three pre-school classrooms and gardens; eight elementary school classrooms; and space for dining, assembly, music, crafts, woodworking, dance, and athletics, all oriented to the mountains and to the daily path of the sun. The architectural style reflects local indigenous traditions, in terms of scale and materials as well as the sculptural form of the immediate site. The Hartsbrook School has been published in Progressive Architecture, won the 1990 American Wood Honor Award, and was part of a traveling exhibition in Europe and the United States entitled "Organic Architecture: The New Expressionists", sponsored by the Iona Foundation of Switzerland. The design of the school and our process of community involvement are featured in the book School Design by Henry Sanoff.

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE ENTRY AND GATEHOUSE, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT

Thompson and Rose Architects designed a new main entrance to the Connecticut campus that reconfigures the approach to the campus. A gatehouse, driveway, landscape and lighting design augment arrival views of the campus.

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE MEMORIAL, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT

In conjunction with a local artist, Thompson and Rose Architects designed the Ad Astra Garden on the main lawn of Connecticut College to serve as a public gathering spot, and campus monument. The memorial overlooks views of the Long Island Sound and serves as a tribute to major donors. The project was completed in 1997.

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK/STONY BROOK CHILD CARE SERVICES, INC., STONY BROOK, NEW YORK

After completing a feasibility study for a 200-child, prototypical childcare center at SUNY, Stony Brook, Thompson and Rose Architects was commissioned to complete schematic design for the project. The program includes a variety of infant landscapes and an 18,000-20,000 square-foot daycare structure that is highly responsive to an already existing childcare program. Phases of childhood development will be a point of inspiration for the architecture and accompanying landscapes.

NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF ENGLISH DORMITORY, CAMBRIDGE, MA

Thompson and Rose adapted an existing historic building into dormitory space for an international language school. Completed in 1996, the project included the creation of student suites and apartments, as well as a central kitchen, small dining hall and recreation area.

MUSEUMS, CULTURAL AND ARTS FACILITIES

PUERTO RICO AQUARIUM, SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

The proposal for the Puerto Rico Aquarium resulted from an invited competition. The Aquarium would be located in the Convention Center District, near the San Juan Harbor in an area being transformed from an industrial port to a mixed use district. Maryann Thompson Architects teamed with Cambridge Seven Associates on this competition. MTA will provide conceptual and schematic design. Our proposal explores a new spatial paradigm of dispersal and field condition, weaving architecture and landscape and prioritizing the void condition, as opposed to creating a more typical response of a contained and interiorized world. The weaving of solid and void takes advantage of the climate of the Caribbean to blur the boundaries of inside and outside, object and field, generating an ambiguous space that heightens the spatial experience. Through dispersal of space and sectional complexity we generate an unfolding spatial sequence that uses landscape and garden techniques of hide-and-reveal to weave mystery and discovery. The scheme emphasizes the phenomenological aspects of the experience by using light, shadow, wind and water, in response to climate and to heighten the emotional resonance of the space. The site strategy creates civic space within a private aquarium, encouraging public activities in the plaza adjacent to the main entrance that also addresses and activates the public park. Tanks facing this space will glow at night creating a landmark that activates the site by bringing in the nightlife of the city. An elevated pedestrian path connects to the park and the hotel sites, allowing non-paying visitors to walk through the canopy of the rainforest and experience glimpses of the activity within the aquarium. The project will be awarded this April.

THE BLACK BOX THEATER FOR THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was hired to create a new black box theater for the acclaimed American Repertory Theatre. Working closely with Harvard University and Theatre representatives, Maryann Thompson Architects operated within strict budgetary guidelines to fast-track this project for completion in time for a performance in January 2005.

ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA

Thompson and Rose Architects were commissioned in 1992 to master plan and design a sevenbuilding campus for this nationally recognized artists' retreat. The program includes a black-box theater; painting, sculpting, music and dance studios; and a library. The project received a 1998 AIA National Award for Design Excellence, a 1997 ID Magazine Design Award, a 1996 Boston Society of Architects Design Award, the 1995 Progressive Architecture Award, and the 1993 Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture Design Award. The project is featured in several publications including the February 1994 issue of Progressive Architecture, the March 1994 issue of INSITE magazine, the June 1996 issue of Architecture, the June 1997 issue of Architectural Record, the July 1997 issue of ID; and was published in the book Contemporary American Architects Vol. IV (Taschen, 1999).

