Mixed Use

Suffolk Manages ‘Sky Mat’ Pour

Boston – In a first for the city of Boston, Suffolk recently managed the pour of a 20-million-pound “transfer mat” (aka “sky mat”) halfway up to the eventual top of Winthrop Center, a 52-story tower slated to be the fourth-tallest building in the city of Boston.

The mat, which required 1,200 tons of rebar and nine levels of shoring compared to the typical five, had to be kept in place for 21 days. The purpose of the slab, located 350 feet off the ground, is to separate the office and residential components of the tower, which require different layouts and structural elements.

The office floors will have open floor plans spanning 45 feet, with few walls and columns on the floors to support the building’s structure. The residential floors of the tower will be denser with residential units and columns on the inside. The contrasting uses of the tower presented a unique challenge: The team needed to find a way to bear and transfer the weight to the lower, more spaced-out perimeter columns, and eventually the

Winthrop Center sky mat ground. The transfer mat will help create column-free, unobstructed views of the outdoors, which promotes the overall healthy building design strategy.

Once completed, the 691-foot Winthrop Center will deliver 812,000sf of Global Class A office space and 572,000sf of residential space comprising 321 residences, and is integrating health and wellness, productivity and social engagement, and technology and sustainability into its design.

Team Selected for Nubian Square Project

Nubian Square’s Crescent Parcel

Boston – The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) board voted to tentatively designate Drexel Village, LLC, to develop the BPDA and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)-owned Crescent Parcel in Roxbury’s Nubian Square. The proposal plans to create a mixed-use development that includes affordable housing and community space across the Crescent Parcel and the neighboring parcel owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Like all BPDA-owned parcels in the city of Boston, the selected developer was required to meet the BPDA’s diversity and inclusion evaluation criterion, and outline commitments to including M/WBEs in all aspects of its development. Diversity and Inclusion criteria was weighted at 25% of the total evaluation of the proposal.

The proposed development will bring 217 residential units, at least 150 of which will be income-restricted, 31,000sf of community space for the social service agencies currently located on the Crescent Parcel, and parish space for the St. Katharine Drexel Church. The proposal will preserve over an acre of open space at the corner of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Tremont street, will preserve 35 existing trees on the development, and plant 65 new trees.

The Drexel Village, LLC proposal envisions this development as familyfocused and community-oriented. In addition to a commitment to the Boston Residents Jobs Policy, the project has a 25% neighborhood workforce goal.

“We are committed to facilitating a future for Crescent Parcel that supports the surrounding community, creating affordable housing and supporting local small businesses,” said Brian Golden, BPDA director.

Nauset Completes St. James Place

St. James Place Cambridge, MA – Nauset Construction has completed St. James Place, a mixeduse, transit-oriented development that links the historic St. James Episcopal Church to 46 condominiums, 2,000sf of retail space, and a new parish hall that includes a neighborhood food pantry.

Located at 1991 Mass. Ave. in Porter Square, St. James Place was developed by Acorn Holdings in partnership with the St. James Episcopal Church, transforming the site of a shuttered car wash into housing and replacing an inaccessible and deteriorating parish hall with a new 11,400sf structure. The hall houses classrooms for children’s programs, a nursery, library, and music practice rooms as well as a commercial kitchen and the neighborhood food pantry. The development also includes a private courtyard that is open to the public.

Featuring a stone veneer-lined foundation and situated above the parish hall, the three floors of condominiums consist of 11 one-bedroom, 34 twobedroom and two-bedroom/den, and 1 three-bedroom units, including five affordable units. The units feature energy efficient LED lighting and additional energy saving features designed to meet the City of Cambridge LEEDbased construction standards for energy efficiency and sustainability. Building amenities include an entry-level common entertainment room with wet bar, a guest suite for exclusive use by residents, a pet spa, and electric vehicle charging stations located in the below-grade parking garage. One of the many construction challenges was connecting the new structure to the historic church, as well as excavating for the below-grade parking garage, all while ensuring that its cobblestone foundation was properly supported and not compromised throughout construction. “This was a project that played to our strengths as a construction manager: historic renovation, midsize multifamily housing and working in tight urban infill locations,” said Benjamin Goldfarb, vice president of Nauset Construction. The development has a Walk Score of 93 and is steps from the MBTA Red Line station, shopping and dining options, and three local parks. St. James Place is the third Cambridge multifamily project on which Nauset and Acorn have partnered.

Dellbrook|JKS Selected for ‘The Beck’

Haverhill, MA – New England construction management firm, Dellbrook|JKS, has been selected for “The Beck,” a Procopio Companies project, with architecture and interior design firm CUBE 3.

The Beck is a mixed-use residential apartment community consisting of two 5-story framed buildings. These buildings will contain approximately 290 units with 6,750sf of retail space, over a single steel and concrete podium with associated parking. The Beck will also add 3.2 acres of public parks, playgrounds, and active trails.

“As Procopio’s portfolio expands regionally, our team is excited to once again partner with Dellbrook|JKS on our newest project in Haverhill,” said Mike Procopio, CEO of The Procopio Companies. “Our future residents will enjoy an exceptional place to live, in an iconic waterfront location when The Beck opens, and we are grateful to Dellbrook|JKS and all of our project partners who will work to make this happen.”

“The Beck is another exciting opportunity to partner with the Procopio Companies. We’re grateful for the past opportunities we have had and are ready to keep that momentum going as we tackle this project,” says Dellbrook|JKS CEO, Mike Fish.

Still in design development, construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022 and be substantially completed by 2024.

The Beck / Rendering by Cube 3