Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
Cambridge, MA
2008
47,000 sf
Goals
- Create first class office space for critical business operations.
- Explore creative sustainable technologies – specifically chilled beams.
- Develop existing corporate standards for custom workstations, as well as for loose furniture, lighting, and finishes.
Challenges
- Meet an extremely tight schedule: from hire to first phase occupancy in four months, including Programming and custom workstation design.
- Adapt sustainable HVAC options to available systems in a traditional office building.
Design Response
- Simultaneously programmed and test fit a variety of departments into the available space, giving the Client the information appropriate to make informed decisions about space allocations.
- Generated a variety of plan typologies, based on working relationships typical for different departmental types.
- "Tweaked" the design of the existing custom wood workstation to improve flexibility in planning, work area, and function. The workstations use furniture elements to subdivide spaces and provide minimal privacy, and the raised floor construction provides ultimate flexibility in the placement of the workstations over time.
- Designed a Chilled Beam heating and cooling system, minimizing power consumption, noise, and long term maintenance costs.
- Created a striking Commons Area on each floor, conducive not only to casual gathering, but to small team meetings and seminars as well.
Contractor
John Moriarty and Associates
Consultants
Wozny Barbar & Associates
