Boston, MA – CBT Architects and Equity Office Properties took home multiple honors in
the New England Chapter of the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) fourth annual Interior
Design Awards, including the Best in Show award for its renovation and repositioning of the lobby at OnePost Office Square in Boston. The 41-story Class A office tower also received first place in the OfficeUnder 30,000 SF category, and CBT and Equity Office Properties placed first in the Hospitality categoryfor its work at Equinox Fitness in Boston’s 225 Franklin Street.
Located on Post Office Square, the building is a signature 830,000 SF office tower updated with an
elegant new lobby, entrance, and enhanced façade at street level. CBT worked as partners with the
building owner, Equity Office Properties, to reposition the building and to transform the address into a
prominent Class A property. The strategy was aimed at decreasing vacancy, improving the building’s
perception and transforming the existing building into a higher value position for the market. The new
lobby brings a fresh, light and aesthetically clean direction to the building.
The IIDA New England Interior Design Awards showcase not only the design of the projects, but it
also recognizes the collaborative efforts of the entire project team. “A high degree of coordination and
attention to detail by the design team, construction team, stone fabricator and stone layer was required
to properly execute the lobby feature wall that depicts the Apennines Mountains,” said Robert A. Brown,
AIA, IIDA, LEED AP principal of CBT. “Using a computer, digital photos of each marble slab were
arranged and placement was agreed upon by the designers as they attempted to recreate the unique
experience in the quarry. Instructions were given for size and placement of each piece and the entire wall
was laid out flat on the ground for review prior to shipment and installation. The result is the satisfying
vision of valleys and ridges climbing through the clouds across the wall.”
“In this challenging economy we decided dramatic alterations were a necessity to maintain the One
Post Office Square elite status in the city. The opportunity was ideal to transform an underperforming
asset into a prized property,” said Andrew Maher, Managing Director of Equity Office Properties. “The
repositioning has proved to be highly successful and creatively reinventing the building has distinguished
it from the surrounding competition. As a result of the upgrades and physical changes at One Post Office
Square, we were able to retain the property’s flagship tenants: Putnam Investments and Sullivan &
Worcester LLP.”
The transformation of the lobby begins with a three-story Pilkington structural glass wall, framing the
perimeter of the building. The original lobby, set back from the façade with a dark arcade, was increased
by 30% in size by extending a glass enclosure beyond the building’s exterior. The lobby is composed of
a quiet white-on-white palette which forms the background for the seasonal color of Post Office Square to
vibrantly enliven the space. The elevator lobbies were redesigned with a rich, dark fumed oak with white
glass and stainless accent details. Floor plates, which serve a bank of 17 elevators, are 12,000 to 25,000
square feet and offer sweeping views of the Charles River, Boston Harbor and Boston skyline. The
building, which connects to the Langham Hotel, is home to Putnam Investments, Sullivan & Worcester
LLP, Acadian Asset Management, Jones Lang LaSalle and Lahive & Cockfield. The leasing agent is
Jones Lang LaSalle.
Equinox Fitness is located at 225 Franklin Street in the heart of Boston’s financial district to cater to
the surrounding business professionals. The space was formerly used as a bank; in fact the existing
basement vault of building was used for the locker rooms and inspired the design of the entire fitness
club. The 32,000-square-foot facility houses guest services including strength floors and cardio spaces,
a group fitness studio, pilates studio, boxing studio, yoga studio, cycling studio, men’s and women’s
locker rooms, a full-service spa, café and juice bar, and a retail shop. This was a highly collaborative
design-build turnkey project by the landlord that required almost 24-hour construction to meet the tight
four-month construction schedule. The club’s ownership and in-house fitness team, CBT and S3 Design
worked diligently to create the look desired for this flagship club.