Conceptual Design Study Completed 2021
130 acres (~12,000 square feet building)

For nine months, Oudens Ello Architecture was a design collaborator in the master plan of Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary, a 130-acre Mass Audubon property located along the west bank of the Concord River in Concord, MA. Led by Reed Hilderbrand, the master plan envisions expanded access and educational opportunities throughout the Sanctuary, while maintaining its rich ecological diversity. In some locations, the property is altogether  being "re-wilded," to enhance the visitor experience while simultaneously improving local habitat.  

At the center of the property is an existing, 12,000 square foot former residence that has been designated to become the new home for Mass Audubon's Museum of American Bird Art (currently located in Canton, MA). OEA's primary focus during the master plan process has been on the re-purposing of this former residence as a state-of-the-art, 21st-century museum facility and de facto visitor center for the larger property. Program development and test fit studies were initially carried out to determine viable re-purposing strategies. The conceptual design study for the museum included an existing conditions building survey, as well as exterior building envelope and code-life safety analyses. OEA also managed development of a new sustainability plan for the museum building that is intended to meet or exceed Mass Audubon's green building, deep energy retrofit standards for renovations.

The resulting design calls for the demolition of an existing loggia between the two buildings to be replaced with a pavilion which would become the face of the new museum. The new entry will house ticketing services and accessible restrooms for the surrounding wildlife sanctuary. The main house will be converted to a series of galleries, preserving the central two story atrium in the center of the building. The carriage house meanwhile will become the new collections storage and workrooms for museum staff.