Architecture firm CambridgeSeven was awarded the 2021 Hospitality Design Award from the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) for The Williams Inn, a LEED-Gold contemporary farmhouse-style destination hotel, public park, and farm-to-table dining and event space in the heart of Williamstown, MA. The 2021 BSA Design Awards honor exemplary projects that advance excellence in architecture and design and demonstrate the power of the built environment to empower communities, promote change, and build with sustainable and equitable practices. Honorees satisfied rigorous principles of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, which sets standards for buildings that demonstrate progress towards a zero-carbon, resilient and healthy built environment.

The Williams Inn Hospitality Design Award comes on the heels of international recognition for the firm’s College of Life Sciences at Kuwait University (MENA Education Project of the Year), and the lauded
“Resilience Hub,” an environmentally conscious and sustainable pavilion designed by CambridgeSeven for the COP 26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

“We are honored to have received the 2021 Hospitality Design Award from the Boston Society for Architecture,” said CambridgeSeven Principal, Stefanie Greenfield, AIA. “Our work with Williams College created a reimagined public place in downtown Williamstown. This project demonstrates the collaborative effort of the college, the town and the design team to provide a newly found destination for the community through a series of outdoor rooms, venues and meeting space.”

CambridgeSeven was called upon by client Williams College to reinvigorate an underused and challenging site in the heart of Williamstown, MA (at the corner of Latham and Spring streets), that would pay homage to the history of the property while providing a contemporary destination for tourists and community members alike. The Williams Inn project encompasses a 3-story, 64-room Inn and conference center, public park, farm-to-table dining, and indoor and outdoor event spaces. Designed to seamlessly fit into the landscape, with inspiration from New England’s rambling “connected farm” architecture, the team took inspiration from Thomas Hubka’s book Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn.

The program area of 60,000 SF was distributed between three building elements. The “main house” which features a gracious lobby and fireplace alcove, overlooks the Town Park and is reached passing through the arrival front porch. The “back house” features event space and guest rooms; and the ‘Barn’ hosts a 50-seat restaurant and bar with access to outdoor terraces, landscape rooms, and walking paths; this site reclamation opportunity protects wetlands while creating an informal outdoor community center where guests and neighbors share social spaces. Guests approach the Inn across a new stone bridge that seamlessly ties the building into its idyllic setting. The rustic, rural charm continues indoors where reclaimed regional wood and local granite infuse the lobby with familiar farmhouse aesthetics, but with elevated elegance. Guest rooms blend rustic and luxe with sliding barn-style doors and heritage-inspired furniture.

The Williams Inn was awarded the 2020 Pinnacle Award of Excellence by the Natural Stone Institute and
earned an Honorable Mention in Mountain Destination by the LIV Hospitality Design Awards. Lead Architect and CambridgeSeven Principal Stefanie Greenfield, AIA, has distinguished herself with an approach to architecture that is unique as it embodies both a visionary role in design and project leadership. She carries the tradition of CambridgeSeven to determine inherent site qualities and program elements to create distinctive solutions for a variety of clients. Stefanie is actively involved in the design community, serving as a member of the BSA Women Principals Group and a Brookline Town Meeting Member. She is a regular speaker at industry conferences and has served as thesis adviser and guest critic at the BAC, Harvard GSD, RISD, and MassArt. Stefanie received her Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, with an undergraduate degree from Colby College.

The Williams Inn is operated by Waterford Hotel Group. Consultant team included: Odeh Engineers, Structural Engineer; Stimson, Landscape Architect; HLB, Lighting Designer; WSP, MEP/FP Engineering; Nitsch Engineer, Civil Engineer; Guntlow & Associates, Inc., Wetlands & Conservation Consultant; Jensen Hughes, Code Consultant; Acentech Inc., Acoustic Consultant; Haley & Aldrich, Geotechnical Consultant; Cromwell Consulting, Food & Beverage Consultant.