This relocation is the result of United Way reimagining how to best utilize their downtown Boston location. With so many staff working off site at events or mostly at client locations, United Way decided to relocate to a smaller, more compact suite at 9 Channel Center in South Boston. United Way partnered with Margulies Perruzzi to design a workspace that would transition the organization from assigned seating to free address, while also making the new suite more efficient.
A large conference space was designed with a moveable wall to allow the space to be used for multiple functions. It can be used as meeting space, as a large workspace for assembling member material packages, or it can be opened for use as a larger space for all-hands meetings. Compact storage is also provided nearby to streamline material assembly.
Any existing construction was retained and reused to as great an extent possible to preserve capital. A single new workstation type is used throughout the office suite in order to enhance their use by anyone. Physical separations between workstation areas were not used in order to preserve flexibility and to enhance communication.
Huddle rooms are provided in quantities to reduce conversation in the free address areas, thereby reducing crosstalk. Open space with moveable furniture is also provided that can be used for meetings or for multiple activities where flexibility is important.
Photography by Elisif Photography.
Sustainability
This project is certified LEED-Gold.
MP helped to relocate and consolidate our client’s headquarters from two existing locations to a new tower in Boston totaling over 400,000 SF on 15 floors. An extension of their move towards more open workstations, private offices are designed with all-glass fronts to increase visibility and promote interaction.
Observing that clients and visitors could be better accommodated in the new space, MP transformed the entire 31st floor into a main reception and conference center. Initially skeptical that this arrangement would result in a deserted floor, the client has been pleased by the success of the space, its continual activity and use, and most importantly the increase in meetings it has spurred.
The addition of highly equipped conference and meeting rooms in the space allows Boston staff members to easily communicate with their colleagues worldwide.
A new trading floor for the fixed-income trading group sits on a full raised floor which accommodates the extensive cabling required to power it.
The A/V requirements to support these areas was high. An operations room maintains support to the many specialized spaces like the conference floor. And the Information Technology backbone is supported by two stand-by generators along with a UPS system.
The integration of an extensive art collection was a consideration throughout the design. The desire to create maximum openness in order to take advantage of views was balanced carefully against providing appropriate wall space for hanging and viewing art.
Having outgrown their previous space, The Berkshire Group relocated to a new floor within One Beacon Street. MP was able to take advantage of the empty floor as a blank slate for creating a new, updated design approach. Previously, employees at Berkshire had been separated from each other with high wall cubicles and enclosed offices. MP created a more open office that encouraged people to intermingle and gather. The new office is clean, sophisticated, and streamlined – reflective of the types of spaces they provide their own clients.
From the entry off the elevators, guests can look directly through the reception area and a large conference room to the dramatic exterior views. The glass fronts of the conference rooms and study adjacent to reception create bright and open interior guest spaces. The staff’s focal point is a corner Club Room with views to the North End and Cambridge. Meeting spaces are scattered around the floor to provide different options, including more formal conference rooms.
The final design incorporated lining the perimeter with all-glass office fronts to maximize natural lighting. Shorter wall partitions topped with glass fins open up the space while still providing full seated privacy. Gray tones throughout the space were accented with cherry wood veneer and splashes of deeply saturated accent colors.
When this confidential client determined their existing office no longer supported their corporate goals, they seized the opportunity to create a space that represents their culture. MP designed a truly customized work environment for their 131 employees, thus increasing their productivity and efficiency. This new design enhances the firm’s collaborative and mobile culture, showcasing a refreshed and modern look to attract new recruits while also not abandoning their Boston roots.
1. Client Zones
Technology-enabled meeting spaces and waiting areas were designed with warm and jewel tone finishes coupled with rich cherry woods. LED and energy-efficient lighting is used throughout including decorative pendants with sheer bronze shades.
2. Employee Zones
Team “neighborhoods” offer private and semi-private work areas. Benching worksettings provide a unique open collaboration opportunity that offers additional flexibility. Phone booths, administrative areas, team rooms, and shared partner offices are also provided.
3. Multi-use Zones
The café is the workhorse for the firm. It was designed not only to entice mobile employees to work on-location, but also to provide a place where employees can do almost everything: socialize, collaborate, attend training sessions or lectures, or host catered events. Its aesthetic welcomes employees and clients alike.
Margulies Perruzzi helped this confidential client relocate from its Cambridge office to downtown Boston to accommodate its growing team.
To support the firm’s mission statement of serving non-profit clients, it was important for the design to focus on the people within it, as opposed to the space itself. Additionally, the firm wanted their space to relate to its headquarters in Pennsylvania, yet retain a “Boston” feel. To meet both needs, a light, neutral palette serves as an elegant backdrop, with cool tones evoking the nearby waterfront.
Offices and conference spaces are lined with glass, letting daylight fill the space. The glass enhances transparency and connections between different workspaces. A custom, hybrid ceiling design presents clean, minimal lines while still providing even illumination for the workspaces.
