Boston, MA According to MP Boston, the local arm of the internationally recognized developer Millennium Partners, leading global investment firm Cambridge Associates will move its global headquarters to Winthrop Center in spring 2023. Cambridge Associates’ employees will occupy 115,000 s/f of the 691-foot, mixed-use tower, where the office portion will contribute significantly to the city’s ambitious long-term carbon reduction goals by being built to rigorous Passive House design standards. The property was designed by Handel Architects.
Winthrop Center will deliver 812,000 s/f of global class A office space and 510,000 s/f of residential space, including 321 luxury residences to the center of the city.
Winthrop Center is on track to become the world’s largest office building to seek Passive House certification. As a result, Winthrop Center will use 150% less energy than the average office building in the city, and 60% less energy than existing LEED Platinum buildings. Incorporating a well-insulated building facade, air-tight exterior envelope, and advanced energy recovery ventilation system, the Passive House office building eliminates heating and cooling inefficiencies and represents a major step forward in addressing climate change through the built environment.
The office space models the most energy-efficient solution for large-scale buildings and is well-positioned to exceed the requirements of the city’s recently passed building performance standard, BERDO 2.0. Winthrop Center’s office space also provides a healthier and more comfortable environment for occupants, boosting productivity and a sense of well-being in employees by delivering 30 to 50% more fresh air than existing office buildings.
The development takes Passive House to new heights, artfully assembling complex and diverse functions within a legacy building. Winthrop Center was conceptualized in 2017 by MP Boston as an inspirational workplace environment that would set a new global standard for building performance and energy conservation. The MP Boston team sought out experts at the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany, where their proposal was met with skepticism – this was the first time a developer sought to apply the Passive House approach to a building of this size, scale, and type.
With perseverance, determination and many return trips to Darmstadt, MP Boston persuaded the Passive House Institute that their ambitious goal could be accomplished.
“Since Winthrop Center’s inception, it was important for us to find partners, like Cambridge Associates, who support our goal of delivering a healthy, energy efficient building that provides a solution to climate change,” said Millennium Partners founder Christopher Jeffries. “The city of Boston is planting the seed for climate change mitigation in the U.S. and Winthrop Center is leading the way. We hope this project drives further awareness of the world’s most pressing issues and inspires the larger development community to reimagine the way buildings are designed and constructed.”
For nearly 20 years, Cambridge Associates has employed a broad range of sustainable, impactful investment strategies to profitably finance long-term, market-driven solutions to environmental and social challenges. In partnership with industry peers, the firm recently started the Net Zero Investment Consultants Initiative, committed to integrating advice on cutting emissions into investment strategies and setting emissions-reduction targets across their own operations. Cambridge Associates has set a goal of helping clients target a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2030. The firm also received carbon neutral accreditation and certification to PAS 2060 specifications earlier this year. Winthrop Center reflects the firm’s values and mission through its Passive House design, which as a building standard, offers a path to a low-carbon future.
“One of the most important considerations for us as we selected Winthrop Center was the property’s bold commitment to sustainability,” said David Druley, CEO, Cambridge Associates. “While our work in sustainable and impact investing is valued by a large portion of our clients, it is essential that our commitment to sustainability shows up beyond investment portfolios and within the walls of our firm as well. We will be able to meet our own significant commitments to sustainability and carbon reduction thanks to Winthrop Center’s approach to responsible, resourceful and renewable office space.”
Through a partnership with MIT professors led by John Fernandez, director of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, the project will meet increased demands by employers and employees for healthful, energy efficient buildings that deliver improved air quality, flexibility and comfort, and spaces that foster collaboration and creativity. Not only does Winthrop Center create a healthy indoor air quality and constant supply of fresh air with Passive House design, but it also boosts social health with a distinctive, inclusive space on the ground floor called “The Connector,” where office workers, residents, and the public at large can interact and enjoy cultural programming. Providing greater access to natural light and the outdoors, along with amenities designed to help office workers decompress and avoid digital overload, Winthrop Center delivers psychological and physiological benefits to today’s workforce. In addition to the air quality it improves, the energy consumption it reduces, and the social and environmental improvements it issues, the building will create a striking new visual pinnacle in the heart of Boston and on the city skyline.
