Gilbane Building Company

Project Updates for The Rio Grande Presented to Impact Advisory Group

Earlier this month, the development team behind the proposed Rio Grande Project in Roxbury presented project updates to the Impact Advisory Group. The plans for the 26 story tower include 241 apartments along with 15,500 square feet of retail space and 28,555 square feet of office. The presentation also included the three-pronged financing strategy that will see The AFL/ CIO funding the debt for the residential component while also seeking equity investors and public funding through housing and other tax credits. 

The construction, to be handled by Gilbane & Janey Construction Management, is expected to last 26 months once the building permit is received and will be completed in phases to allow for early renovation of existing historic structures.

Life Sciences Building at 99 A Street Officially Under Review

The proposed new 6-story life sciences building at 99 A Street in South Boston is now under review. The Elkus Manfredi designed project would include 210,000 square feet of life science and technical office space. A basement-level parking garage would hold around 76 vehicles and there could also be a small retail space on the A Street side of the building. Construction is anticipated to start in 2020 with completion by 2022. 

Alexandria Submits LOI for South Boston Life Sciences Development

Alexandria Real Estate Equities has submitted a letter of intent for a new life sciences development at 99 A Street in South Boston, MA.

The development would have a height of approximately 6 stories and 95 feet to the top of its roof, with a floor area of approximately 210,000 square feet, a first-level loading dock, and basement-level parking for approximately 75 vehicles.

Certificate of Occupancy Issued for Wentworth's New Academic Building

A Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for the new academic building at Wentworth Institute of Technology.  An official ribbon cutting is scheduled for next week.  The four-story building features 78,000sf of academic space. The state of the art space is designed to accommodate new lab and innovation space for the school's engineering and science departments. 

New Renderings of Polar Park in Worcester

via Masslive

Fans will have to wait three years to step foot inside Polar Park, the 10,000-seat stadium that will house the Worcester Red Sox.

But for now, new renderings released by the city give a glimpse into what the stadium and its surrounding development will look like.

The renderings, available online in a master plan packet, imagine a park with brick detailing, surrounded by public space for guests to mingle.

Adjacent to the park is room for a diner.

Polar Park, estimated to cost between $86 and $90 million, is part of the overall $240 million development plan that will transform Worcester's Canal District.

Along with the stadium will be a 150-room hotel; a 100-room boutique hotel overlooking the ballpark; 250 market rate apartments; and 65,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Additionally, MassDOT will oversee a complete reconstruction of the notorious Kelley Square intersection.

Construction is set to begin in 2019, renderings below:

The City of Boston Celebrates Dearborn STEM Academy Opening

The City of Boston is celebrating the opening of the $73 million new school, Dearborn STEM Academy in Roxbury. The project, which was completed by Gilbane is the cornerstone of Mayor Marty Walsh's plan to modernize Boston Public Schools.

The property features a 4-story, 120,000 square-foot school building located in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. The building will serve students grade 6-12 and features collaborative spaces, advanced technologies, and a commitment to community engagement.

Pawtucket Red Sox Move Sparks $240 Million Development

With the Triple-A affiliate baseball team, Pawtucket Red Sox planning a move to Worcester, the brand new stadium (Polar Park) is igniting a $240 million development. The team plans to be renamed the Worcester Red Sox.

In an announcement on Friday (8/17), officials from the city of Worcester, the state of Massachusetts and the Pawtucket Red Sox unveiled plans for a $240 million project to construct a ballpark, two hotels, shops and restaurant space on a vacant lot in the city's Canal District. At the press conference Friday, Larry Lucchino, chairman of the board of the Pawtucket Red Sox announced the new stadium would be called Polar Park, after the city's iconic Polar Beverages. 

