The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston has named its new addition the Watershed; a reference both to its location along Boston Harbor and what the museum hopes the new venue will symbolize for the city's arts community.

Michael Taubenberger, Chief Operating Officer for ICA said the grand opening was a great success. "We have received a lot of positive feedback from visitors who really enjoy the space that illuminates the Watershed with colored light and moving-image projections that reflect on the fragility of the natural world. Additionally, many visitors are enjoying the six-minute boat ride across the harbor between the two locations. We are noticing that about 57 percent of Watershed visitors visit both the Watershed and ICA."

The expansion of its artistic programming across Boston Harbor to the Boston Shipyard and Marina, located in East Boston just opened this summer to present artworks and public programs seasonally in the $10 million newly renovated 15,000 square-foot former copper pipe and sheet metal factory space. The Watershed is projected to bring in thousands of new visitors to a once-isolated part of the city.

Convenient for this purpose were two very unique Schweiss bifold liftstrap designer doors positioned at opposite ends of the building. The doors are each 15.9' wide, with one at 19.9' tall and the other 19.11' tall. The doors are equipped with electric photo eye sensors, door base safety edges and an emergency back-up system.

"The award-winning firm of Anmahian Winton Architects (AW) was engaged to execute the renovation of the facility. They wanted to create a dramatic and inviting opening on both ends of the building with the goal of reinforcing the welcoming and inviting mission of the ICA Watershed. The overlapped panel extends the canopy effect of the upward acting doors creating a distinctive entry on the north side and shading for the outdoor terrace on the south side. From the beginning of the project, we had imagined using these walls and the large doors as a big inviting sign to draw visitors to the space," noted Taubenberger.

The bifold doors in this project have a rather unique look different from other Schweiss bifold designer doors in that the top half of the doors showing half of the ICA emblazoned Watershed logo overlaps the bottom half and still remains visible with the door partially opened. Translucent polycarbonate cladding also gives the door a pretentious artsy look allowing colors and light from inside the Watershed to show through.

The bifold doors in this project have a rather unique look different from other Schweiss bifold designer doors in that the top half of the doors showing half of the ICA emblazoned Watershed logo overlaps the bottom half and still remains visible with the door partially opened. Translucent polycarbonate cladding also gives the door a pretentious artsy look allowing colors and light from inside the Watershed to show through.

"The architect wanted us to design and engineer the door so that a secondary frame for the top half of the door would overlap our primary doorframe members for the bottom half of the door. This appealing design was a challenge because we have never done this type of concept in the past, " noted Brent Krzmarzick, an engineer, draftsman and designer at Schweiss Doors.

"The doors were big with very robust frames, that's why we chose Schweiss," said Nick Winton of the architectural firm of Anmahian Winton Architects. "We wanted to use a lightweight cladding material that was inexpensive and handled daylight well. Polycarbonate at night lets the light shine through quite well, but in the daytime the inverse is true providing great light inside. It looks fabulous and everyone was happy with that decision."

"AW selected the translucent polycarbonate cladding on the door for a number of reasons," said Taubenberger. "Since the building is only 50 ft. wide by 300 ft. long and the two short ends were the only opportunity to bring daylight into the space other than skylights, they wanted a material that would allow these ends to be as luminous as possible. The architects also wanted a material that resonated with the industrial nature of the shipyard. The translucent polycarbonate allowed us to completely cover each end of the building with light diffusing panels. During the day the effect is deep penetration of diffuse daylight into the space. In the evening the building glows, distinguishing it from the adjacent industrial metal clad buildings. AW worked closely with their partners at Extech Exterior Technologies and with Schweiss Doors to detail a seamless look with the polycarbonate on both the wall and large door openings."

Winton said they had used that application on a smaller bifold door project in the past.

"We liked it for a few reasons; it allowed us to hinge the door in the middle of the wall to give a maximum opening. It also created the illusion that the opening underneath was smaller and my favorite thing is that when the door is open it creates a nice canopy effect. The gallery normally leaves the door open enough (about 8 feet) during the day so that it aligns with the bottom rail of the door lining up with a conventional man door. It can be raised much higher than that, but that's generally where they like to park them," explained Winton.

They wanted big doors that could give the double duty of ventilation and to bring large art displays in. They also wanted to be able to connect the interior space of the Watershed to the surrounding site, making it more a part of the shipyard that it is in.

"We worked with other industrial door manufacturers; we found one in the past difficult to work with. We were really pleased when we started working with Schweiss, how their collaborative, can-do experience was for us. We liked the people there, the process and the outcome. We felt confident this would be an easy project for Schweiss. There was no drama, we don't like drama," said Winton.

The Watershed is a raw, industrial space for art unlike any other in Boston. In addition to a flexible space for exhibitions, programming, video wall and workshops, the Watershed will house an orientation gallery introducing visitors to the historic shipyard, complemented by a waterside plaza that will serve as a gathering place with stunning harbor views, once the site of the historic Boston Tea party.

Most of the Watershed's derelict predecessor was taken out but they also preserved some of its iconic elements, such as the crane, monorail hoists, and railroad tracks.

"We liked how visible the door mechanics are; that's part of that whole industrial Watershed space. We didn't want to conceal anything; we wanted the motors, straps and mechanisms to show. There's a lot of engineering behind the doorframes and lift structure. I like the straps better than cables, from what I understand they are synchronized and controlled, noted Winton"

Stack + Company of Boston was the general contractor assigned to gutting out the building and remodeling, which took a period of time from November through June, just prior to the opening.

Project Manager, Casey Wilcox, of Stack+Company said he was really impressed with the bifold doors. He said they wanted large doors in order to create an open air feel to the gallery because it's right on the waterfront with a great view right across the harbor from Boston.

