Developer Skanska USA is set to begin construction of 121 Seaport, an 18-story elliptical office tower designed by CBT Architects in Boston’s Seaport District.
The slender shape of the 425,000-square-foot structure on Seaport Boulevard “will redefine the South Boston Seaport skyline” and its diagonal orientation on the parcel will allow more sunlight to reach the nearby Seaport Square Green and District Hall innovation center, according to documents submitted by CBT to the Boston Civic Design Commission. The unusual shape also is influenced by site constraints: the MBTA Silver Line tunnel runs under the northeast corner of the property.
The continuing buildout of office towers on former parking lots in the Seaport has attracted critiques of bland, boxy office buildings and apartment towers designed to maximize leasable space. Buildings also are subject to height limits imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration because the neighborhood is located under a flight path from Logan Airport.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has urged developers and their architecture teams to think bold when designing new structures in the city’s continuing building boom.
“The (development sites) that are left in the city on the waterfront, we have an opportunity to really make it a little bit more spectacular,” Walsh told Banker & Tradesman following a groundbreaking in the Seaport in November. “I think a couple of buildings that stand out wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
The building also will include 38,000 square feet of retail space in a two-story podium. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held July 9, Boston Redevelopment Authority spokesman Nicholas Martin said.
Skanska acquired the parcel from Seaport Square master developers Boston Global Investors and Morgan Stanley in 2013 for $36.1 million. It is still seeking an anchor tenant.
Shawn Hurley, Skanska USA Development’s executive vice president, told Banker & Tradesman in February that Skanska hopes to attract a major office or lab tenant to compete with Cambridge’s Kendall Square, where vacancies are reaching historic lows.
The building is designed to meet LEED Gold standards with such features as rooftop rainwater collection and 10-foot ceilings that maximize natural light.
121 Seaport is one of three development sites owned by Skanska USA in the Seaport. The Swedish development company expects to complete 101 Seaport this fall. PwC has leased 75 percent of the 440,000-square-foot building.
Skanska also is partnering with on Watermark Seaport, a 346-unit apartment tower at Seaport Boulevard and Boston Wharf Road. That complex is set to open by January.
