The city's newest office building recently opened to employees. The building is the first to be built at CitySquare, the 20-acre development that will revitalize downtown. The class A office facility will be occupied by 700 employees of a leading insurer, Unum.
Arrowstreet's master plan for CitySquare, one of the largest public/private development projects in the state outside of Boston, reconnects the city street network lost since the 1960s. The new building's address, One Mercantile Place, reflects the new roadway adjacent to the building, which ceremoniously opened on New Year's Eve. Future plans for the mixed-use neighborhood include options for housing, streetside retail, additional offices, a hotel, and parking.
The office building is the catalyst for the redevelopment project, originally conceived nearly 10 years ago when lieutenant governor Murray (then mayor of Worcester) partnered with Berkeley Investments to reimagine the downtown and former Galleria.
The building was developed in partnership by Leggat McCall and Hanover Insurance, and was purchased in December by Benderson Development Co. of Florida. Arrowstreet is the architect for the building and master planner for the CitySquare development.
Sustainability was a key design driver for Arrowstreet, as well as the development team and Unum. The building is registered for LEED through the US Green Building Council and is anticipated to receive silver level certification. The primary building materials, precast and steel, are mostly comprised of recycled materials. By making use of a previously developed, underutilized site, the design team was able to repurpose existing loading and parking infrastructure. Materials from the demolition of the old outlet center were crushed on site and used for fill. The office building is in close proximity to both rail and buses, and has on-site bike facilities. Energy-efficient mechanical systems complete this high performance, sustainable building.
Arrowstreet is a multidisciplinary architecture, design, and planning firm based in Somerville, Mass.