DISCOVERY CENTER, POULTRY HOUSE, WELCOME AREA AT DRUMLIN FARM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY, LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

As part of long range plans to improve the educational programming and facilities at Drumlin Farm, Massachusetts Audubon Society’s flagship facility, Maryann Thompson Architects has provided design services for the Discovery Center, Poultry House and a new entry corridor. The Discovery Center is a highly sustainable indoor/outdoor learning space with a test kitchen and demonstration areas adjacent to the Farm’s pond. The classroom is designed to take in solar gain, while trellises and louvers on the south elevation dapple and modulate intense summer sun. The renovated Poultry House also incorporates sustainable design features, including a recycled tire roof membrane and a cistern for rainwater collection, while expanding programming areas on the farm’s collection of rare and fancy breed chickens. The new entrance area integrates a system of customized fences and trellises that visually link existing buildings to the site.

POLLY HILL ARBORETUM VISITORS' CENTER, MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS

A visitors' center, educational facilities and other structures were designed by Maryann Thompson Architects for a botanical enclave on Martha’s Vineyard. The buildings were designed to heighten the visitor’s sense of relationship with the site. The simple shed forms derive their spatial subtlety and effectiveness through interaction with each other and the surrounding landscape. This project has received the 2001 American Institute of Architects New England Honor Award for Design Excellence and a 2001 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates was the landscape architect for the project.

ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI, AN INVITED COMPETITION, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Maryann Thompson Architects was a finalist in an invited competition for the design of art spaces within the envelope of an existing historic building. The biggest single challenge in this project was light. By cutting the floor plates in strategic locations diagonally through the scheme, culminating in beautifully shaped skylights on the roof, the design proposed to skewer the interior of the building with light. These skewers also create a sense of connectivity, activating the architectural space and bringing together the various and diverse parts of the school.

MACDOWELL COLONY WORKSHOP SPACE, PETERBOROUGH, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Thompson and Rose completed schematic design on a new interdisciplinary studio building for this renowned artists’ residency program in 1999. This project is currently awaiting funding.

LONGBOAT KEY CENTER FOR THE ARTS, LONGBOAT KEY, FLORIDA

Thompson and Rose were commissioned to design new galleries and to renovate existing galleries and administrative spaces at this regional art center in the Sarasota area.

GULF COAST MUSEUM OF ART, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA

Situated in the Pinellas County Botanical Gardens, this 60,000-square-foot project by Thompson and Rose includes galleries, administrative offices, museums, art studios, sculpture gardens, and residential space. The buildings are connected by a lightweight, steel colonnade that runs parallel to the waterway, offering views of the botanical gardens. The buildings are spaced to form intimate gardens, allowing a simple weaving of landscape and architecture while integrating the two cultural endeavors. The project was published in the June 1996 and Sept. 2000 edition of Architecture and the June 2000 issue of World Architecture (London), and received the 2001 American Institute of Architects New England Honor Award for Design Excellence, a 2001 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award and the 1996 Unbuilt Architecture Design Award. Phase One is complete.

KENYON COLLEGE ART BARN, GAMBIER, OHIO

Thompson and Rose Architects were consulting architects for this new arts education facility at Kenyon College. The program, now complete, includes sculpture, printmaking and photography workshops.

