Redeveloping 601 Congress into the ‘Seaport Science Center’
By CoreNet Global - New England Chapter Education Committee members Arlyn Vogelmann, Principal / Strategy Director, Gensler, and Bobby Elliott, Business Development Executive, New England, Haworth
The CoreNet Global New England Chapter Programs Committee recently hosted a tour of the Seaport Science Center at 601 Congress Street in the Seaport District. This event provided valuable insights into the redevelopment of this significant property. Key figures involved in the project, such as Ashley Myslinski, Senior Project Manager of BioMed Realty, and a panel including Chris Ham of Genesis Engineers, Mark Reed of LAB, and Mike Fuller of The Richmond Group, shared detailed information about the transformation process.
Bobby Elliott of the Education Committee recently sat down with Ashley Myslinski (AM) of BioMed Realty to discuss the creation of this new science center.
Q: What originally attracted BioMed to this specific building?
AM: Location, structural design (spacing of columns and floor heights), loading capabilities, grid/floorplan flexibility, the beautiful 5-story winter garden atrium, and several elevators supporting a lab conversion of this building, making it an ideal investment.
Q: What was one of the most challenging aspects of the building process?
AM: The most significant challenge was getting new equipment into the existing building, which required using a large crane to lift equipment onto the roof for subsequent relocation throughout the building. This process needed careful coordination with Logan Airport. Other challenges included obtaining permits from MassPort and approval from the MBTA due to construction over the Silver Line and maintaining the 20-year-old Ficus trees in the atrium during their relocation!
Q: What building amenities are you offering that are tailored to these lab users to support and attract tenants?
AM: The building offers various amenities, including:
- An inviting lobby with custom art and murals.
- A rooftop deck with a green roof, open-air oasis, and walking path.
- A winter garden atrium for onsite meeting and collaboration areas.
- A first-floor bike room with a custom mural.
These amenities are designed to foster a collaborative and engaging work environment, ideal for life science tenants.
Q: Can you tell us about the broader science community you envision growing here in the Seaport neighborhood?
AM: The Seaport neighborhood is currently home to over 60 life science companies occupying more than 4mm SF of lab space. BioMed Realty’s project will continue to expand the growing life science base and provide critical expansion space for this ecosystem. The building is designed to provide maximum flexibility for life science users with the infrastructure that is critical to support larger pharmaceutical companies on the lower floors and built-out, move-in ready spaces accommodating growing life science companies across the upper four floors totaling 150k sf. The move-in ready lab and office spaces are part of BioMed’s Velocity Labs program, designed to accelerate the speed to innovation for life science companies with the spaces available for immediate occupancy.
Additional note from Ashley:
”The vision of Seaport Science Center is to create a workplace that is inviting and encourages engagement and interaction within the broader science community. We’ve invested in this vision by creating a space we believe people will want to work in. Here, you’ll find underground parking, an inviting, serene public lobby with custom artwork, a first-floor bike room with a custom mural, beautiful showers and locker rooms, a 5-story interior winter garden, and the 12th-floor rooftop garden. We intend to foster collaboration within the winter garden through programming of different events, such as fitness classes, presentations, company seminars, or even to enjoy lunch in the sunshine. The rooftop garden boasts views of the harbor, with a walking path designed to allow for wellness walks during the workday through luscious plantings and away from the hustle of downtown streets. By creating our Velocity Labs on the upper floors (flexible, move-in ready lab spaces of roughly 20k sf), these spaces allow for biotech companies to begin research immediately while scaling up as needed.”
Background and Redevelopment Overview
Previously, a single-user corporate office tower for John Hancock, 601 Congress Street, has been transformed by BioMed Realty into the new Seaport Science Center. BioMed Realty, serving as the owner, developer, and operator, has achieved LEED Gold certification v4 BD+C: CS for this project. The building’s design accommodates office spaces on the north side and specialized laboratories on the south side. Accessibility is a key feature, with Silver Line Way providing convenient MBTA access, just 5 minutes from South Station and 8 minutes from Logan Airport. The redevelopment process has been marked by a high level of passion and attention to detail, resulting in a state-of-the-art facility that offers ideal amenities for life science tenants.