Cambridge, MA DivcoWest, joined by construction partners John Moriarty and Associates and Consigli Construction, celebrated the topping off of two major parcels, 350 Water St. and 450 Water St., in Cambridge Crossing (CX), the new 45-acre neighborhood under construction at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. The new buildings will be home to global biopharmaceutical leader Sanofi and will be the company’s U.S. research headquarters with a consolidated workforce of nearly 3,000 employees.

“The topping off milestones of these two buildings are a huge achievement at Cambridge Crossing and are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. These milestones signify tremendous progress at the site during what has been an unprecedented year,” said Mark Roopenian, managing director at DivcoWest. “Now more than ever, we are committed to our goal of creating an interconnected ecosystem at CX in which innovative leaders in science and technology, like Sanofi, can create cutting-edge solutions to major healthcare issues impacting the world. This is a tremendous way to cap off 2020 and we are grateful to all the men and women on the site who’ve helped get us here.”

Designed by Perkins & Will, 350 Water St. will be a 501,000 s/f lab building and 450 Water St. will be a 405,000 s/f contemporary office building, designed by NBBJ. The buildings are designed with a focus on sustainability and will incorporate architectural elements and infrastructure that minimizes their impact on the environment such as solar shading fins to reduce heat gain and energy usage and a highly efficient chilled beam system. LEED Gold certifications are being sought at both buildings as well as Wired Score and WELL certifications.

Currently, there are as many as 350 workers every day across Sanofi’s two sites, using over 13,000 tons of structural steel combined. In September 2019, CX made history with its concrete pour at 350 Water Street – it was the largest continuous pour ever completed in the greater Boston region and included more than 800 truck loads of concrete.

THere is 1.7 million s/f of commercial space leased and preleased at CX. In addition to Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb has signed a lease for 360,000 s/f at 250 Water St. joining Philips North America and Cerevel Therapeutics, which currently occupy 435,000 s/f at 222 Jacobs St. CX’s first residential building broke ground in early 2020 and its first retail building, The Shed, recently opened with Chef Will Gilson’s restaurants The Lexington and Café Beatrice.

With close proximity to Kendall Sq., MIT and Harvard, the life science community at CX is a thoughtfully designed, vibrant neighborhood that inspires collaboration, innovation and connection. Once complete, the community will provide a one-of-a-kind place for employees, residents and neighbors connected to two MBTA stations and surrounded by 11 acres of open space, an eclectic food scene, neighborhood retail, and more than 2,400 residences in addition to the already 2,500 residences in close proximity.