RESIDENCES

MANATUCK RIDGE HOUSE, STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT

The site, just off Long Island Sound, runs along and is strongly defined by a granite ridge that dominates a stretch of land north of Stonington Harbor and Little Narragansett Bay. Existing stone retaining walls and foundations make the site’s history legible and give form to the immediate landscape. The residence is set off the ridge, allowing the ridge to retain its reading as the primary object and defining element of the landscape. Approached from the west, three distinct volumes are organized axially along ridgeline and nestled between the existing massive Copper Beech trees. The west-facing public edge is more insular, while the east and south facing edges give way to the site and sun. An undulating footprint defines a series of outdoor rooms that address unique views from or through the house to the property. Program spaces are distributed between the volumes, creating varied layers of occupation, which are altered and adapted through manipulation of shifting interior partitions. Movement through the house from the west to the east reinforces the ridge as a layer that defines levels of privacy and intimacy. The house unfolds in layers, culminating in unobstructed views of the ocean in the distance from a private balcony off the master bedroom, perched atop the living room roof.

INTERVAL HOUSE, CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS

This 7,500 SF house solves the client’s request to create a light yet sun-sheltered place of habitation concealed from intermittent harsh weather, yet open enough to enjoy a panorama of distinctive views. Occupying the crest of a windblown bluff overlooking the Atlantic and nearby saltwater ponds, the house’s interior situates the occupant between and earthen stone plinth and light trapezoidal roof forms. Shifting and skewed roof planes simultaneously shelter and open the jagged and tautly stretched building envelope. Varied interior and exterior spatial, lighting and viewing conditions heighten the awareness of site and allow the user to occupy the house in response to the ever-changing environment. The roof planes reciprocate the formal qualities of the bluff, windswept cedars and cresting waves of the Atlantic below. The building’s interior continues the cedar tongueand- groove cladding, creating visual consistency with the outside, as well as providing a sense of craft and techtonics similar to the local boat building traditions. The structure’s complex form navigates highly restrictive building envelope limitations and utilized portions of a pre-existing cape to avoid an arduous review process. This project is under construction and will be finished in June 2007.

PROMONTORY HOUSE, BEND, OREGON

TThis 6,000 SF house occupies the edge of a 150-foot-tall volcanic canyon rim rock promontory and overlooks Black Rock Canyon and Smith Rocks. The building form and sloped roof planes transition the language of the horizontal desert plane on its south to the vertical mountain faces and canyon wall on its north. The building’s massing and roof planes echo the language of the geologic strata of the adjacent buttes and appear to rise from the horizontal plateau with the rocky mountainous backdrop. From the interior, the building’s crescent plan and rising roof planes open viewing fields of the mountains with expansive glazing to the north, while the southern light is suffused through clerestories and smaller punched openings. The southern exposure is shielded with thick masonry walls, creating an opaque semi-court entry in counterpoint to the expansive high desert’s seemingly infinite space. This entry also serves as a threshold, allowing for a gradual unfolding of views from the interior to the north. Construction on this project began in February 2007.

COTTAGE HOUSE, CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS

This residence renovated by Maryann Thompson Architects joins two halves of a former two-family duplex. A new kitchen spans the old dividing line, and an adjoining living space expands the modestly sized house out to the landscaped site through new large openings in the brick and wood structure. Inside an expanded study and renovated guest bath give the owners more room to breathe. The existing central dividing wall is perforated and the double staircases maintained to respect the previous history of the residence, while surfaces of wood and stone are added to address both the organic nature of the site and to update the arts and crafts style residence.

HILLTOP GLADE HOUSE, TRURO, MASSACHUSETTS

This residence by Maryann Thompson Architects nestled within an inland hilltop glade has commanding views of the surrounding landscape and distant bay. Large and plentiful aluminum doors and windows in this modestly sized vacation home bring in the forested landscape while a spacious dogtrot connecting to a guesthouse provides screened outdoor living. Views from an elevated second floor master suite, study and roof deck, which spans the dogtrot, disengage the occupant from the ground plane. Inserted within the trees, panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and the bay envelop the occupant.

