Client

Overview

Transformed into a dynamic office 525,000-gsf environment known as “the Well,” the existing building at 705 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown, MA, was converted from single-tenant office to multi-tenant lab/office use by Elkus Manfredi Architects. New Class-A amenities include a work lounge with barista bar, full-service dining, a conference center, and a state-of-the-art gym. The new entry plaza, outdoor areas, and three-story lobby showcase dramatic art murals commissioned by art consultant Emily Santangelo that establish the building’s identity and creates new gathering spaces.

The original building was a six-story 1930s Art Deco design clad in buff-colored brick with dark bronze windows. Elkus Manfredi designed a new addition with new loading capabilities and a new central plant. The addition’s high-performance exterior walls are clad in a buff-colored brick that complement the historic building, while large windows and a mechanical penthouse clad in grey metal panels and louvers distinguish the modern addition from the existing structure. The conversion of the existing building from office to research laboratory was achieved through comprehensive infrastructure improvements that provide the necessary fresh air, lab exhaust, water, and power to support multi-tenant occupancy.

Goals

Elkus Manfredi worked closely with art consultant Emily Santangelo to integrate artwork into the repositioning of 705 Mt. Auburn. The decision to include a major art component in the project expresses its mission of cross-pollination among all disciplines with a suite of dynamic and conceptually integrated paintings. Artist Kysa Johnson’s site-specific interior and exterior murals serve as a monumental ode to the interconnectedness of all systems and our place in the universe’s web. Drawing on a visual language rooted in science, the artist designed three murals that address the diversity and interconnectivity of life at large scale, and speak to the fundamental purpose of the building – inspiring innovation through the cross-pollination among disciplines, individuals, and communities. Each mural is inspired by a different system within the network fostering life on earth – space, plants, and sea grass – and demonstrates the continuity between the microscopic and macroscopic scales of existence, and connections to technology, innovation, and life sciences. Johnson’s murals are visible from the Well’s interior common spaces and exterior campus, inspiring attendees with their beauty while drawing connections between innovation and the solving of today’s scientific obstacles.