C F Reality Trust

Project Overview:

Type: Historical Downtown Renovation; Scope of Work: Two-story, 15,000 square foot historical commercial renovation; Style: Art Deco; Location: Waltham, Massachusetts; Year Completed: 2002

Project Description:

With this project, JFF Design had the opportunity to modernize a 1920’s Art Deco building in downtown Waltham. The Art Deco period provides flexibility when choosing materials such as the addition of the glass blocks to add expression to the pilasters. This includes the addition of fiber-optic cables behind each pilaster to serve as a back light. The modern upgrade of light allows the building to be present at night in an energy efficient manner. Fiber-optic lighting can be changed according to the seasons through the introduction of color filters at the optic’s source.

Here, the challenge was to design within the modernized character of the area, the heavy Art Deco style of the building, and blend it all with the style of the abutting historical theater. The result was an opposing contrast along the street that adds a unique flavor to each building, providing a visual differentiation between their already separate functions.