THINK HOUSE, GREENSBORO, VERMONT

This home on a densely wooded site overlooking a lake is conceived as a modern camp. The plan is divided between two volumes. The larger contains the primary living spaces and children’s bedrooms. Across the dogtrot is the master bedroom and private bathroom. Strategic perforations in the plan, the numerous window openings and the dogtrot, lend the house a semi-transparent quality connecting the house to its site and creating visual and experiential connections to the landscape. The house’s skewed volumes are a direct response to the ground plane and prevailing winds, reinforcing a deep sense of connection between the residence and the site and ensuring cross-ventilation within the two volumes. Because of the house’s remote location and the truncated design and construction schedule, the scheme is deliberately simple. This not only serves the project’s budget and schedule, it reflects the carefree and uncomplicated lifestyle the clients sought in their vacation getaway.

ZERO IMPACT HOUSE, EASTON, MASSACHUSETTS

The two primary influences driving this project were the desire for an environmentally and ecologically sound design and a fixed and limited budget. Within those constraints, the clients desired a 3000-square-foot home for four with a modern design and tight footprint. In response, we created a warm environment with ample public spaces for entertaining adjacent to cozy private spaces, all of which are connected, visually or physically, to the existing woodlands. Through an extensive process of prioritizing and cost control we were able to incorporate innovative sustainable solutions, including photovoltaics, a gray water collection system, and a pellet stove. Sustainable materials and finishes were utilized throughout. The clients chose to run electrical lines, both to meet emergency demands, but also to sell energy back to the local electrical supplier.

FAYERWEATHER STREET SCHOOL CONVERSION, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

This project involved the renovation of a four-story 1960's school building into a dramatic living space for a family of five. The design emphasizes fluid movement through a series of spatially varied, light-filled spaces. Sectional connections between floor levels create varied scales. Light apertures, extended balconies and terraces create a transparent "skin" which serves to connect the interior to the site.

LEE STREET ADDITION, CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS

This project is a response to the clients’ request to create a comfortable and informal living space and bright kitchen through an addition to the rear of their existing 1970's-era modernist house. The addition extends out towards the landscape and is enclosed by a stone garden which is accessible only through the guest rooms below the living space. Looking out from the living room, the garden is hidden, creating the illusion that the living space extends into the distant landscape. Natural light and its inherent mutability are the focus of this architectural investigation. Different areas of activity within the open space are accentuated by clusters of light wells located over the dining table and kitchen island. EA single continuous slice of natural light at the perimeter of the space defines a “proscenium” of the ceiling plane and produces the same play of light and shadow across the vertical surfaces.

GEOTHERMAL HOUSE, BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects designed this 8,000 sq ft residence, in glass, steel, and wood, as a combination one and two-story house that steps gracefully into its meadow landscape. The project was completed in 2003.

FALLEN LEAVES RESIDENCE, AQUINNAH, MASSACHUSETTS

Constructed of horizontal planes that play gently against each other, this residence by Maryann Thompson Architects unfolds in space like a series of leaves falling from the sky. These 'leaves' modulate the light, bringing fissures of southern light in from above and opening the house to the north and ocean views.

WESTPORT MEADOW HOUSE, WESTPORT, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was challenged to design a residence with a deep connection to its striking location, a meadow along the Westport River. The house, of lightweight steel, glass, concrete and wood, hovers on pilotis only 20” above the meadow. The house acts as a thickened threshold in one’s advance towards the river, responding to the veil of trees along the river’s edge and the placement of stone walls that encircle the site.

CHARLES RIVER RESIDENCE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Floating high above the Charles River in Cambridge, this large condominium unit required extensive updating and renovation. The remodel includes a redesigned and newly appointed kitchen, bathrooms, and the creation of a master suite, and it responds to the clients’ desire to open the space to views of the Charles River, Cambridge and Boston beyond. The materials and finishes throughout the space comment on the river’s presence below. Burnished nickel-coated steel, chosen for its reflective qualities, faces the buffet cabinets in the dining area and a display cabinet in the living area. Curved walls and surfaces throughout the space echo the movement of the river as it winds towards the Boston.

WEST CHOP WOODS HOUSE, MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS

Composed of interlocking exterior and interior voids, this house by Maryann Thompson Architects creates an ambiguity between inside and outside space. This summerhouse project is designed to accommodate an extended family of 22 people. This house is currently in design development.

