The Young Designer’s Core (YDC) recently held a construction tour of 75-125 Binney Street project, a 400,000 SF office and lab building, comprised of two buildings and a connective all-glass atrium. The tour provided design team the chance to share their collocation experience, which involved working directly with sub-contractors and engineers on site as well as the chance to demonstrate some of the technology the teams used throughout the design-assist process.
The tour offered a behind-the-scenes look at the development of building’s core and shell including the chance to check out many new and interesting materials used throughout the project. These materials include custom-textured ultra high performance concrete panels (TAKTL), integral wood-slat curtainwall (OkaWood), a thermoformed solid surface for the three-story spiral stair (Krion) and an auto-tinting electrochromic glass for the atrium skylight.
While only a few TAKTL panels that comprise the parametrically designed skin were in place, we were able to view those panels as well as examine the balconies that will allow users to occupy the southern façade. Other tour highlights included the garage, highly-coordinated chiller room and the interior of the project.
The tour was a great opportunity for us to see the building in different stages of construction. Scaffolding filled the atrium in preparation for the installation of rafters and the atrium skylight. The steel structure for the spiral stair was in place, with each of the three flights weighing 11,000 lbs. The tour concluded with the group getting a view of the project from Roger Street Park.
