WS Development leases 580,000 s/f to Foundation Medicine at 400 Summer St. in Seaport

Boston, MA In one of the largest life sciences lease in the city since 2011, WS Development has leased 580,000 s/f of laboratory and office space to Foundation Medicine at 400 Summer St., part of the company’s 23-acre Seaport development.

“We are honored that Foundation Medicine has chosen 400 Summer St. for their headquarters. Boston’s Seaport has come to serve as the city’s hub for forward-thinking employers, residents, and retailers, and now as a global hub of the life sciences sector. No company better represents the power of innovation than Foundation Medicine and we are proud to welcome them to our neighborhood,” said Jeremy Sclar, president of WS Development.

400 Summer St. is a 16-story laboratory building designed by Morris Adjmi Architects of New York City in collaboration with the local office of Stantec. The 625,000 s/f building once completed will also host 30,000 s/f of neighborhood retail uses. Foundation Medicine will occupy all of the laboratory and office space in the building.

The project will also involve the construction of a grand public stair connecting Summer and Congress Sts. designed by James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architect behind New York’s High Line. This major public space will provide direct pedestrian and bicycle connectivity from the Summer St. bridge directly to Boston Harbor as the southern gateway to Harbor Way, the 1/3 mile linear park being constructed by WS Development as part of the Seaport project.

WS Development expects the project to start construction later this year and be occupied by 2023.

The development of 400 Summer St. will also result in funding $5 million dedicated to the creation of affordable housing in the city, as well as $1 million in funding for job training in the city.