CRAIGIE STREET RENOVATION, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

This project, a modern reference to the glass and steel conservatories of the late 19th century, is a lightweight steel, glass and stone structure by Maryann Thompson Architects, coupled to a historical house on Cambridge’s “Tory Row”.

COURTYARD RESIDENCE, DUXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was commissioned to design the master plan of a modern residence complex, including the renovation and addition to an existing house, a new garage and workshop and landscaping elements. The house brings together the formal constructs early modernist spatial techniques and New England building traditions. The project is in design development.

MODERN INSERTION RESIDENCE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

The insertion of modern screens in textured glass, wood and steel and the dramatic opening up of the floor space creates an interesting dialog between the renovated historic part of this house and the modern renovation/addition. This project by Maryann Thompson Architects is currently in the construction document stage.

BARN RESIDENCE, WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS

This project by Maryann Thompson Architects includes the renovation of an existing house with a garage, workshop and swimming pool addition. This project was completed in 2003.

RETREAT HOUSE, AQUINNAH, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was commissioned to add an extension to this residence, originally designed by architect Adam Calkin. The original steel structure opens to views of the Sound, so the addition was seen as an opportunity to connect the house to the adjacent landscape. Perforations throughout the tightly wrapped cedar “skin,” create glimpses of the wooded landscape. A private balcony and roof deck, accessed through the master bedroom, is tucked into the canopy of an existing White Oak tree, preserving the sensation of being in a tree house.

CHILMARK MEADOW HOUSE, CHILMARK, MASSACHUSETTS

This contemporary house by Thompson and Rose sits within the existing woods overlooking an adjacent preservation land. Large sliding glass walls open the house to its site. Wood ceilings, a dual sided fireplace and continuous floor planes negotiate between interior and exterior, blurring the houses boundaries. The project combines vernacular materials with light-filled modern sculptural spaces. This project has received a 2002 Boston Society of Architects Honor Award.

URBAN GALLERY/RESIDENCE ON WEST 22ND STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK

This gallery/residence in the heart of New York City’s arts district in Chelsea by Thompson and Rose includes two stories of gallery space, a studio apartment, and a two-level penthouse organized around an open-air courtyard garden. As the residence unfolds spatially, views across the exterior spaces from various vantage points create richly layered spaces that intertwine inside and outside, urban and natural, sculptural and organic. The project was completed in spring 2000. This project received a 2001 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award.

BLUFF HOUSE AT WEST CHOP, WEST CHOP, MASSACHUSETTS

This house by Thompson and Rose is situated on a site that commands dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The house responds to the natural context of the site in its form and organization, and to the architectural and historical context of Martha’s Vineyard in its materials and details.

VINEYARD SOUND RESIDENCE, GAY HEAD, MASSACHUSETTS

The 1,300-square-foot vacation residence on Martha’s Vineyard by Thompson and Rose sits on windswept terrain overlooking Vineyard Sound. The design maximizes ocean views through the use of terraces and perforated volumes. The project was completed summer 2000.

WATERFRONT RESIDENCE, MARION, MASSACHUSETTS

This 6,000-square-foot residence by Thompson and Rose provides spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining countryside.

FERRING RESIDENCE, ORLEANS, MASSACHUSETTS

This residence by Thompson and Rose is designed for a Midwestern family with a significant art collection. The house is a modern, sculptural residence including primary living areas, a pool, an art studio, and a detached office "tower." The building is composed of site-cast concrete, glass, and copper. Its undulating form is reminiscent of the keels of the sailing vessels in Pleasant Bay below. Spaces flow freely between indoors and outdoors, linked by covered walks, terraces, and a sheltering copper roof that unfurls seaward like a windswept sail.

HOME ON BIG MOOSE LAKE, NEW YORK

This family dwelling for a renowned Boston cabinetmaker at a retreat in the Adirondack Mountains by Thompson and Rose is a sculptural interpretation of indigenous forms of building in the local region.

