The Architectural Team (designer) led the conversion of Boston’s Hoffman Building, a 1906 confectionary manufacturing facility (later a submarine battery plant), and a dilapidated wharf into a mixed-use office/retail complex for client Related Beal.
The team had to comply with Boston’s Article 80 Large Project Review, master plan requirements set by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the city’s long-standing goal of created a continuous Harborwalk along the water’s edge.
After demolishing the rotten wood wharf, Suffolk Construction (GC) built a new 30,000-sf landscaped quay, now known as Lovejoy Wharf. It is home to a two-story music studio, a public entertainment venue, and 7,000 sf of retail. The Hoffman Building is now the world headquarters of Converse Inc., the retro sneaker maker.
It took a year to dry out and waterproof the basement of the Hoffman Building.
The top two floors were found to be structurally unsound; they were replaced with a brick-clad story and two floors in glass and structural steel. Wood reclaimed from the old wharf, polished concrete floors, and exposed columns added to the “industrial heritage” of the finished structure.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Silver Award Winner | Boston, Mass.
Building Team: The Architectural Team (submitting firm, architect); Related Beal (owner); Jennifer Carpenter Architect (interior architect); McNamara Salvia (SE); AHA Consulting Engineer (MEP); and Suffolk Construction (GC/CM).
Details: 220,000 sf. Construction cost: Confidential. Construction time: December 2012 to April 2015. Delivery method: Design-bid-build.
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