By Ethan Lay-Sleeper
May 6, 2015
By Ethan Lay-Sleeper
Atlantic Wharf
In 2012 Mayor Menino announced that Boston Properties’ Atlantic Wharf project earned LEED Platinum certification, officially making it Boston’s first greenskyscraper. The 1.2 million sf mixed-use project was designed by CBT Architects. It includes 86 residential units, 6 levels of below grade parking, 30 floors of premium office space, and ground floor retail to help activate the area around Fort Point Channel. The project incorporates two existing historic structures, the Russia Building which was transformed into lofts, and the façade and streetscape of the Tufts Building, which were preserved around updated interiors.
In addition to incorporating existing structures, the overall site design uses landscape and hardscape design elements to help link the financial district and the Rose Kennedy Greenway through the block to the waterfront. Over 30% of the site area is vegetated open space, incorporating native plantings and rainwater harvesting to eliminate the use of potable water for irrigation, and reduce overall irrigation by over 60%. Rainwater is harvested from the roof in a 40,000 gallon basement storage tank, and reused in irrigation and process water for HVAC systems. This reduced the amount of process water by 15% below comparable HVAC systems.