WITCHBROOK MEADOW HOUSE, SEVEN GATES FARM, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS

The project by Thompson and Rose includes a main house, writer's shack, and guesthouse on a large farm. The site borders on 1,500 acres of Trustees of Reservations’ land and overlooks a large meadow. The project won the 1996 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award and is featured in the August 1997 issue of Architectural Digest.

WOODLAND HOUSE, TIMBER COVE, CALIFORNIA

This residential project, located in a redwood grove in Sonoma County, California explores the relationships between the programmatic elements and qualities of light, using structural elements as light filters. The project employs super-insulated construction and is an energy-efficient design. Thompson and Rose Architects worked in collaboration with the National Energy Research Laboratories at Berkeley (Dariush Arasteh, Engineer). The project was completed in 1994.

SUMMER RESIDENCE FOR DONALD SULTAN, SAG HARBOR, NEW YORK

In addition to the renovation of an existing colonial house and guesthouse, a new pool and pool house were designed by Thompson and Rose for the artist in the historic town of Sag Harbor, Long Island. The project is a collaboration with Dan Kiley, Landscape Architect.

MONUMENTS, GARDENS AND PAVILIONS

DON RIVER PARK, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

As part of Michael Van Valkenburgh’s team, Maryann Thompson Architects was selected to design the pavilion at the heart of the new Don River Park, near Toronto’s active city center. The site selected is a reclaimed post-industrial landscape bisected by urban transportation infrastructure. The involves the insertion of varied and undulating topography, diverse plantings, and distinctive outdoor spaces designed to create a nexus for public life, outdoor athletic activities and passive people-watching. MTA’s design for the pavilion structure interprets the site as a fulcrum and active point of reference within the park. The three splayed roof forms are sculptural and directional, orienting the visitor to three main program areas: the playground, the amphitheater/sledding hill, and the fireplace. The design also treads lightly on the landscape. Solar panels on the roof deliver energy back into the grid, and a battery back-up on site provides 48 hours of emergency power. A gray water collection system captures rain for use in the pavilion’s bathrooms and delivers the excess into the splash area down the hill.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK, PIER 2, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

As a part of Michael Van Valkenburgh’s team, Maryann Thompson Architects was commissioned to undertake the adaptive re-use of an existing warehouse on the edge of the East River in Brooklyn. The challenge in this project is to convert the four-acre warehouse into a series of indoor basketball and handball courts and a boathouse. Our strategy will be to enliven the space by introducing light from above through cuts in the rough plan. Offering dramatic views of the New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge Park will include rolling hills, open plazas, and restored marshlands, as well as abundant recreational opportunities with shaded sports fields, playgrounds, open lawns and 12 acres of safe paddling waters.

WHARF DISTRICT PARK, AN INVITED COMPETITION FOR THE ABOVE GRADE SECTION BETWEEN FANEUIL HALL AND ROWES WHARF, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects, as a team member on Michael Van Valkenburgh’s team, was invited in 2002 to design the above ground section of the Central Artery between Faneuil Hall and Rowes Wharf as part of a limited competition staged by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The proposed building strategy is an attempt to connect the space of architecture to the space of the city, the urban plazas and landscapes of the wharf district park. The architecture is transparent and inviting, creating an indoor/outdoor urban experience.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM AND VINE TRELLISES AT THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was commissioned to design an outdoor classroom and trellis structures for Harvard’s historic botanical preserve in Boston. This project has received a 2002 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award and a 1999 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Unbuilt Honor Award, and it has been published in the October 2005 issue of Architectural Record and the July 2000 issue of Landscape Architecture. Reed Hilderbrand Associates completed the Landscape Architecture design.

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY VETERANS’ MEMORIAL, COLUMBUS, INDIANA

Thompson and Rose Architects won an invited competition for the design of this memorial honoring the veterans of Bartholomew County, IN. The memorial consists of twenty-five limestone pillars that offer a profound and meditative space. Veterans’ names, birth and death dates, letters home, and journal entries were carved onto the limestone surfaces. The project received the 1998 Building Stone Institute Tucker Award of Excellence, the 1996 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award, and was published in the November 1995 issue of Architectural Record, the February 1996 issue of Landscape Architecture, the September 1997 issue of Architecture, and in the book Site/Architecture: Thompson and Rose Architects, 1997. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates was the Landscape Architect for this project.

