Worcester Art Museum Facade Improvements

The Higgins Education Wing (HEW) is a 45,000-square-foot, Brutalist-style educational and office building that is part of the Worcester Art Museum campus. This project called for the replacement of all of the exterior, steel framed, single-pane windows and doors throughout the building, totaling 60 units at 9,000 square feet of glazing, to resolve the issue of the existing deteriorating and unsafe conditions as well as improve energy efficiency. The challenge of the project was ensure approval by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) while providing energy efficient windows expected to perform for the next 50-100 years.

FieLDworkshop procured a suitable vendor and worked through details with them, to achieve a direct match that could be reviewed by the museums historic consultant and ultimately submitted to the MHC for approval. The consultant-approved windows were provided to the museum with pricing and delivery in order to meet a very tight scheduling requirement. FieLDworkshop also worked with the museum to vet alternate vendor options to ensure delivery of windows that would ensure the best chance of MHC approval and overall product quality.