Archives

1. Madison Public Market

   Key goals for the project are to create architecture that supports food and vendor equity and promotes Madison’s program to eliminate barriers for entrepreneurship in disadvantaged populations; offer an environment that attracts commercial, recreational and social activities; and provide an authentic, inspiring, animated public place that welcomes the entire community. The project entails converting a municipal fleet services building into an open and vibrant community space. Exploring architecture’s role in food equity and business incubation, the design offers flexible spaces to support a variety of vendors sizes, services, and experiences to ensure individual and mutual economic success. The new market will incorporate advanced stormwater management strategies to reduce runoff in a flood-prone location, focusing on physical, social, and urban resilience. The project involved a robust community engagement process to ensure that diverse voices and perspectives were included. The process included a feedback loop to demonstrate how input was incorporated and meeting with focus groups and potential vendors.

2. GAP School Page Street Houses

   This project is a collaboration with GAP School, a skills training program that teaches young adults construction trades by having them build actual construction projects. The structures are designed to accommodate the program by using simple construction techniques, modest roof slopes, and moderate framing spans, while creating homes that meet the highest design standards. These four new single-family homes for low-income families are designed to accommodate multiple generations living under the same roof. The homes have bedrooms, bathrooms, and commons spaces on the ground floor for elderly or disabled family members. The homes are oriented on the lot to accommodate two parked cars in the driveway, leaving the adjacent public sidewalk clear for pedestrians.

   Referencing Passive House design standards, passive systems include a solar chimney, window placement to promote cross ventilation, concrete mass flooring, and large south-facing windows. Since the homes themselves serve as teaching tools, the design prioritizes more labor-intensive processes over expensive materials to achieve performance efficiencies. For example, the exterior walls are a double wall with rigid insulation to illustrate construction technique, rather than using more expensive insulation materials. Simple, time-honored passive design strategies enable homeowners to easily and sustainably maintain their homes. The client is pursuing LEED v4.1 Residential Single Family Homes Platinum certification for the first home.

    

    

3. Fortune 100 Company Facilities ESG Metrics & Recommendations

   MSR Design helped a Fortune 100 company achieve its next phase of corporate sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. We analyzed and documented the embodied carbon content in the corporation’s typical facility designs and used the results of this assessment to develop a prioritized set of recommendations for improving their buildings’ structures, envelopes, and sites, tailored to their specific climates and locations. MSR Design also reviewed the composition and estimated the embodied carbon of currently specified interior assemblies and finishes. We reviewed transparency documentation and other manufacturer data and used our expertise in sustainable materials to identify harmful materials that should be replaced to create healthier environments for employees and visitors.

   Collaborating with the organization’s internal team, we developed category-specific recommendations and created a concept for a net zero carbon facility. These results will serve as a guide for the company as it advances its vision to cocreate an equitable and regenerative future together with partners and communities.

4. Missoula Public Library

   The new building houses four other community organizations (MCAT, Families First Learning Lab, SpectrUM Discovery Area, and the University of Montana Living Lab) to create a library, museum, and science and community center that blends Missoula’s rich heritage with world-class innovations all under one roof. The design process involved an intensive week-long visioning session with leadership from the library and partner organizations to establish project goals and guiding principles. The main floor offers a marketplace with a cafe, retail store, new library materials, and the audiovisual collection; a makerspace; MCAT’s high tech production studio, equipment check-out services, and sound booths; a teens’ area; and the University of Montana Living Lab. Focused on children, families, and play, the second floor houses the Hank and Nancy Harrington Children’s Library, Families First Learning Lab, SpectrUM Disovery Area, and a mix of collaborative learning spaces shared by the partner organizations. The third floor includes a demonstration kitchen, reference services, fiction and nonfiction collections, a business center, and genealogy center. The top floor provides spaces for public engagement and gathering and access to an exterior patio.

   MSR Design served as design architect and interior designer, and A&E Design was the architect of record.

