News
Pier 4 Ranks #1 on BBJ’s List of Top Development Projects
Pier 4 was in the news again this week, ranking first on the Boston Business Journal’s list of commercial development projects. Check out the BBJ’s slideshow of projects.
60+ Going Beyond the Hour
Started in 2007, Earth Hour is a yearly campaign to raise awareness of global warming and other environmental challenges and encourage people to participate on a global level to protect our planet. Individuals, organizations, and cities pledge to turn off the lights for the same hour on a set day each year. Earth Hour has grown from one city in 2007 to hundreds of thousands of people in 2013 in more than 150 countries and even outer space. The amount of electricity saved during that one hour of millions of homes and even major cities shutting of the lights is quite significant. However, saving the planet isn’t just about one hour that is why Earth Hour has grown to go “60+ Beyond the Hour”. One way that Earth Hour is encouraging people to go beyond the hour is through the “I Will If You Will” challenge. Individuals or organizations create a challenge which if met they are willing to do something in return to benefit the environment. From celebrities to cities challenges big and small have been made…
Brooklyn Boulders Preview
Arrowstreet is working on this super cool new climbing gym right here in Somerville. This video shows more of what’s to come.
Here is some more information on the gym, directly from our client, Brooklyn Boulders…
Unum Office Building Time-Lapse
Through the wonders of time-lapse photography, you can now watch the construction of our recently completed Unum Worcester headquarters building in under two minutes. It’s interesting to note that there is as much activity in the background and adjacent streets as there is on the building itself. Special thanks to Mike Conlan and Pat Strangie for all their work in CA – each of them probably has a (very) brief cameo in this video!
Side note: the Unum project and the CitySquare development are the topic of this month’s ULI Member Lunch with Donald Birch – if you’re a member of ULI, we look forward to seeing you there.
A New Courtyard at 210 Broadway
Just this past fall, a new courtyard opened at 210 Broadway in Cambridge. With ipe decks and seating that seem to flow right up and out of the courtyard, and an illuminated glass wall along the street edge, there is now a bright, comfortable place for building occupants to take a break from work and get fresh air…
State of the Industry: Brick and Mortar vs. Internet Retail
[Part 4 of a series of posts from ICSC’s RetailGreen conference. Posted in response to The Wall Street Journal’s article “Malls Get Face-Lift to Pull In Shoppers“, which stated that “the era of new-mall development in the U.S. is drawing to a close.”]
Brad Hutensky, ICSC Chairman, gave an interesting talk about the state of the retail industry, and he debunked a common refrain of the last five years, that the internet is killing bricks and mortar stores. His evidence was compelling. First, in 2012, retailers have opened over 5,000 stores, not a small number. And for good reason, as customers still value the human experience and the instant gratification of a cash purchase. Moreover, twelve of the top 20 online sellers in sales revenue have physical stores, among them Apple and one of Arrowstreet’s clients, LL Bean…
301 Binney Lobby Opens
Recently Jim Batchelor, Peter Belford, Meghan Perlow, and I attended the grand opening celebration for BioMed Realty’s new lobby at 301 Binney Street. This Arrowstreet-designed building opened in 2008, and a little over a year ago BioMed asked us to help them revamp the lobby to encourage more tenant interaction. The most admired feature of the new space is without a doubt the video wall, which loops a 53-minute video featuring numerous aquatic scenes. We’re also proud of the undulating metal ceiling panels that break up the space in a visually interesting way. Stay tuned for professional photography in the next few weeks!
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Green Thoughts from Walmart at ICSC RetailGreen
[Part 3 of a series of posts from ICSC’s RetailGreen conference.]
Last year, at ICSC’s RetailGreen conference, Don Moseley from Walmart gave an amazing 15 minute presentation on how codes differ from one municipality to another, and especially how they vary even more from the new International Green Construction Code (IgCC). Although it sounds wonky, Mr. Moseley used the specific example of how the prescribed number of plumbing fixtures can vary from code to code, with the delta being as much as 20 fixtures for the same size Walmart store. Same store footprint, same demands, totally different plumbing requirements. Importantly, when a retailer has thousands of locations across the world, it’s more difficult to plan, and it hits the bottom line in myriad ways.
This year, Mr. Moseley showed what Walmart has been doing on their roofs…