ACTON AMPHITHEATER AND BATHHOUSE, ACTON, MASSACHUSETTS

This project by Thompson and Rose includes an outdoor performance stage with seating for 2,000 on a sculpted earth berm plus a bathhouse, snack house, and changing rooms adjacent to a five-acre pond. The amphitheater is used for a broad spectrum of events ranging from dance to chamber music. The project received a 2001 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award.

GROSSMAN ARBOR, WALKER ART CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

As employees of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Maryann Thompson and Charles Rose designed a stainless-steel arbor for the Walker Art Center sculpture garden expansion project. The garden and arbor opened in September 1992 and have been published in Inland Architect.

BAY ADELAIDE PARK, CITY OF TORONTO, CANADA

Thompson and Rose Architects, in collaboration with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, were finalists in the competition to design an urban park adjacent to Toronto's Bay Adelaide Development. The project was published in the November 1990 issue of Canadian Architect.

OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL SPACES

THE BROAD INSTITUTE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was hired by Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute, to complete the conceptual and schematic design for the new Broad Institute in Cambridge. The new facility, located in the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, integrates labs, exhibition space and an auditorium into a community of scholars focused on collaborative research. The Broad Institute applies understanding of the Human Genome to help cure disease.

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT AT THE WHITEHEAD INSTITUTE, MIT, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was commissioned in 2003 to design an interactive office space for the Human Genomes Project’s Scientists and Post-doctoral fellows, with the attempt to heighten social encounters and spontaneous meetings within the scientific community at the Institute. This project was completed in 2003.

RIALTO RESTAURANT, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Maryann Thompson Architects was charged with redesigning Rialto’s dining room when Chef Jody Adams sought to transform the restaurant and its menu. Our scheme juxtaposes natural materials, including Onyx, Quartz, mahogany, mohair, and suede, against one another to create a rich materiality. At the restaurant’s entrance, a corridor of Italian mosaic tile defines a “road” that guides one’s passage through the L-shaped lounge into the dining room. Sheer curtains hang at intervals throughout the lounge and dining room, providing enclosure and a playful shift in scale without disrupting sightlines or rigidly enclosing the space. Light becomes an additional material that activates the space when filtered through or layered on these elements. Filtering thru the Onyxtopped bar, light illuminates the wait staff and drinks from below. Light interacting with the sheer panels creates a rotating shadow theater.

INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS, YARMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS

Thompson and Rose Architects were commissioned in 1999 to design a new $6 million, 45,000-square-foot global headquarters for this international organization. The headquarters design will be sustainable, and will employ natural building materials, passive solar design, and energy-efficient devices. The design will include informational displays of the company's mission, a 200-seat conference center, and state-of-the-art individual workspaces.

POLARIS VENTURE PARTNERS, WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

Polaris, a Boston-based venture capital firm, invests primarily in computer start-up companies and must appeal to both creative young entrepreneurs and more mature investors. The project by Thompson and Rose incorporates 4,000 square feet of completely new office space designed to appeal to these two distinct constituencies. The entry areas of the office feature a narrative display of the company’s history including the firm’s web site and the products with which they are involved.

GEMINI CONSULTING OFFICES, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

In a joint venture with Wellington Reiter Inc., Thompson and Rose Architects designed "innovative and inventive" offices for Gemini Global Management Consulting. The project includes 35,000 square feet of space in Harvard Square, which contains workspaces for the Cambridge-based staff and East Coast field consultants. The project’s sensitivity to recent office design concepts is expressed in its non-hierarchical spatial arrangements, interactive technologies, ergonomics, and mobile workstations. Thompson and Rose subsequently designed Gemini offices in Oslo, Norway and Johannesburg, South Africa. The project received the 1997 Business Week/Architectural Record design award for outstanding innovation in office design.

