VC Designs New BXP Office

Submitted by Visnick & Caulfield

Boston – Boston Properties (BXP) recently employed Visnick & Caulfield (VC) to design a new and modern space in its Boston office for its technology team and pay homage to BXP’s roots in the city.

As one of the largest owners, managers and developers of Class A office properties in the United States, Boston Properties was founded in 1970 and has since expanded to New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Opting for a sleek and transitional space, the new IT office features a predominantly open plan, with a handful of strategically placed glass privacy and meeting rooms, enabling multiple ways to work and collaborate. To create additional privacy but continue to allow light to flow throughout the space, VC looked to add distraction banding. At the suggestion of James Whalen, Boston Properties’ CIO/CTO, VC investigated how to incorporate various map images of Boston into the banding’s graphics.

The topography of Boston has an interesting history. The harbor was once much larger and has over time accommodated the city’s growth through landfill projects. Back Bay, the neighborhood BXP calls home, did not exist until it was filled in during the mid to late 1800s. Much of the land used to create what we know as Boston Harbor today came from areas like Beacon Hill, which was once 60 feet higher than it is now. The parallels between Boston’s topographical evolution and Boston Properties’ role in the city’s development made this a natural pairing, as both are integral parts of the city’s fabric.

One challenge the project’s story faced was that the graphic sources, topographical maps, did not effectively translate into distraction banding. To portray the harbor would have meant a fair amount of blank space would be included in the graphic design to illustrate the surrounding water. If a large section of the banding was left clear, the distraction banding would not fulfill its purpose. To rectify the inconsistencies in Boston’s shores, it was determined that a stylized approach should be taken.

Boston’s topography was digitally manipulated and generalized to create a pattern which would fill the banding. The organically shaped groupings that resulted from this design choice created a dynamic contrast with an otherwise linear space. The placement of the distraction banding has the added effect of making it look like the graphics are applied to conference room and office walls when viewed from across the space, multiplying the graphic’s visual impact. The Herman Miller chairs placed around the office reiterate the curves of the topographical design and provide pops of colors to break up the neutral color palette.

Furniture brings color not only to the offices but to the pantry as well. Blue chairs line either side of the central island. This blue color references the BXP logos on the glass panels of the entrance and ties the space together. With a central gathering area in lieu of a formal reception area, visitors feel immediately welcomed into the space. The hospitality is enhanced by the keen selection of finishes which hint toward a residential style with the two-toned cabinets, herringbone backsplash, and light-wood flooring. The design of the new IT space brings the feeling of home to a corporate interior, further embracing Boston as BXP’s “home”-town. As a fellow Back Bay-based company, VC is proud to be a part of the Boston Properties story by helping create a collaborative and next-generation work environment for its technology team.

Design/Build team for BPX Boston Office

General contractor:  JDL Corporate Interiors, Inc.

Furniture vendor: Creative Office Pavilion

Engineer:  WB Engineers+Consultants

Lighting:  illuminate