Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 125

125 Summer Street
Architect and Interior
Designer Stantec
Client Oxford
Properties Group
Where Boston
What 9,100 total square
feet on one floor
Cost/sf Withheld
at client's request
For a full project source
list, see page 140 or visit
contractdesign.com.

before

before

Once hindered by its
heavy postmodern aesthetic
and multiple understated
entrances (two above), the
lobby has been transformed
with a material palette of
oak, matte back-painted glass
(left), and marble, and it now
includes a lounge, a concierge,
and space for a coffee shop.

Adjacent to a major transportation hub, an
urban greenway, and the city's Financial District,
125 Summer Street occupies a prime site in downtown
Boston. Yet despite its location, the building
recently had a 35 percent vacancy rate. Designed
by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and completed
in 1989, the building was underperforming within
the city's real estate market due in part to its
ground-floor presence-understated entrances
and a dated postmodern aesthetic.
Recognizing the inherent value in the 22story building, Toronto-based Oxford Properties
purchased it with the foresight to reposition
125 Summer Street as a sought-after home for
successful, progressive firms. Oxford hired
Stantec to transform the flagging property with
an inviting, vibrant entrance and lobby-crucial
elements for desirable commercial addresses.
"We felt comfortable that Stantec would
work with us to collaboratively solve the ultimate
problem-the building was not attractive to
our preferred customers in its current state,"
say Philip Dorman, the Oxford Properties Group
head of leasing in Boston.
For Stantec, the project began with the
initial job interview. "We did stress our strong belief
that the space needed to address the changing
workforce and be more casual, comfortable,
and welcoming," says Stantec Senior Principal
Larry Grossman.

Indeed, the ground-level experience-
original to 1989-was heavy-handed and somewhat
foreboding. The building had three points of entry:
a north-facing main entrance on Summer Street and
two smaller entrances leading to an interior corridor
lined with small businesses. The three access points
were dark, offered limited lobby space, and had little
outside connection. In addition, the multiple entries
resulted in a two-sided approach to the elevator
cores and made security difficult.
In its solution, Stantec created a new singular
entrance on a landscaped south-facing public
plaza where the interior corridor had been. Visible
from South Station and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Greenway, this new entryway capitalizes on the
building's location to reestablish its prominence
in the area.
The exterior of the new entrance, featuring
large panes of glass set within brushed stainless
steel frames, establishes a dialogue between the
surrounding urban realm and the contemporary
lobby. Carefully detailed yet seemingly effortless,
the interior includes a lounge, a concierge, and
space for a forthcoming coffee shop. A material
palette of oak, matte back-painted glass, and marble
create a cohesive, hotel-like environment-a place
where people can gather, work, or relax. A rich
leather-fronted reception desk, plush gray and
blue upholstered chairs, and a light green onyx
bar-height worktable subtly introduce colors
contract


http://www.contractdesign.com

Contract Magazine - July/August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - July/August 2017

Contract Magazine - July/August 2017
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Designers You Should Know: Buck Studio
Columnist: Investing in Your Firm’s Future Through Professional Development
Product Focus: Back to Nature
Product Focus: Studied Casualness
Best of Neocon 2017
Jackalope
Campo
Quad Cinema
1221 Avenue of the Americas
Aventine
125 Summer Street
301 Howard Street
Competition: Inspirations Awards
Designers Select: Textiles
Sources
Ad Index
Installation: Hive of Activity
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Intro
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Contract Magazine - July/August 2017
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Cover2
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 1
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Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 5
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Contents
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Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Editorial
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 21
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Industry News
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 23
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 24
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 25
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 26
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 27
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 28
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 29
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Designers You Should Know: Buck Studio
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 31
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Columnist: Investing in Your Firm’s Future Through Professional Development
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 33
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Product Focus: Back to Nature
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 35
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Product Focus: Studied Casualness
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 37
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 38
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Best of Neocon 2017
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 40
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 41
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 42
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 43
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Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 94
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 95
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 96
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 97
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Jackalope
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 99
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 100
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 101
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 102
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 103
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 104
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 105
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Campo
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 107
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 108
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 109
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 110
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 111
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Quad Cinema
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 113
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 114
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 115
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 1221 Avenue of the Americas
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 117
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 118
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 119
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Aventine
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 121
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 122
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 123
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 125 Summer Street
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 125
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 126
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 127
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 301 Howard Street
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 129
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 130
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 131
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Competition: Inspirations Awards
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 133
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 134
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 135
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 136
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 137
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Designers Select: Textiles
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 139
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Sources
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 141
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Ad Index
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - 143
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Installation: Hive of Activity
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Cover3
Contract Magazine - July/August 2017 - Cover4
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