Urban Nexus

A world-renowned center of innovation, Kendall Square is a thriving technology and life sciences district channeling the extraordinary talent and culture of neighboring Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Kendall Square Master Plan was developed to create a sequence of unique architectural experiences for each of the global leading tenants, harnessing the aspirational character of the neighborhood. In the spirit of the academic campus, the master plan balances the historic character and scale of Cambridge with the needs of next-generation technology tenants.

The AkaMile is a mile (1.6 kilometer)-long meandering path connecting collaborative workspaces, libraries, game rooms, and a cafeteria across the 19 floors of Akamai’s new home. This continuous multi-level circulation from the garden to the sky creates a vertical community and promotes interaction among the company’s 2,000 employees, newly united under one roof. Roof terraces created by the building’s interlocking massing relate directly to the important urban pocket park at the building’s front door.

Google’s next-generation work environment in Kendall Square will significantly enhance the pedestrian experience and enliven the public realm. A new pedestrian connection from Kendall Plaza up to the Kendall Square Rooftop Garden creates a multi-level public terrace overlooking Main Street and Kendall Plaza. The existing MBTA headhouse serving the Kendall Red Line T-Station will be integrated at Kendall Plaza.

Embracing the innovative culture and collegial atmosphere of neighboring Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Binney Street Campus is as an active and inspiring destination for the thriving life sciences community of Kendall Square. Comprised of two life science towers and a residential tower, the buildings are surrounded by a landscaped public plaza atop a new underground district substation for utility provider Eversource.