Located in the
heart of a burgeoning biotech community, 675 West Kendall Street is comprised of
research laboratories, offices, support spaces, and ground-level retail.
A design paradigm
was developed to reflect the technologies of the biotech world and relate to
the existing architectural fabric of Cambridge.
Contemporary materials from Europe—terra cotta
panels and channel glass—form a lively composition of overlapping planes and
cubic mass. Chosen to harmonize with the
traditional brick architecture of the city yet achieve a lighter quality, the
terra cotta’s warm earthiness contrasts with the translucence of the channel
glass, forming a Modrianesque syncopation between weight and weightlessness.
The surface patterning of the
terra cotta rain screen alludes to the nature of the activity taking place
inside the building. Four separate
textures of terra cotta, which appear to change in the light at different times
of day, represent the four sequencing gels of DNA molecules: Adenine, Thymine,
Guanine, and Cytosine.
The building’s
research labs are organized around a six-story, 120-foot-high atrium, which
draws light and animation into the core as well as the workplaces. The design
of the open walkways and veiled platforms within the atrium encourages
creativity, while floating lounges or “living rooms in the sky” facilitate
synergistic social interactions on each floor.
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