Client story

One Post Office Square

The energy-efficient landmark transforming Boston’s financial district

Challenge

One Post Office Square is an existing, occupied, mixed use building, constructed in 1980 and located in the heart of Boston’s Financial District overlooking Norman Leventhal Park. The vision demands that the existing building undergo a total metamorphosis to create a premier commercial offering. It will embody a simple, elegant and immediately recognizable brand and offer a workplace experience as unparalleled as its location.

Solution

The redevelopment of One Post Office Square serves as a model for a holistic retrofit, signifying the transformation of Boston’s Downtown. Designed for value, experience and performance, JLL, Gensler and Anchor Line Partners worked with the building owner to transform an outdated office tower into a sustainable building of the future on par with new construction. It’s also uniquely positioned to deliver on post-Covid expectations for office buildings.

Results

Replacing the concrete facade with triple-glazing, installing an intelligent heating and cooling system and LED lighting will improve its energy performance by 20%. And while others are tearing down buildings and starting over, it didn’t make economic sense to ‘scrap’ this skyscraper. Remaking the tower in situ was also a better deal for the environment: the reuse of materials will realize a saving of 14,500 metric tons of embodied carbon that would be associated with demolition. Health and wellness, including better ventilation, access to daylight and fresh air (twice the code minimum requirement), and on-site amenities will be priorities. Scheduled for completion in fall 2022, One Post Office Square is targeting LEED V4 Gold certification.