🔒Boston architecture firm sees growth with new Hartford office

Q&A talks with Carole Wedge, CEO of Shepley Bulfinch, a Boston-based architecture firm that recently opened a Hartford office.

Q. Shepley Bulfinch has offices in Boston, Houston and Phoenix, and recently opened an office in downtown Hartford at 100 Allyn St. Why did you decide to enter the Hartford market?

A. For over 45 years we have worked in the Connecticut and western Massachusetts region for numerous education, healthcare and developer clients and we decided to open an office in Hartford earlier this year because we had an opportunity to expand our talent base in the Northeast. A Connecticut office gives us the ability to serve our existing clients in new ways and pursue new clients and projects in the region.

The firm currently has almost 200 employees, 12 of whom are in our Hartford office. We anticipate the Hartford office will continue to grow.

Q. What projects has your firm already worked on in Connecticut?

A. Throughout the firm’s long history Shepley Bulfinch has done projects in Connecticut starting with Hartford’s Union Station in 1889. For the last 35 years we’ve worked with Yale New Haven Health on a wide range of projects throughout the state, from the recently completed McGivney Advanced Surgery Center and the Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven to the Park Avenue Medical Center in Trumbull.

We’re currently working on the design of the recently announced Neuroscience Center, which will be built on the St. Raphael campus. We’ve just begun work with Community Mental Health Affiliates in New Britain, and prior to joining Shepley Bulfinch, our Hartford-based team worked for Pomfret School, Trinity College and Hartford HealthCare Cancer Center, among others.

We see the biggest growth opportunities in health care. There are a number of world-class healthcare systems across Connecticut that are competing with both the Boston and New York City hospitals.

Q. The construction and building industry in Connecticut hasn’t been as robust as in other parts of the country. Why expand to Hartford?

A. An office in Hartford affords us access to a strong pool of design talent in the region. Many of our team members work on projects all over the country, and it’s entirely possible that people in Hartford could be working on projects in Connecticut or across the country.

The cost of living in Hartford is well known to be more affordable than the Boston area, and we wouldn’t be surprised if some of our Boston staff become interested in relocating to the Hartford area, or currently live far enough west of Boston that the Hartford office turns out to be an easier commute.

Q. What are some of the latest design trends impacting healthcare facilities? What about office buildings?  

A. There’s a new focus on what are being referred to as “third spaces,” the locations people visit between home and work, where they interact with their surroundings and are open to new connections. Clients often want spaces that encourage opportunities for intentional or spontaneous collaboration, and we’re seeing an increase in the demand for amenity spaces across all our areas of expertise.

In health care we’re seeing a decompression of the main hospital campus and a move to push services into the community by creating medical office buildings and ambulatory centers. Across all healthcare environments we’re seeing a desire for design that balances the clinical and technological aspects with those that promote a sense of calm and wellness. We’re designing spaces with direct access to nature in the form of healing gardens.

In corporate offices there’s a move to create more collaboration space, similar to what you’d find in our academic design. The traditional boundaries of the defined “classrooms” and “offices” are being blurred, allowing for activities to be supported elsewhere in education and office spaces.

Another trend we’re seeing is the creation of community or civic innovation districts. Cities are starting to designate areas as innovation districts hoping to attract entrepreneurs and startups. These areas tend to blur the lines between many of the client types we work with — research and medical institutions are supporting R&D in technology, academic institutes are supporting the entrepreneurial thinking with internships, mentorships, and classes, and the community is supporting the job growth, renovation and revitalization that comes from this type of creative development.

Many of these areas are mixed-use, 24-hour spaces with cafes and restaurants, housing and more.