Wentworth tops off $55 million Multipurpose Academic Building in Mission Hill

A topping-off ceremony was held today for the Wentworth Institute of Technology’s new $55 million Multipurpose Academic Building in Mission Hill. Wentworth’s first new academic building in over 45 years, the 78,000-square-foot Multipurpose Academic Building will support the school's engineering, science and innovation programs and is anticipated to open in Spring 2019. With the final steel beam of the building’s four-story superstructure now in place, the construction team will begin installing the building’s facade, which will be comprised of zinc panels, glass and an aluminum curtain wall, allowing for abundant natural lighting. The superstructure has required 493 tons of steel, and 14,127 cubic yards of concrete have been used to construct the building’s foundation and floors. The following is a video of the building’s topping off:

Topping https://t.co/ugMlb5I48A

— Gilbane New England (@GilbaneNewEng) February 8, 2018

Shire leases 220,000 square feet at new-construction 75 | 125 Binney Street in Kendall Square

Shire, a leading rare disease-focused biotech firm headquartered in Ireland, has subleased 220,000 square feet from Ariad Pharmaceuticals at 75 | 125 Binney Street, a newly built 380,000-square lab/office building in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Shire, Massachusetts’ second-largest life sciences employer, expects to move into the building in the first half of 2018, with fit out currently underway. The 220,000-square-foot space was vacated by Ariad, a cancer drug developer, earlier this year after Ariad was acquired by Takeda.

Completed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities in 2016, 75 | 125 Binney Street is also home to IBM, who leases 160,000 square feet. Shire’s sublease continues the trend of growth in Boston’s Life Science sector, which boasts higher investment than that of any other United States region. Per the Avison Young Q3 2017 Life Science Report, overall life sciences vacancy rates have fallen to just 2.6% and 2.5% in Cambridge and Boston, respectively. Notable life sciences transactions this year have included Synlogic taking 41,000 square feet at 301 Binney Street and Roche Diagnostics and Proteostasis Therapeutics each taking 29,000 square feet at 80 Guest Street at Boston Landing in Brighton.

W. L. French performs utility installation and site excavation at Wentworth Multipurpose Academic Building in Mission Hill

Construction of the foundation of the Wentworth Institute of Technology’s new $55 million Multipurpose Academic Building in Mission Hill is well underway, with W. L. French Excavating Corporation performing below-grade electrical, water and sewer utility installation, as well as preparing the site to allow structural pile driving to proceed. The precast concrete piles have been driven into the ground throughout the 0.8-acre Wentworth Multipurpose Academic Building site. Steel sheet piles have also been driven to support the 20 foot deep excavation for the below grade portion of the building. W. L. French is currently proceeding with the basement excavation.

Following completion of below-grade site work, concrete will be poured to construct the Wentworth Multipurpose Academic Building’s foundation, and the building’s superstructure will be built. The Wentworth Multipurpose Academic Building will feature 78,000 square feet of space that will support the school's engineering, science and innovation programs and will be the first new academic structure on the Wentworth campus in 45 years. The following are photographs of W. L. French at work at Wentworth Multipurpose Academic Building:

Wentworth breaking ground on state-of-the-art science and engineering building

The Wentworth Institute of Technology breaks ground next week on a new $55 million, 78,000-square-foot academic building that will support the school's engineering, science and innovation programs and will be the first new academic structure on the Wentworth campus in 45 years. A groundbreaking ceremony for the building with guests including Mayor Martin J. Walsh will be held at the project site, located in Mission Hill, next Wednesday (June 21st, 2017) morning. Occupancy of the new building, which will contain laboratory and office space in addition to presentation and gathering areas for students, faculty, and staff, is anticipated in Spring 2019.

Wentworth's new building will house the school's new Biological Engineering Program, in addition to its' Biomedical and Civil Engineering programs; the maker space for Wentworth’s Innovation + Entrepreneurship Center, Accelerate; and a new manufacturing lab. “Wentworth is a leader in engineering, technology, design, and management education, and this new building will help our students prepare for the opportunities of the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century,” said school President Zorica Pantić. “Wentworth’s curriculum is evolving, and this requires new and different teaching and learning spaces with configurations that promote interdisciplinary approaches to solving the technical challenges of our day,” said the school's Vice Presidenct for Business David Wahlstrom.

