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MICROPOLIS: A renovation of a building with 20 very small apartments.Beacon Hill, Boston, MA. Completed July 2016.

View of entry from street: zinc cladding, porcelain fl ooring, reclaimed wood

mosaic with printed imagery.

The lobby mosaic: The design team coordinated salvage of original mid-19th

century beams and reassembled the rough material into fl at panels of various

depths. Printed on these panels are historic images and maps of the building

and immediate neighborhood. Brick walls were exposed and restored.

Beacon Hill, with Mr. Thurston’s house, from Bowdoin StreetCourtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library/Print Department

Dedication of the statue of Daniel Webster before the Massachusetts State House, September 17, 1859Courtesy of the Bostonian Society

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East, from State House, Boston, Mass., ca. 1880–1889Courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library/Print Department

Bowdoin Street, ca. 1904Courtesy of the Bostonian Society

Image Credits

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The lobby mosaic: The architects conducted extensive re-

search in photo archives to unearth the history of this anony-

mous building. A graphic representation of the wall with image

descriptions, credits, dates, and captions is mounted in the

lobby. Yellow silhouettes represent the building depicted in

historic photos.

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3 UNIT 4

STAIR & ELEVATOR

ENTRANCELOBBY

RESTAURANT

LOCATION & CONTEXT

MICROPOLIS

BEACON HILL

STATE HOUSE PARK

MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE

144 BOWDOIN ST

BEACON STREET

BOWDOIN STREET

BEACON HILL

WEST END

GOV’T CENTER/

FANEUIL HALL MIDTOWN

FINANCIAL

DISTRICTNORTH END

WATERFRONT

BOSTON

COMMON

Unit type 2: One of the larger units, this one features ample storage, a full

kitchen, restored brick chimney, and fantastic daylight.

EXPOSED BRICK

OVERHEAD STORAGE

UNIT 2

BUILT-IN STORAGE

FOLDING MURPHY BED

BUILT-IN MEDIA CENTER

KITCHENETTE WITH COUNTER SEATING

UNIT 3

UNIT 4

UNIT 1

PULL-OUT BENCH

FOLDING TABLE

Exploded Diagram of Typical Unit Types: Showing built-in storage solutions

and transformable elements.

Unit type 2: Showing discrete zones for eating, living, storage and full bath-

room in close proximity.

NTYPICAL FLOOR PLAN VIEW UNIT TYPE 1

VIEW UNIT TYPE 3

UNIT 1UNIT 2

UNIT 3 UNIT 4

Unit type 4: One of the smaller unit types features a compact kitchen, ample

built-in storage, and a folding table.

UNIT 1 (TYPICAL)

UNIT 4 (TYPICAL)

CLOSET

ENTRANCE TO BATHROOM

OVERHEAD STORAGE

FOLDING TABLE

FOLDING MURPHY BED

KITCHENETTE WITH COUNTER SEATING

BUILT-IN MEDIA CENTER WITH CONNECTIONS

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Unit type 4: The architects designed a custom trundle bed to optimize stor-

age and create a transformable social space in the model unit. The bed has a

dresser and a roll-out banquet with coffee table and storage beneath.

Unit type 4: Minimal bathrooms with careful consideration given to every need.

Lobby: Reclaimed (wood), restored (brick), reproduced (masonry), and newly introduced (zinc & porcelain) materials.

Basement: Most of the building services run through a small chase at the cen-

ter of the public stair. Coordinating and locating building systems within such

compact spaces was a great challenge.