| Genzyme
Center
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Studies: Green Buildings> Genzyme Center
Genzyme Center Is Distinctively Efficient
Concrete builds green headquarters for biotech firm
 In
2000, Genzyme, the world’s third largest biotech firm, set
out to create a signature building to serve as a hub for its global
business and home to 900 employees. The structure had a mandate:
stand as a reflection of the company’s core values, including
innovation, and set a new standard for environmentally sensitive
architecture.
Architects Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner designed Genzyme Center
using a concrete frame
superstructure, a flat slab floor system, and a concrete core for
lateral load resistance,
creating a building that optimizes energy use, minimizes the effect
on the environment,
and fosters a healthy atmosphere for tenants.
The 12-story, 350,000-square-foot office building recently opened
in Cambridge, Massachusetts’s Kendall Square neighborhood
in November 2003. A concrete structural system, chosen
in large part for its environmental merits, played a key role in
bringing the building to life. The design is a composite
system using precast and cast-in-place elements. Traditional reinforced
cast-in-place concrete of varying depths is tied the precast elements
by welded wire trusses that are partially embedded within both components.
One of the strongest benefits of using concrete for
the structure is its inherent thermal mass. At Genzyme
Center, much of the concrete is exposed, providing a passive heating/
cooling benefit that helps reduce energy costs; the building is
projected to consume 38% less energy than a comparable conventional
structure. The Center’s design also takes advantage of maximum
daylighting, with a large glass curtain wall façade. An indoor
atrium provides natural ventilation and an open space where gardens
mingle with structural elements, uniting modern touches with natural
beauty.
Concrete is one component in an overall commitment to sustainable
design and construction on the project. The building is part of
the transformation of a “brownfields” site where in-situ
cement-based solidifaction/stabilization
(S/S) was used to remediate the contaminated soil. Employee-friendly
features including operable windows and natural lighting will reduce
energy costs. Additionally, 75% of all construction material contains
recycled content.
Genzyme received Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building
Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
program. Genzyme Center is one of the first commercial office buildings
to achieve the platinum certification, setting the bar for future
large-scale projects.
Read more on the S/S
treatment of the site.
Photo Courtesy: Behnish, Behnish & Partner |
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| Owner:
Genzyme Corporation
& Lyme Properties
Architect :
Behnisch, Behnisch
& Partner
Executive Architect:
House & Robertson
Structural Engineer:
Buro Happold
General Contractor:
Turner Construction
Company
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