South Station Tower

Infobox Skyscraper
building_name=South Station Tower


use=Hotel, Office, Residentialcite web|url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6052|title=South Station Tower|accessdate=2007-12-27|publisher=SkyscraperPage.com]
status= Approved
location=Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
roof=621 ft (189 m)cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=southstationtower-boston-ma-usa|title=South Station Tower|accessdate=2007-12-27|publisher=Emporis.com]
floor_count=41
groundbreaking=2008
est_completion=2010
architect=César Pelli
developer=Hines Interests LP|

South Station Tower is a skyscraper approved [cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2006/06/city_approves_4.html|title=City approves 40-story South Station tower|date=2006-06-28|accessdate=2008-01-03|publisher=The Boston Globe] for construction in Boston, Massachusetts. The tower is planned to rise 621 feet (189 m), with 41 floors, and will consist of a hotel, condominium units, office space, and a parking structure. It is planned to be built atop Boston's historic South Station complex. The property is being developed by Hines Interests and TUDC, a subsidiary of Tufts University. South Station Tower, which has been referred to as "an example of "transit-oriented development on steroids", [cite web|first=Thomas C.|last=Palmer|url=http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/articles/2006/06/29/south_stations_mega_makeover/|title=South Station's mega-makeover|date=2006-06-29|publisher=The Boston Globe|accessdate=2007-12-27] is planned to be completed by 2010, with its groundbreaking scheduled to occur sometime in 2008. Approval has been obtained for a project totalling convert|2190000|sqft|m2. [ [http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/DevelopmentProjects/devprojects.asp?action=ViewProject&ProjectID=72 Boston Redevelopment Authority project listing] ]

History

Development of the airspace above the southbound tracks has been delayed several times. The building was conceived by Tufts president Jean Mayer, who foresaw an "epicenter of high-profile medical research" in downtown Boston. In 1991, Tufts created a for-profit development subsidiary, TUDC LLC, and acquired the rights to build in the airspace. Development over the past decade has been complicated by Boston waterfront zoning restrictions, which require pedestrian access to the waterfront. In 1997, TUDC brought on Hines Interests LP as a development partner. Despite Mayer's intentions, it appears unlikely that the university will have a permanent presence in the finished building. [cite web|last=Schmidt|first=Kat|url=http://www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2007/03/16/news/2007/03/16/News/LongAwaited.South.Station.Tower.Project.Progresses-2778184.shtml|title=Long-awaited South Station tower project progresses|date=2007-03-16|publisher=The Tufts Daily|accessdate=2007-12-27]

South Station Tower was originally designed with a height of 759 feet (231 m), which included a decorative spire. However, the project was downscaled in 2006.

Design

The building is being designed by architect Cesar Pelli, whose preliminary design are reminiscent of his Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis. The structure has been LEED pre-certified "silver" and won the EPA's "Green design" award. [cite web|url=http://www.hines.com/property/detail.aspx?id=144|title=South Station, Boston, MA|accessdate=2007-12-27|publisher=Hines Interests Limited Partnership] [ [http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/05/12/daily43.html South Station Tower earns EPA green design award - Boston Business Journal: ] ]

References

ee also

*List of tallest buildings in Boston