    

    

5. Project for Pride in Living & Clare Housing Bloom Lake Flats

   Bloom Lake Flats is an affordable housing complex with 50% of the apartments dedicated to people living with HIV/AIDS. The project was developed through a partnership between Project for Pride in Living (PPL) and Clare Housing. Bloom Lake Flats provides 42 efficiency dwelling units for residents who earn 15% of the area median income and 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments for residents earning 30% of the area median income. The complex features spaces for supportive services, including a community room, a yoga room, onsite management and case worker office, and a nurse’s office. Also includes an outdoor green space and a play area.

6. Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative Lydia Apartments

   This expansion and renovation to a 3-story affordable housing building adds 40 new dwelling units in a 6-story addition. The existing 40 dwelling units were remodeled as well as all the common spaces including a new integrated front entrance, reception desk, elevator, and bike storage area, as well as a larger, upgraded community kitchen. New staff office space and office space for the support services and property management providers were also added. Programs provided to residents living at Lydia support formerly homeless residents in finding work, building life skills, learning job skills, and managing substance use disorders and mental health issues.

   The 6-story addition builds on the building’s mid-century quality by composing a strongly vertical addition that compliments the horizontality of the original building. The addition was pushed back away from the street to provide a more gracious front yard buffer along a busy street. The ground floor contains a glass pavilion that allows visual transparency through the building. The parking court behind the building was sized to meet the needs of the staff, residents, and visitors by successfully appealing to the city to lower the required parking count to match real needs since almost all residents walk, bicycle or use public transit. The apartments come completely furnished with linens and personal care products, since many residents are transitioning from homelessness.

7. KSMQ PBS Broadcast Center

   This new broadcast center and headquarters for KSMQ, a PBS member station, serves southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa. Designed for flexibility, the front portion of the building can be closed off to give outside groups access to conference rooms during off hours without the need for KSMQ staff supervision. The studio features a robotic camera system. A terrazzo floor mural and sliding art wall showcase art by local artists. The center also includes an outdoor stage and lawn for live performances.

   The facility was designed and constructed according to the rigorous B3 Guidelines, including stormwater retention ponds that remove 80% of total suspended solids, 80% reduction in energy use, a bee lawn requiring limited mowing, wiring for future EV charging stations, and 40% increased vegetated area onsite from 0% preconstruction. All interior materials are low/no VOC, exceeding B3 guidelines. The building has specialized acoustic design, vastly improved air quality, 87% daylight autonomy (100% of regularly occupied spaces have outdoor views), new robotic operation broadcast production areas, community spaces, and wellness features.

8. Sno-Isle Libraries Darrington Library

   This renovation project will provide new and enhanced library services to the Darrington community. Library design features resulted from an extensive public engagement process to reflect community needs and a truly local context. It is the first Sno-Isle Libraries project to implement elements from the Capital Framework, Design Guidelines, and Signage Standards that MSR Design developed with the library. The renovated building will include an enclosed study room, a business center, a storytime room, and outdoor space, which is connected to the existing meeting room for maximum flexibility.

9. Songdo International City Library Design Competition

   MSR Design’s design competition submission for the Songdo International City Library proposes 21st-century library services in a series of 24/7 spaces connected to the public park system. The dramatic engagement of a spiraling park connects all four levels of service together through outdoor public programming that can operate day and night. A central community core and high performing building enclosure ensure daylight reaches all library spaces and promote connectivity between generations. The flexible library spaces between the community core and park areas are designed to accommodate active and passive activities, while allowing direct access to information.

10. MSR Design 510 Marquette Studio

    Located in a large open space on the second floor of a 1925 office building, MSR Design’s new studio cultivates the firm’s design culture through spaces that support the myriad ways of making architecture and make the design process visible. The design arranges workstations around the perimeter near large windows that overlook the urban setting. Staff can choose from a mix of flexible spaces for individual focus or collaboration in a dynamic environment that promotes productivity and creativity. The juxtaposition of a solid black box inserted into the open, white perimeter areas defines and delineates the various zones. The project’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system includes enhanced air filtration, monitors, and controls for the health and well-being of staff and visitors. The project has achieved Living Building Challenge (LBC) Petal Certification for the materials, beauty, and equity petals.