After designing Robinson+Cole’s 40,000 SF space in 1997, Margulies Perruzzi was once again retained to renovate their space at One Boston Place. Previously consisting of offices and conference rooms, MP transformed their space on the 26th floor into the main reception area as well as a conference center, which will accommodate larger, more public gatherings.
Due to advances in technology, there was a significant reduction in the firm’s law library since most information sourcing is now performed online. That extra space was transformed into a collaboration area. The main conference room was planned to be very large to accommodate corporate document review and signings and other large-team events. The room can be flexibly split into two ten-person meeting spaces when the full-sized space is not required.
MP also refreshed the design on the 25th floor to give it a more updated aesthetic, representing the firm’s growth and change in brand and culture.
For over a century, The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce has helped drive economic growth throughout the region while building a vibrant business community of 1,500 organizations of varying size and industry by offering strategic networking opportunities, public policy advocacy, and leadership development.
The GBCC was evaluating new office space and hired Margulies Perruzzi to assist them in weighing options for staying or relocating. A primary driver for new office space was the ability to host events in their own space and to offer touchdown workspace to their business members. The GBCC’s move dovetailed with their broader effort to reshape their image through the rollout of a new brand identity and website. The GBCC ultimately chose to relocate to a higher floor within their current building. The new space offers them increased natural light and sweeping views of the city.
The new workplace design offers the GBCC several advantages over their previous space, both for members and staff. GBCC staff can easily reconfigure the public event space to suit their event needs. By collapsing a glass wall, a corner conference room can be subdivided from the space. When an event is not in session, staff and GBCC members can use the dining area or soft-seating collaboration space. Telephone closets adjacent to the event space allow attendees to discretely step away and attend to pressing business. The furniture can be arranged for classroom style lectures, theater-style seating, or emptied for networking events.
In the office area, the GBCC’s purpose statement is prominently visible and strategically placed at a height visible above the cubicle walls. In their new space, staffers enjoy modern workstations, informal collaboration space, and sit-to-stand desks.
The GBCC’s new brand image is prominently featured throughout the new space through the incorporation of new video displays, brand colors, as well as mission, purpose, and logo wall graphics.
Sustainability
This project is certified LEED-Gold.
Award-Winner
Building Design + Construction Team Awards | Gold
When cutting-edge software and augmented reality company PTC was ready to move their global headquarters from Needham to the Seaport district of Boston, they turned to MP to design a workspace that was as innovative as they are.
PTC’s transformational and technology-rich new workplace is a key part of its business transformation. The new headquarters enhances PTC’s ability to attract and retain the talent required to maintain the company’s technology leadership position and will serve as a premier destination for visitors seeking to experience PTC technologies hands-on. As part of the design of a new physical work environment, PTC recognized the opportunity to meld its role as an innovator in software for product design, IoT, and AR to make its headquarters a global model for excellence in the use of workplace technology.
MP completed a new global headquarters for this technology startup in Boston, a move that doubled the office space for the fast-growing company. Aligning with long-term plans for headcount growth and expansion, the 50,000 SF headquarters features a dynamic, technology-rich workspace that promotes collaboration and innovation. MP provided space planning and interior design services for the fast-tracked interior fit-out, which was completed in August 2018.
With an energetic and modern vibe, the colorful, light-filled workspace enhances how employees interact and collaborate. Huddle areas with high-top tables and booth seating are incorporated throughout the open plan office, and work zones are defined by acoustical ceiling clouds suspended from the exposed metal ceiling deck. Off the reception area on the middle floor, a large café provides a variety of seating and features a movable partition that opens to an adjacent lounge with technology-enabled furniture. An enclosed “library” room with soft seating and pendant lighting has a living room quality, and kitchens punctuate the end of every floor, offering city views and opportunities for employee interaction.
The client’s blue brand palette and the selective use of accent colors are woven into the design. All the huddle and focus room walls feature a blue glass film to enhance privacy, and the low-panel workstations include blue fabric divider screens. An art installation in the reception area features blue and yellow hand-blown glass orbs. A raw, industrial feel extends from the metal charcoal-gray, painted staircase with wire mesh guardrail to the exposed metal floor columns throughout the space.
After helping design SCS’s previous office several years ago, MP helped this leading wealth and investment management firm update the aesthetic in their new location to reflect the firm’s evolving identity.
Views and light were important to SCS, coming from a brick building with minimal natural light. MP’s design used plentiful glass and open sight lines to create a bright, dynamic, energizing space for its employees. The reception area was strategically positioned to take advantage of the new Prudential Center building’s striking views across Boylston Street.
To support the firm’s dedication to family wealth management, MP selected finishes that were elegant, yet classically understated. The firm’s signature blue provides a striking accent to light greys and warm wood tones. Playful cubical light fixtures in the reception area and elevator lobby are complemented by a textured concrete pattern throughout the elevator lobby, creating a striking and memorable entrance experience.
