Unicorn Park, an easy-access campus of suburban office buildings, has underutilized FAR for development while lacking a sense of cohesiveness. MP’s proposed design provides a solution to these challenges by introducing an expanded building at the terminus of a new pedestrian mall connecting all the buildings. Because this part of the campus is actually needed only as a fire lane, it can be repurposed as casual outside gathering space – ready to host food trucks, café dining, and collaboration/meeting areas. The new landscaping becomes a central campus theme, ringed by common amenities to create a heightened sense of community.
Work Category: Masterplanning
The channel-side lot adjacent to the Fort Point area of Boston’s Seaport District is one of the largest undeveloped sites from the original 100-acre plan that remains in close proximity to downtown Boston. Working with both the owner and potential suitors, MP visualized the ultimate potential of the site and provided support in the sale of the asset.
Working in conjunction with both parties, MP proposed a new masterplan that included access to the waterfront, street level pedestrian connections with below grade parking, and building massings that accentuate both the views of and from the site while coordinating with the below-grade I-90 tunnel restrictions.
Sustainability
This project achieved a perfect LEED-Gold score.
Award-Winner
- Honorable Mention | Environmental Design + Construction Excellence in Design Awards
- Corenet New England Award of Excellence for Sustainability
- Project Innovations Grand Prize | Buildings Magazine
Margulies Perruzzi was retained to design 175-185 Wyman Street, a three-story office building campus comprising 335,000 square feet, as an extension of Hobbs Brook’s Wyman Street office park. The campus is comprised of two Class A office buildings with a full-service cafeteria, locker rooms, and both structured and surface parking.
The buildings are sited on one of the most highly prized and visible locations along Route 128 in Waltham. After ten years of unsuccessful development efforts by multiple owners/developers to build a single, taller building requiring a variance, MP developed a unique concept for the site. Featuring a beautifully landscaped courtyard protected from the noise of the highway, two lower buildings are unified in a “campus” setting. MP worked with the existing grades to fit parking below office levels in order to meet the developer’s requested parking counts, while still meeting tight zoning height restrictions. Large office floor plates maximize the window line, with views of the surrounding woods, the courtyard, the Cambridge Reservoir, and hills of Weston beyond.
Mill & Main was planned as a vibrant destination, drawing in both residents and workers. A beautiful courtyard connects two buildings to create a unified campus in a highly prized location.
After a major tenant moved out of the historic Clock Tower Place, the developer saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the mill building and create a new, 50-acre, mixed-use development with over 1.1 million square feet of office, retail, and open space (and plans for future adjacent residential developments).
MP’s master plan creates green spaces and sight lines to the pond. The plan envisioned boutique retail and galleries to activate the pedestrian level while visitors could stroll across a scenic boardwalk to an artisan brewpub. MP created the name Mill & Main as part of its concept to connect the old Mill building to Main Street in Maynard.
A contemporary and vibrant logo was created to help brand the property. To replace old and conflicting numbering systems, MP renumbered the buildings and significantly overhauled signage and wayfinding, including detailed kiosks that help visitors find their way.
Sustainability
This project is certified LEED-Gold.
Re-named “Northwoods,” 1301 Atwood Avenue is owned by Hobbs Brook Real Estate and located on a 150-acre campus. Margulies Perruzzi developed this campus masterplan to eventually accommodate an additional 100,000 square foot building plus 50,000 square feet of retail and residential use.
Formerly occupied as headquarters for FM Global and originally built in 1972, the structure consists mostly of pre-stressed concrete beams that clear-span approximately fifty feet in each direction. The result is a unique combination of open space in large floorplates with a high percentage of perimeter glass.
Aside from the concrete structure, virtually all aspects of the building are now new. MP designed a unitized metal and glass curtain wall for the building’s envelope, providing high thermal efficiency and allowing daylight to filter deep into the building’s interior. The building achieved LEED Gold certification as all aspects of the materials, systems, landscape, and operations were designed sustainably.
As part of the repositioning of the structure to a multi-tenant building, MP designed three independent entrances, allowing for single or multi-tenant occupancy. The two-story entrances create inviting, convenient access via elegant monumental stairs.
Part of the facility’s appeal is the full-service cafeteria which spills out onto a landscaped deck overlooking expansive lawns and a nearby pond. The development also offers a shared 150-person conference center and gym.
MP subsequently provided interior architectural design services to Dassault Systèmes which occupies 90,000 square feet in the building.
Our neighborhood activation plan called for the restoration and repositioning of three historic buildings in the Seaport District. New ground-floor retail space and a new pedestrian plaza create a vibrant retail and dining destination.
Dating to the early 20th century, the neighborhood was a booming industrial area of brick and beam warehouse buildings with original openings ranging from four to six feet above today’s sidewalk, a prohibitive feature for an active modern streetscape. MP’s design lowered the floors and window openings to provide accessibility, create sight lines and visual connection from the street, and restores the historic building façades and architectural flourishes of the time. The entire team took great care in respecting the historic context of the neighborhood while activating a new retail area.