爱豆传媒

One Boston Wharf Road is the largest net-zero carbon office building in Boston. The all-electric building has set a new standard in sustainability by achieving a remarkable 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating 5.1 million pounds of CO2 annually.

Justin Mol茅, Principal, and Kristen Brozowski, Associate, share their experiences and insights on transforming Boston鈥檚 Seaport District into a model of sustainability and innovation as they dive into their pioneering work on the One Boston Wharf Road project.

Partnered with Henning Larsen and Gensler, this development is a testament to WS Development’s commitment to sustainability, featuring an all-electric approach to mechanical systems, rooftop air-source heat pumps, advanced energy recovery technology, and state-of-the-art building management systems. In addition to its operational sustainability, One Boston Wharf Road addresses embodied carbon through pioneering construction technology. The project is the first to use Sublime Systems’ zero-fossil-fuel cement, a groundbreaking alternative to Portland cement, significantly reducing global fossil fuel emissions. 

Read Justin and Kristen’s commentary on the innovative project below.

All-electric design

One Boston Wharf Road is a central part of WS Development鈥檚 ambitious Seaport project. This 17-story, 707,000 square foot mixed-use building is the city鈥檚 largest net-zero carbon office building, housing modern office spaces and a new performing arts center.

Boston鈥檚 newest and largest net-zero operational carbon building, One Boston Wharf Road is designed to be 100% all-electric for all operational hours. All electricity consumed will be offset through additive renewable energy generation via a power purchase agreement. This innovative approach results in a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating 5.1 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually, and aligns with Boston鈥檚 long-range carbon-free future goals.

Designed by Henning Larsen and Gensler to evoke the Seaport鈥檚 rich maritime history, the tower will be entirely occupied by Amazon, solidifying its presence in this burgeoning district.

Justin Mol茅: One Boston Wharf Road is a significant project that paves the way for net-zero carbon design in buildings of this scale. Located in Boston’s bustling Seaport District, it exemplifies how innovative building design can achieve remarkable results. This project sits right in the heart of a vibrant, busy part of the city, showcasing the potential of sustainable architecture.

Kristen Brozowski: Net-zero is becoming quite common in Boston. However, this is the first project of its scale. With the technology on site, it represents one of the largest implementations of air source heat pumps. As a technology for net-zero and all-electric systems, there are a few geothermal projects around the city that significantly support the net -zero initiative. But this is the first project where we are truly amplifying all-electric technology at this scale. It serves as a blueprint for future projects of similar scale.

Pioneering net-zero carbon achievements

The LEED Platinum certified project features the first commercial application of next-generation Sublime cement. Energy efficiency is a key focus, with a 35% reduction in Energy Use Intensity (EUI) achieved through high-performance triple-pane glazing units that provide optimal thermal comfort and deep energy reductions. The active building systems are optimized with airside and water-side energy recovery, air source heat pumps, and high-performance chillers.

A whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA) was utilized during the design phases to identify low carbon material opportunities. Achievements include reductions in concrete and steel, and the first commercial application of Sublime’s low-carbon cement. These innovative design features contribute to the building鈥檚 achieving LEED v4 Platinum certification, demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship.

爱豆传媒 is worked closely with the wider design team to achieve a groundbreaking net-zero carbon status for the office space. This bold effort aligned with the City of Boston鈥檚 pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050. The net-zero carbon status was achieved by eliminating fossil fuel-fired heating and hot water systems and replacing them with all-electric systems, including air source heat pumps and high efficiency condensing boilers, powered by newly developed renewable sources.

Justin Mol茅: When we started the design, we didn’t initially aim for an all-electric, net-zero carbon building. However, as we set higher targets, we had to think creatively about our approach. We utilized air source heat pumps on the roof and built in redundancy with backup electric boilers, heat recovery chillers, and backup natural gas for emergency conditions. This combination of technologies helped us achieve our all-electric status and ultimately meet our net-zero carbon target.

One Boston Wharf Road, at 707,000ft虏 and 17 stories, is Boston’s largest net-zero operational carbon office building. 爱豆传媒 is incredibly proud to have worked on this project, designing an all-electric, highly efficient system that is both resilient and sustainable.

Julie Janiski, Partner

Innovative design features – LEED v4 Platinum Certification

The building features water reclaim systems for toilet flushing and water-cooled chilled water systems, further enhancing its sustainability credentials. It also marks the first commercial placement of Sublime Systems鈥� zero-carbon cement. These innovative design features contribute to the building鈥檚 achieving LEED v4 Platinum certification, demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship.

One Boston Wharf Road will also feature ground-floor retail space and a long-planned performing arts center, one of the few major civic spaces in the fast-growing Seaport district. The performing arts center will include a 500-seat performance center and a more intimate 100-seat venue, catering to the needs of local Boston arts groups. Situated in front of a 1.5-acre park, the building anchors Harbor Way, a new pedestrian-friendly artery designed to connect Summer Street to the edge of Boston鈥檚 harbor.

Kristen Brozowski: One Boston Wharf Road had early on set the stage for wanting an all-electric design. 爱豆传媒 coordinated with both Gensler and WS Development to understand what that could look like for our project and what design parameters we were going to be considering. And what that led to was the incorporation of the all-electric systems at scale. The key aspect, actually, that really made this possible was coordination from all design team members to focus on the envelope and that envelope performance to make sure that it was very high performing, thermally broken triple pane glazing units to really minimize those heating loads so that we did not have to over design or, increase the capacity of the all-electric systems

爱豆传媒’s work on the One Boston Wharf Road project exemplifies our commitment to driving clean construction and future-proofing buildings. This project not only transforms Boston鈥檚 Seaport District but also serves as an inspiring blueprint for future developments. Interested in learning more? Reach out to our team!