The Architectural Team (designer) led the conversion of Boston’s Hoffman Building, a 1906 confectionary manufacturing facility (later a submarine battery plant), and a dilapidated wharf into a mixed-use office/retail complex for client Related Beal.
The team had to comply with Boston’s Article 80 Large Project Review, master plan requirements set by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the city’s long-standing goal of created a continuous Harborwalk along the water’s edge.
After demolishing the rotten wood wharf, Suffolk Construction (GC) built a new 30,000-sf landscaped quay, now known as Lovejoy Wharf. It is home to a two-story music studio, a public entertainment venue, and 7,000 sf of retail. The Hoffman Building is now the world headquarters of Converse Inc., the retro sneaker maker.
It took a year to dry out and waterproof the basement of the Hoffman Building.
The top two floors were found to be structurally unsound; they were replaced with a brick-clad story and two floors in glass and structural steel. Wood reclaimed from the old wharf, polished concrete floors, and exposed columns added to the “industrial heritage” of the finished structure.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Silver Award Winner | Boston, Mass.
Building Team: The Architectural Team (submitting firm, architect); Related Beal (owner); Jennifer Carpenter Architect (interior architect); McNamara Salvia (SE); AHA Consulting Engineer (MEP); and Suffolk Construction (GC/CM).
Details: 220,000 sf. Construction cost: Confidential. Construction time: December 2012 to April 2015. Delivery method: Design-bid-build.
Related Stories
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: Bay Area Metro Center
The structure’s 60,000-sf floor plates made the interior dark and foreboding, and BAHA wanted to improve working conditions for its employees and tenants.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University
The five-story brick-and-beam structure is an adaptive reuse of the Canada Hair Cloth Building, where coat linings and parachute silks were once made.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: Marwen
Marwen currently offers 100 studio courses to 850 underserved students from 295 schools and 53 zip codes.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: The Cigar Factory
The Cigar Factory was originally a cotton mill but became the home of the American Cigar Company in 1912.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 16, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: St. Patrick's Cathedral
The cathedral, dedicated in 1879, sorely needed work.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 15, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: KETV-7 Burlington Station
The 1898 Greek Revival train terminal, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, had been abandoned for nearly four decades.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2016
Reconstruction Awards: The Gallery at the Three Arts Club
On the exterior of the building, masonry and terra cotta were revitalized, and ugly fire escapes on the south façade were removed.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2016
Big-box store rescaled to serve as a preventive-care clinic
The hospital was attracted to the big box’s footprint: one level with wide spans between structural columns, which would facilitate a floor plan with open, flexible workspaces and modules that could incorporate labs, X-ray, ultrasound, pharmacy, and rehab therapy functions.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 14, 2016
Fire-charred synagogue rises to renewed glory
The blaze left the 110-year-old synagogue a charred shell, its structural integrity severely compromised.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2016
Adaptive reuse juices up an abandoned power plant
The power plant was on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
