General Electric’s new 388,700-square-foot Boston campus headquarters will include a 2-story company museum, a rooftop solar “veil” and a 900-square-foot illuminated rooftop GE sign, though one that probably falls short of CEO Jeff Immelt’s tongue-in-cheek goal of being visible from Mars.
GE today filed plans with the Boston Redevelopment Authority for the 2.4-acre site overlooking the Fort Point Channel. When complete, it will include a new 12-story office building topped with landscaped roof terraces and surrounded by 61,000 square feet of outdoor public space. Interior areas open to the public will include maker spaces, work lounges, a bistro and coffee shop; outside, the Boston Harborwalk will be widened from 12 to 18 feet.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority wasted no time starting the clock on the public review process. The first public meetings will be held Tuesday at City Hall beginning with an impact advisory group meeting at 5:15 p.m., followed by a presentation to the Boston Civic Design Commission at 6:35 p.m.
As part of a $120 million state economic incentive package, MassDevelopment is expected to acquire the two existing warehouse buildings owned by Procter & Gamble subsidiary Gillette and lease them to GE for 22 years, with two 10-year options by GE. GE has a purchase-and-sale agreement with Gillette for the new building site, currently used for surface parking.
To meet GE’s goal of occupying the new headquarters in 2018, it’s seeking streamlined permitting. That would include a phase 1 waiver of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) review process to accelerate the timeline for redevelopment of the warehouse buildings and infrastructure projects by MassDevelopment. The full MEPA review would take place after permits are obtained, according to GE’s filing with the BRA.
“If the proponents were required to complete the MEPA process before the brick buildings can be acquired and their rehabilitation commenced, it would result in a material delay in the improvement of this area of Fort Point, including the provision of the much needed facilities of public accommodation that will be offered in the existing brick buildings, and the activation of the GE headquarters campus,” according to the filing. “Construction of the new building and associated site improvements will be conducted within a single subsequent phase as soon as the necessary permits have been obtained.”
Gensler is the lead architect.
Totaling 95,400 square feet, the so-called “brick buildings” will house GE offices and GE’s in-house maker space. A public maker space, Brilliant Labs career center and a restaurant will occupy the ground floor.
Acknowledging concerns over rising sea levels at waterfront sites, GE said the first floors of the buildings will be built at 19.5 feet above sea level with the intention of protecting the complex from a 500-year storm event in 2075.
Just 30 underground parking spaces are planned on the site, including eight equipped with electric vehicle charging stations, as GE will encourage most employees to use public transit.
