Insight
Site Visit to Chestnut Hill Square
Recently, the Arrowstreet staff accompanied me to the Chestnut Hill Square project for a site visit. The four new structures are each at different phases of construction, but enough is there to get a good sense of the massing, spatial relationships, and envelope finishes. Building A, the largest structure, is the one furthest along, with the brick veneer and storefront being installed and partitions and cores going up on the interior. Buildings B and C have the steel up and the exterior is starting to be framed out. The parking garage is far along- it went up quickly, within the past five weeks, with prefab concrete components…
301 Binney Lobby Photography
We are happy to share this photography of the new lobby at 301 Binney Street. Arrowstreet originally served as the architect for this Kendall Square biotech building, which opened about five years ago. Our client, BioMed, then approached us about creating a lobby that would differentiate the building amongst the Cambridge lab market. The active, dynamic shared space now encourages tenant interaction and collaboration. A custom…
KIPP Academy Lynn Is BBJ Finalist
The Boston Business Journal will celebrate the Best in Boston Real Estate on May 23rd. KIPP Academy Lynn, a new ground up charter school we finished last year, is a finalist in the Community Impact category. Congratulations to all of the finalists, and join us at the event.
Do People Actually Shop in Stores?
(Part 1 in a series – Milton’s)
The use of mobile devices to make purchases is still a small fraction of the total sales in the e-commerce world. But it’s rising. As the New York Times said, “last year, people spent $25 billion on purchases made from phones and tablets,” and that’s an increase of 81 percent over the previous year. I was curious how that affected my retail clients, so I reached out to them. This post is the first in a short series of responses. My questions were: how does mobile spending affect your retail business? What about show-rooming? How do you either fight it or work with it…
A New Courtyard at 210 Broadway
Just this past fall, a new courtyard opened at 210 Broadway in Cambridge. With ipe decks and seating that seem to flow right up and out of the courtyard, and an illuminated glass wall along the street edge, there is now a bright, comfortable place for building occupants to take a break from work and get fresh air…
301 Binney Lobby Opens
Recently Jim Batchelor, Peter Belford, Meghan Perlow, and I attended the grand opening celebration for BioMed Realty’s new lobby at 301 Binney Street. This Arrowstreet-designed building opened in 2008, and a little over a year ago BioMed asked us to help them revamp the lobby to encourage more tenant interaction. The most admired feature of the new space is without a doubt the video wall, which loops a 53-minute video featuring numerous aquatic scenes. We’re also proud of the undulating metal ceiling panels that break up the space in a visually interesting way. Stay tuned for professional photography in the next few weeks!
We Have Thrown Away The Keys To This Place
Now and then, I like to revisit a past project and see how it’s doing. Sometimes when you create a building, you spend so much time with it that you grow attached to it and almost think of it as a family member. The L.L.Bean Hunting and Fishing Store in Freeport, Maine is one of those projects. I remember working hard not only to create great retail space but also on the little things, like shelves, nooks, and other special places for the taxidermy displays and heritage pieces like original rifles used by L.L. Bean himself…
Unum Office Building Opens
Worcester’s newest office building will open to employees on Monday, January 21st. The building is the first to be built at CitySquare, the 20-acre development that will revitalize downtown Worcester. This class-A office facility will be occupied by 700 employees of leading insurer Unum…
The White Elephant Village Inn
The weather may be turning gray and wintry outside, but the inviting warmth of the White Elephant Village Inn is a perfect getaway. We’ve been working with Nantucket Island Resorts for over 15 years now on a number of their hospitality venues – the Wauwinet Inn, the White Elephant Hotel, the White Elephant Hotel Residences, and now the White Elephant Village Inn…
Life Sciences Work Underway
Currently under construction in Cambridgeport, two MIT-owned buildings at 130 Brookline Street and 17 Tudor Street together form a small campus with adjacent open space and parking. 17 Tudor Street (red brick, originally built in 1924) is nearing completion this month, with 130 Brookline (buff-colored masonry, originally built in 1927) planned to wrap up in June 2013.
Stay tuned for construction updates and photos!