New Wentworth engineering building approved in Mission Hill

The Wentworth Multipurpose Academic (MpA) Building, which will feature approximately 69,000 square feet of academic space to accommodate an expansion of the Wentworth Institute of Technology's academic engineering programs, was approved at today’s Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) Board Meeting. The building can now proceed with construction.

25-story tower proposed in the heart of Dudley Square

Developer Long Bay Management has filed a Letter of Intent with the City of Boston proposing to construct The Rio Grande, a 25-story tower in the heart of Dudley Square which would be Roxbury’s tallest building. Two years in the making, the proposal calls for 236 residences with 28,282 square feet of commercial space. Preliminary tower plans called for up to 29 stories containing nearly 400,000 square feet. A previous cost estimate of $200 million will likely change, said the proponent.

Long Bay will seek local tax breaks to help finance The Rio Grande’s construction. Residences at The Rio Grande would be primarily market-rate; 20% of residences at The Rio Grande would be designated affordable. The Rio Grande would be built behind the existing historic Citizens Bank building and another commercial building, both of which are owned by the proponent. Previous plans called for The Rio Grande’s ground floor to incorporate and preserve the bank building; according to the proponent, the tenants of both commercial buildings have long-term leases and plan to remain.

75 | 125 Binney, new Kendall Square lab and office building, awarded LEED Gold efficiency certification

75 | 125 Binney, a newly opened Kendall Square lab and office building now home to Ariad Pharmaceuticals and IBM Watson, has been awarded LEED Gold energy-efficiency certification by the United States Green Buiding Council (USGBC). The sustainably-designed 75 | 125 Binney features a high-performance facade, resulting in increased energy efficiency, and is located in a walkable location convenient to multiple public transit lines. A new cafe, Catalyst Cafe, recently opened on 75 | 125 Binney's ground floor.

Wentworth proposes new engineering building

The Wentworth Institute of Technology is proposing to construct a new 69,000 square foot building in Mission Hill to help facilitate the expansion of its' engineering programs. The building would feature the latest engineering equipment and lab technology, along with an open layout designed to encourage collaborative learning. Wentworth has filed plans for the building with the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), who is now reviewing the project.

New 380,000 square foot Kendall Square lab and office building, 75 | 125 Binney, now open

75 | 125 Binney, a new 380,000 square foot lab and office building in Kendall Square, is complete and occupied. IBM Watson Health has moved into a new 160,000 square foot office space at 75 | 125 Binney. The remaining 220,000 square feet at 75 | 125 Binney are leased to Ariad Pharmaceuticals, who will open a new headquarters facility at 75 | 125 Binney. 75 | 125 Binney’s first retail tenant, Catalyst Café, will open on the building’s ground floor in the coming months. The following are photographs of 75 | 125 Binney:

Dudley Square Tower moving forward, BRA filing expected within a month

Banker & Tradesman reports that Long Bay Management is moving forward with plans to construct a 29-story tower in Dudley Square at the corner of Washington and Marvin streets, with a formal Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) project filing expected within the next month. The most recent proposal calls for a 29-story tower, up from previously proposed 25 stories. Due to cost considerations, the proposal has been revised to include above-ground parking and additional floors. Potential office tenants could include a 28,000 square foot Roxbury service office for the Department of Children and Families and other state agency offices.

According to an earlier Bay State Banner report, the Dudley Square Tower would include office, residential and retail space. Retail would be located across the tower's first two stories and would incorporate the adjacent existing bank building, which would be preserved. At the tower's center would be office space, and on the tower's upper floors would be residential units targeted towards middle-income residents. This page will be updated with additional information as it becomes available; a preliminary rendering of the Dudley Square Tower is posted above.

Construction was completed at Vivo Apartments in September 2015. Building is now leasing. New photographs posted.

Construction is complete at 75|125 Binney. The building looks ready for tenant Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to move in. New photographs posted.