Nauset Construction completes $1.5 million "sky decks" at Watermark Kendall West: rooftop decks designed by CBT Architects

Nauset Construction completed construction for two new rooftop terraces located on the second and 21st floors of the Watermark Kendall West mixed-use community in the heart of Kendall Sq. The second floor terrace is constructed of an energy-efficient roofing membrane designed to resist ultraviolet, ozone and chemical exposure. Brazilian hardwood and concrete pavers were constructed above the membrane to provide seating and meeting space along with newly constructed badminton and bocce courts. The 21st floor rooftop terrace offers views of Cambridge, the Charles River, and downtown Boston. The 3,000 s/f terrace features Brazilian hardwood decking, concrete pavers, seating and meeting space, custom-fabricated planters, living walls, drought-tolerant grasses and plantings. The project's scope of work also included the renovation of four apartment units on the 20th floor involving the removal of the ceilings to install a steel support system to hold the added weight of the roof top terrace, as well as the reconfiguration of the drainage systems to accommodate the new ecosystem above. Designed by CBT Architects, the newly renovated rooftop terraces are consistent with the green initiatives so valued by owner Residential Tower Apartment Unit, LLC at this LEED Gold certified 321-unit apartment complex. Project challenges included minimizing disruption to residents in this fully occupied urban mixed-use complex and coordinating the transportation of the landscape construction materials to the building's rooftops. "Whenever you're working in an occupied building, particularly a residential or medical community that is occupied 24-7, there are going to be special considerations that require enhanced safety procedures and noise reduction, and this is accomplished with a high level of coordination between all parties," said Anthony Papantonis, president of Nauset. "Our experience working in occupied settings again served us well in completing this project." Another challenge involved the transportation of materials - including dozens of yards of loam and other landscape construction materials - that were transported to the roof via a crane in the middle of a weekend night.