flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

Boston’s FORUM building to support cutting-edge life sciences research and development

Laboratories

Boston’s FORUM building to support cutting-edge life sciences research and development

The $545 million, 350,000-sf facility also will offer publicly accessible areas, including an art gallery, and will achieve operational net zero carbon.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | November 8, 2023
Boston’s FORUM building to support cutting-edge life science research and development
Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge have topped out FORUM, a nine-story, 350,000-square-foot life science and office building at 60 Guest St., within the Boston Landing mixed-use district in Boston’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

Global real estate companies Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge recently announced the topping-out of FORUM, a nine-story, 350,000-sf life sciences building in Boston. Located in Boston Landing, a 15-acre mixed-use community, the $545 million project will achieve operational net zero carbon upon completion in 2024.

FORUM’s flexible, 50,000-sf floorplates can accommodate multiple or single-floor tenants in both laboratory and office spaces. Its state-of-the-art mechanical and electrical infrastructure has been engineered to support cutting-edge research and development.

The design by SGA emphasizes the facility’s forward-looking focus, with a curvilinear façade punctuated with copper metal panels and tripled-glazed glass. In addition to a landscaped plaza leading to the double-height lobby, the publicly accessible areas include a community living room and café that can be used for both the building’s and the neighborhood’s programming. The first floor also features an art gallery that will showcase rotating works by local artists.

On the third floor, collaboration spaces in the conference center will serve a variety of meeting sizes and configurations. The third floor also will offer shared tenant amenities, including a kitchen and eating area, plus a 7,000-sf outdoor terrace with cabanas, seating areas, and grilling stations. Private terraces will be available for some tenant spaces.

The façade will integrate 1,600 sf of photovoltaic solar, and a rainwater cistern will reuse captured rainwater for building facilities. The 284-stall parking garage will include electric vehicle charging stations. The building also will have storage for 146 bicycles and on-site locker rooms. The project is targeting LEED Platinum, WiredScore Platinum, and Fitwel certification.

“FORUM reinforces Boston’s reputation as a global hub for medical and biological research while establishing Boston Landing as a destination for leading life sciences companies,” Mark Barer, director of development, Boston, Lendlease, said in a statement.

On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge
Design architect and architect of record: SGA
MEP engineer: BR+A Consulting Engineers
Structural engineer: McNamara Salvia
Construction: Consigli Construction

Related Stories

Laboratories | Apr 22, 2024

Why lab designers should aim to ‘speak the language’ of scientists

Learning more about the scientific work being done in the lab gives designers of those spaces an edge, according to Adrian Walters, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal and Director of SMMA's Science & Technology team.

Laboratories | Apr 15, 2024

HGA unveils plans to transform an abandoned rock quarry into a new research and innovation campus

In the coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., an abandoned rock quarry will be transformed into a new research and innovation campus designed by HGA. The campus will reuse and upcycle the granite left onsite. The project for Cell Signaling Technology (CST), a life sciences technology company, will turn an environmentally depleted site into a net-zero laboratory campus, with building electrification and onsite renewables.

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Life science construction completions will peak this year, then drop off substantially

There will be a record amount of construction completions in the U.S. life science market in 2024, followed by a dramatic drop in 2025, according to CBRE. In 2024, 21.3 million sf of life science space will be completed in the 13 largest U.S. markets. That’s up from 13.9 million sf last year and 5.6 million sf in 2022.

Sustainability | Mar 21, 2024

World’s first TRUE-certified building project completed in California

GENESIS Marina, an expansive laboratory and office campus in Brisbane, Calif., is the world’s first Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)-certified construction endeavor. The certification recognizes projects that achieve outstanding levels of resource efficiency through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling practices.

Adaptive Reuse | Mar 7, 2024

3 key considerations when converting a warehouse to a laboratory

Does your warehouse facility fit the profile for a successful laboratory conversion that can demand higher rents and lower vacancy rates? Here are three important considerations to factor before proceeding. 

University Buildings | Feb 21, 2024

University design to help meet the demand for health professionals

Virginia Commonwealth University is a Page client, and the Dean of the College of Health Professions took time to talk about a pressing healthcare industry need that schools—and architects—can help address.

Urban Planning | Feb 5, 2024

Lessons learned from 70 years of building cities

As Sasaki looks back on 70 years of practice, we’re also looking to the future of cities. While we can’t predict what will be, we do know the needs of cities are as diverse as their scale, climate, economy, governance, and culture.

Laboratories | Feb 5, 2024

DOE selects design-build team for laboratory focused on clean energy innovation

JE Dunn Construction and SmithGroup will construct the 127,000-sf Energy Materials and Processing at Scale (EMAPS) clean energy laboratory in Colorado to create a direct path from lab-scale innovations to pilot-scale production.

Laboratories | Jan 25, 2024

Tactical issues for renovating university research buildings

Matthew Plecity, AIA, ASLA, Principal, GBBN, highlights the connection between the built environment and laboratory research, and weighs the benefits of renovation vs. new construction.

Laboratories | Jan 22, 2024

Speculative vs purpose-built labs: Pros and cons

Hanbury's George L. Kemper, AIA and R. David Cole, AIA share the unique advantages and challenges of both spec. and purpose-build labs.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category


Laboratories

HGA unveils plans to transform an abandoned rock quarry into a new research and innovation campus

In the coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., an abandoned rock quarry will be transformed into a new research and innovation campus designed by HGA. The campus will reuse and upcycle the granite left onsite. The project for Cell Signaling Technology (CST), a life sciences technology company, will turn an environmentally depleted site into a net-zero laboratory campus, with building electrification and onsite renewables.



halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021