Government Center Garage Redevelopment

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:

This 43-story office tower is part of a phased transformation of Boston’s existing Government Center Garage, an above-grade parking structure, into six buildings totaling 2.3 million gross square feet of net new transit-oriented, mixed-use development. The signature office tower will provide more than 1 million square feet of office, retail and residential space; transform the urban block into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly streetscape; and offer stunning, panoramic views of the City of Boston and beyond.

The design takes advantage of the multiple vistas to and from a highly visible site. Located at the convergence of multiple neighborhoods and street grids, the site demands a tower that faces the city in all directions—one that will appear to change in form when seen from different vantage points.

Counter to the rectilinear towers of the Boston skyline, the new office tower will be slender and curved in plan. The gently tapering façade and asymmetrical form help accentuate the tower’s height. Lit at night, the graceful curve of its outer shell will glow softly on the horizon.

The tower’s metal-and-glass curtain wall is contemporary in spirit and supports the building’s sustainable-design ambitions. High-performance glazing and a curtain wall that responds to the different solar orientations help to optimize the façade’s energy performance. This energy-efficient skin and the high-performance building systems are the building’s primary sustainable design strategies and will help achieve a LEED Gold rating.

Integrated into the city fabric, the sweep of the tower base forms a plaza that links to a new pedestrian promenade leading to City Hall Plaza. To further enhance the public space, the office tower’s transparent lobby will feature a dramatic presentation wall designed as a work of art that can be seen from outside. Signature street-front retail will also bring activity to the street.

The podium’s roof garden terrace—part of a 1-acre amenity that is unmatched in the Boston market – provides a quiet respite for office users and offers tremendous views of Boston’s iconic North End Neighborhood and beyond to Boston Harbor. Sloping berms define and separate exclusive spaces for each and complement the sweeping form of the building. The terraces slope between levels 11 and 12 of the roof deck, enclosing an open lawn and generous plantings.