One Boston Wharf Road, Home to 2024 Green Building Showcase

Photo Credits: Boston Seaport by WS

The 2024 Greeen Building Showcase was generously hosted for the second year in a row by WS Development in Boston’s Seaport District. Last year the event was held at the Amazon L4 Tower at 111 Harbor Way. This year we moved across the plaza to the even more exciting L5 project, One Boston Wharf Road, which will be the city’s largest net zero carbon office facility. The following overview of the project was provided by Yanni Tsipis, Senior Vice President – Development at WS Development, who oversees all aspects of the company’s Boston Seaport project, a 33-acre, 20-block, 7.6 million square foot mixed-use development at the heart of the Seaport’s thriving innovation ecosystem.

One Boston Wharf Road rises at the entrance to the Boston Seaport district, marking the latest addition to WS Development’s 7.6 million square foot mixed-use project. The building, Boston’s largest net-zero carbon office development, encompasses 700,000 square feet of office, retail, and civic spaces. Designed by Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen Architects in collaboration with Gensler, Buro Happold, The Green Engineer, and McNamara/Salvia, the structure departs from often-seen contemporary glass-box architecture with its distinctively articulated terra cotta facade.

Amazon has fully leased the office space as part of its Boston Tech Hub, which also occupies WS Development’s 111 Harbor Way building (completed 2022).

While the building’s beautiful architecture makes a bold outward statement about our architectural aspirations, its environmental innovations truly distinguish it. The development team committed early to carbon-free operations through an all-electric approach to mechanical systems. This electrification commitment aligns with WS Development’s broader initiative, completed in 2023, to power all of its Seaport assets and much of its New England portfolio with renewable electricity. As part of this strategy, the building employs rooftop air-source heat pumps, advanced energy recovery technology, and state-of-the-art envelope and building management systems.

In addition to its commitment to net zero carbon operations, One Boston Wharf Road also pioneers breakthrough construction technology to address embodied carbon as well. The project is the first ever to incorporate Sublime Systems’ innovative cement—a zero-fossil-fuel alternative to Portland cement developed by this MIT spinout company. With Portland cement production accounting for approximately 8% of global fossil fuel emissions, this advancement could transform the construction industry. The building features this revolutionary cement in key public areas, with educational displays highlighting its significance. The ground floor of One Boston Wharf welcomes the public with open spaces that extend to the surrounding outdoor public realm. This accessibility reflects the project’s larger mission: demonstrating how collaborative vision among developers, designers, and innovators can advance carbon-free construction and operations.

Years in the making, One Boston Wharf Road stands as more than a building—it is an aspirational blueprint for sustainable development. Green building enthusiasts and climate innovators are invited to visit and learn more at www.bostonseaport.xyz or @seaportbos.