0 North Station Office Tower in Progress (first look)

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Wil Catlin

Please have a look at Boston Properties new North Station development.

New North Station office tower on Causeway

Credit: BBJ

The Hub on Causeway’s office tower was originally approved to rise 420 feet and span 668,000 square feet. Boston Properties is seeking approval now to build a 24-story tower rising 495 feet at its highest occupiable point, spanning 651,500 square feet. The project’s architect is Gensler.

“The design team has made an effort to move away from a conventional glass clad tower,” the notice of project change filing states. “The overall massing of the building has been reshaped to respond not only to internal tenant needs but also to better integrate the structure with the scale and texture of its immediate surroundings.”

0 What TAMI Tenants Want

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Wil Catlin

The tech, advertisement, media, and information (TAMI) tenants in today’s office market are looking for the following deal points:

CONSIDERING MULTIPLE MARKETS
CLUSTER MENTALITY
HEDGING GROWTH
OPEN CONCEPT
MORE CONCERN ABOUT HVAC CAPACITY AND BATHROOMS
FLEXIBILITY IS PARAMOUNT
CASH IS KING
ACCESS AND UNIQUE AMENITIES

0 Boston Workplace Trends Emphasize Activity-Based Design

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow

Boston office design still includes the basics, but now a genuine focus is placed on employee retention. Flexible, creative and communal space are the buzzwords that are exchanged when office tenants share their ideas of what their new space should embody.

Biznow takes a deep dive into a recent report released by architecture firm Ted Moudis Associates, assessing the evolution of office design over the last year, notes the following in its conclusion:

Instead of trying to find one seamless solution for everyone, organizations are working to develop new spaces that will cater to different working styles in order to encourage a balance between effective and efficient workspaces.

“People come to the office to connect with colleagues and so that interaction with the education aspect and learning from their peers and the senior leadership in the office [is important],” [Ted Moudis Associates Director of Workplace Strategy Jamie] Feuerborn said. “I think they want choice. If I want to do heads down focus work I have a place to go, if I want to connect with colleagues I can choose to sit in a different environment to do that.”

For more information, jump over to Biznow’s complete coverage.

0 Stuart Street Motor Mart Garage Redevelopment Considered

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

The Motor Mart Garage as we know it might be different in years to come. In 1927, when it was built, it stood as the largest parking garaging in the world; now that title is held by West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, with parking for 20,000 vehicles.

Speculation appears to support that structure as we know it won’t go through a complete demo, but might be changed significantly.

From the Boston Business Journal:

Sources say possibilities for the garage’s redevelopment include building on top of the existing seven-story structure or tearing it down completely. Another possibility would be a partial demolition, threading a new building through the garage while leaving portions of it intact.

Beyond the 1,037 parking spaces, the Motor Mart Garage also houses 50,000 square feet of retail space, including Legal Sea Foods, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Maggiano’s Little Italy. The garage spans a full block and is bounded by Park Place, Stuart Street, Church Street, Columbus Avenue and Eliot Street.

0 Boston City Hall Looking to Host Local Coffee Shop

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

If you have coffee shop and are looking to expand, Mayor Walsh wants to speak with you about City Hall. The amenities that building offers are a tremendous asset to their occupants and the mayor is taking a page out of the private playbook.

Looking forward to seeing who lands the spot, and it’s safe to assume it will be a group with strong local roots and good beans.

According to the Boston Business Journal, “Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Tuesday announced the release of a request for proposals for applicants interested in operating a coffee shop in the lobby of Boston City Hall. The project is part of a renovation of the lobby, which is scheduled to be completed this spring. According to the proposal, the lease would cover a three-year period beginning April 1.”

Additional details are available on the BBJ’s website, here.

0 Tremont Crossing Gains Approval

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Wil Catlin

Rendering of TRemont crossing office building

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Tremont Crossing continues with its march towards becoming a reality.

From the BBJ:

Tremont Crossing will feature 1.2 million square feet of rentable space, as well as a 1,370-space parking garage, bringing the project’s gross square footage to 1.7 million square feet. The approved project includes:

300,000 square feet of “destination/entertainment” retail along the second and third levels
100,000 square feet of smaller retail/restaurants along the first level
108,000 square feet of office
718 apartments split among two buildings, totaling 645,000 square feet
nine townhouse-style apartments along Whittier Street, totaling 9,400 square feet
31,000-square-foot National Center of Afro-American Artists museum
500,000-square-foot parking garage with 1,371 parking spaces
large public plaza with public art, outdoor dining, weekly events and food trucks

0 South Station Tower Gains New Promise

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Wil Catlin

rendering of new mixed-use building near South Station

Credit: Boston Globe

The South Station tower moves closer to reality despite some obstacles. The tower would be built on spec.

From the Boston Globe:

The Boston Planning & Development Agency board approved plans for a 51-story office and condominium tower over the busy rail hub…Development firm Hines would build the tower above the rail shed at South Station, with a lobby along Atlantic Avenue. That lobby would fill in the gap between South Station’s main concourse and its bus terminal, and would expand the bus facilities by 50 percent. It would also expand a parking garage, adding 527 spaces.

Above that, Hines would build 1.1 million square feet of office space and condos in what, at 677 feet high, would rank among the city’s tallest buildings. Later phases would add two mid-rise buildings atop the station.

0 Boston Old City Hall goes up for Sale

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Wil Catlin

The Boston Classic, Old City Hall is going up for sale. The building, constructed in 1862, contains 106,508 RSF over 9 stories with a typical floor plate of 11,834 RSF. Boston’s Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1865 to 1969. It was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States, according to Wikipedia.

Credit: The Real Reporter

A recent article on The Real Reporter notes, “by some estimates, value of its ground lease that runs to 2069 could eclipse $30 million, or $358 per sf at that starting point. Held by the Boston Planning and Development Agency, aka Boston Redevelopment Authority, the ground lease is controlled by the non-profit Architectural Heritage Foundation. The nine-story, 83,700-sf property whose address is 45 School St. was repositioned in 1972 as a mixed-use property and today is 98 percent leased to 18 office tenants and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, the eatery in where popular French restaurant Maison Robert was a fixture for decades serving Boston’s elite.”

You can read the full Real Reporter article, here.

0 Expanded Downtown Crossing Public Plaza Contemplated

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

More “me space” and “we space” is what the city is looking to do in DTX. Space to gather with colleagues or sit alone and update your profile is the aim of the pilot public plaza along Franklin Street and Arch Street.

From the Boston Business Journal:

The Boston Transportation Department on Tuesday morning will temporarily widen sidewalks at Franklin and Arch streets, the first step in a pilot program that will study creating permanent public plaza at the intersection.

“With the T station at Franklin and Washington reopening soon, we know foot traffic will pick up on this street,” said Chris Osgood, the city’s chief of streets, in a statement. “We’re taking a tactical approach to improving this area for pedestrians. In the future we can imagine a whole network of parks and plazas from Shopper’s Plaza to Post Office Square and on to the Greenway.”

0 Millennium Partners Lands Winthrop Square Project

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Rendering of winthrop square office building

Credit: Bizjournals

Millennium Partners wins the prize for the impending Winthrop Square development. The proposed tower would stand 750-feet, adding office, residential and retail space in downtown Boston.

According to the Boston Business Journal, “the New York-based development firm proposed a 750-foot, $1.02 billion ‘hybrid high-rise’ tower, with 14 stories of office space and 36 levels of residential sitting atop a 65-foot high podium space known as The Great Hall. It would also include a 14,620-square-foot startup accelerator to be developed in partnership with the city.”

You can read the full article on the BBJ, here.