"Schweiss doors are really unique; normally we see traditional rolling overhead doors. They are zero clearance, which I can see would be very practical. The liftstraps are great and the doors are very heavy-duty, work well, are very quiet and open very fast. The larger door was installed at the rear of the building; we closely supervised the installation. The art gallery was ecstatic, they love the doors," said Wilcox.

Taubenberger said AW did consider several other style doors during design such as large sliding panels, sincle panel upward acting doors and traditional overhead doors. It was AW that discovered Schweiss Doors through their long-standing relationship with Extech Exterior Technologies, who supplied and installed the polycarbonate cladding and skylights for the project.

"We are thrilled with the Schweiss bifold doors," expressed Taubenberger. "Ultimately, the bifold door worked best to achieve AW's design intention. The architects really liked that the bifold doors did not impede on any of the interior space and were able to accommodate the large opening that they had designed."

The doors are intended to be open during regular hours for visitors to use and to bring in larger than usual art displays, as well as a welcoming gesture - a big open door to the community.

"Working with Brent at Schweiss Doors was really great. He helped us coordinate the shop drawings between the polycarbonate vendor and steel erector. He was always available for a conference call, which was very helpful. The doors arrived on time and in good condition," added Wilcox.

At the Watershed, the ICA will welcome visitors to experience immersive artworks by artists engaged with the issues of our times. The new facility is a central component of ICA's recently completed five-year strategic plan. The Watershed will be open during the warm months of the year and will become a site for the type of large-scale solo presentations.

The Watershed has a back room called The Harbor Room, it's a designated gathering space, with sets of chairs and family-friendly books on loan from the Boston Public Library. It also features an exhibit of portraits taken by East Boston teenagers. The room opens to an outdoor patio with a view of Boston Harbor.

What the future of exhibitions to be held there is yet to be seen, there will be commissions of new works coming and going that will always spotlight the work of a single artist or artist group. The Watershed is scheduled to be open until Oct. 8 this year and next year from May to October. There is a charge to enter the main ICU building but admission to the Watershed will be free for all and includes a free water taxi ride across the harbor.

"Each year, the ICA plans to commission a single artist on a new, site-specific project. The intention for the space is to create a unique, immersive art environment by artists who engage with social and political issues relevant to our times as well as issues specific to the site, waterfront and community," added Taubenberger.

ICA Watershed

The Institute of Contemporary Art strives to share the pleasures of reflection, inspiration, provocation, and imagination that contemporary art offers through public access to art, artists, and the creative process.

The primary activities of the ICA are threefold:

• To present outstanding contemporary art in all media, including visual art exhibitions, music, film, video, and performance, that is deserving of public attention and has not been presented in depth to Boston audiences.

• To provide innovative experiential learning opportunities for people of all ages through direct encounters with artists and art-making.

• To design interpretative programs that provide context for, develop appreciation of, and add meaning to contemporary art and culture nonprofit organization, the ICA relies on a variety of funding sources for its programming, including memberships, grants, donations, admissions, and store and ticket sales.

The Watershed is always free and ferry service is included with ICA admission. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays after the first Friday in the month, hours are extended from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free Admission to the ICA Watershed is made possible by the generosity of Alan and Vivien Hassenfeld and the Hassenfeld Family Foundation.

The Watershed is located at 256 Marginal St., Boston, MA and ICA is located at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston. Phone: 617-478-3100 (main) or 617-478-3103 (box office). www.icaboston.org/Watershed.

Stack + Company

Stack + Co. was born out of the founders' certainty that there must be a better, more cooperative and integrated way to deliver Architecture and Construction. At Stack, they believe that these two processes can happen more collaboratively - under a variety of different scenarios - and the result is a better process, a better building, and more of the project budget going towards the finished product.

They provide Architecture + Construction as an integrated service. Their firm consists of architects, construction managers, and builders - working together - throughout all phases of the project. We formed Stack + Co. out of a shared passion and commitment to delivering exceptional quality projects on schedule and on budget.

Services provided include: Architectural Design, Architectural Drawings, Home Additions, Home Remodeling, House Plans, Prefab Houses, Project Management, Site Planning, Staircase Design and Sustainable Design.

They believe in a greater emphasis on good design, and a more informed and technology-leveraged Construction Management approach. Their unique and versatile staff works together to provide both Integrated Architecture + Construction, and conventional Construction Management.

This commitment to excellence has lead to their work being featured in publications such as Architectural Record and Design New England, as well as the Huffington Post, treehugger.com and NPR. Visit their website at stackac.com/ to learn about their unique approach.

Stack + Company is located at 555 E 2nd St #1, Boston, MA. Phone: (800) 265-3884.

Anmahian Winton Architects

Anmahian Winton Architects believe that architecture is an expression of culture, forged in relation to a complex set of circumstances that are at once pracctical and intangible. They see their work as a synthesis of place, program, and community that will enhance the rituals of everyday life and fosters a sense of well-being. It inspires, invigorates, and educates.

Their approach has evolved over time as a project-by-project exploration of conceptual thought and building technique, expressed in the formation of space, the nature of material, and the quality of light. They apply this approach to a diverse range of projects, including a health center in a dense urban setting, the conversion of an empty warehouse into a state-of-the-art urban think tank, artists' studios and galleries on the Midwestern prairie, and the largest public rowing facility in the United States.

Among awards earned over the years, too many to mention, in 2017, Architect Magazine recognized Anmahian Winton Architects as one of the 50 best architecture firms in the United States. In 2008 and 2016 the firm received recognition as Winner of Best of Boston Home for Nontraditional and Contemporary home projects.

Anmahian Winton Architects is located at 650 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA. Phone: (617) 577-7400. Visit their website at: aw-arch.com