INTERSYSTEMS CORPORATION, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Thompson and Rose Architects were commissioned to renovate the headquarters of InterSystems, a database software company with an international presence. The project involved the renovation of 32,000 square feet of office space on three floors. The design provides flexible spaces for conferences and client presentations and creates a more sophisticated corporate image.

OFFICE FOR AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCER, BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY

Thompson and Rose Architects designed this workplace to feel more like an artist’s studio than a traditional office. Inventive use of materials, attention to natural lighting, and carefully scaled spaces evoke a creative atmosphere.

RETREATS, CAMPS, INNS, AND OTHER PROJECTS

CAMP STARFISH, TOWNSEND, MASSACHUSETTS

Camp Starfish is a private summer camp serving children and young adults who suffer from severe emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities. The camp first welcomed participants in 2000, and in response to the overwhelming demand for additional space and an increase in programming, the camp’s directors purchased an 85-acre parcel of land in Townsend, Massachusetts, 55 miles north of Boston. The site, which was formerly owned and developed as a Girl Scout camp, has existing camp structures, which serve the needs of the Camp Starfish community; however, they are in need of renovation. Additionally, the directors seek to expand programming to include teens and would like to accommodate camp sessions during the fall and winter months. Maryann Thompson Architects responded to the needs of the camp by providing a master plan for the renovation of the existing structures and for the creation of additional spaces as can be supported by the budget.

PAINT ROCK CAMP, HYATTVILLE, WYOMING

Thompson and Rose Architects designed a camp on a ranch in Wyoming for seventy-six eighth graders from inner-city Los Angeles. The camp is part of a comprehensive outreach program funded by The Alm Foundation. The sixteen-building program includes cabins, a counselors’ lodge, a director’s house, dining hall, kitchen, swimming pool, shooting and archery ranges, and fire pits. The site is at the mouths of two exquisite canyons. This fast-track project was completed on schedule in July 2000. This project has received a 2001 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award.

STRAITSVIEW BARN, SAN JUAN ISLAND, WASHINGTON

The post and beam structure of this new barn, built to house livestock and machinery, responds to the sculptural forms of local vernacular architecture. This project received the 2002 American Institute of Architects National Honor Award, the 1998 Boston Society of Architects Design Honor Award and the 1997 American Wood Council Award for Design Excellence, and was published in the Autumn 1997 issue of Wood Design and Building and the June 1998 issue of Architectural Record. Thompson and Rose Architects also renovated and restored a 4,000-square-foot house and the outlying farm structures at this magnificent farm overlooking the Olympic Range in Washington State. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates was the Landscape Architect.

WEST CHOP CLUB, WEST CHOP, MARTHA’S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS

Thompson and Rose Architects developed a Facilities Master Plan for this vacation community and renovated its historic “Inn”, the “Cedars”, and constructed a new staff dormitory. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates designed the Landscape Architecture and Landscape Master Plan for this project.

RESTORATION AND RENOVATION OF "LANDS END", NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

Thompson and Rose Architects restored the ground floor interiors and renovated the second and third floors of this historic Newport mansion (completed 1989). The house was originally designed in the Stick Style by Sturgis, and was first renovated by Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman, authors of The Decoration of Houses.

CAMBODIAN TEMPLE AND MONASTERY, LEVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS

Thompson and Rose Architects were commissioned by a Cambodian refugee community to provide master planning services and to design the first structure of a monastery and temple on a 19-acre wooded site in Western Massachusetts. Three large structures are planned: a dormitory, a community hall and a pagoda/temple. This project will be the home of 24 Monks and the Maha Ghosananda, the leading Cambodian Buddhist monk living outside of Cambodia. Low-cost, wooden buildings in their site planning and in their tectonics will give physical expression to the community's cultural roots in Southeast Asia.

VOLUNTEER WORK: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Thompson and Rose Architects were responsible for the schematic design and design development phases of a 16-unit sweat-equity project on the Lower East Side of New York City. They also functioned as fund-raisers, photographers, and liaisons to former President Jimmy Carter, who helped with funding and the actual construction of low-income apartments. The project was completed in 1985.