Extell Development, Equity Residential and Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc. celebrated the topping out of 303 Third St.; one of the largest residential construction projects underway in Cambridge. This 841,000 s/f, $165 million facility includes dual 8 story residential towers and 220,000 s/f of underground parking. The North Building will be comprised of rental units, and the South Building will be made up of condominiums.
The topping out ceremony occurred in the future courtyard of the project, which is located at the corner of Munroe St. and Third St. in Kendall Sq. Over 300 people attended the festivities, which included the raising of two beams, one for each building being constructed on the site.
Henry Terech, senior vice president of Extell Financial Services, and Joseph Farrell III, senior vice president and principal-in-charge of Bovis Lend Lease, spoke at the ceremony.
The project architect is Cetra/Rudy of New York, and the structural steel engineer is McNamara/Salvia of Boston. Isaacson Structural Steel fabricated all of the steel used on site, and JF Stearns has erected the 8,000 pieces of steel necessary for the project.
303 Third St. is the second collaboration between Extell and Bovis in the greater Boston area, with the first collaboration, the InterContinental Hotel and Residences, finishing early last summer. Extell is joined in the new building venture at 303 Third St. by Equity Residential, with whom it has partnered numerous times.
The development team has also partnered with University Residential Communities (URC), a multi-generational community of professionals with an affinity for university life. URC will occupy 168 units in the finished buildings, with the design of the units tailored to help owners age gracefully in the comfort of a community of neighbors with shared interests.
The construction of the dual eight story buildings and below-grade parking area has taken much coordination by Bovis Lend Lease. The complexity of the façade has been a unique challenge, with 8 primary finish materials being applied, including Alluco bond, brick, terracotta, stucco, punched windows, profile metal and glass curtain wall. The 200,000 s/f of pre-fabricated panelized façade was manufactured by Eastern Exterior Wall Systems.