Innovation Square in Boston Marine Industrial Park

Boston, MA
Key Elements
  • Waterfront development 
  • City of Boston permitting 
  • LEED Silver and LEED Gold 

The Seaport neighborhood continues to experience growth, with more than 2,500+ residential units and almost 1,500 businesses. Innovation Square adds 360,00 square feet of lab and biotech space within two buildings in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park on the South Boston Waterfront. Phase 1 of the project featured a four-story, 125,000-square-foot LEED-designed lab space for incubator and biotech companies, while Phase 2 featured a four-story 235,000-square-foot life science building. The project features waterfront open green space, a courtyard garden, ground-floor retail space, onsite parking for 252 cars, electric vehicle charging stations, bike storage, and an on-site MBTA Silver Line stop. 

Nitsch provided civil and transportation engineering services for the four-acre development. We collaborated with the design team on the master plan and then advance site utility, layout, and grading plans from schematic design through construction documents. This included site design, parking lot and driveway design, drainage design, and erosion and sediment control. The design meets the City of Boston’s resilience requirements, with the building elevated above the 100-year flood line and strategic flood barriers. 

We assisted with permitting and coordination with the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Conservation Commission, Public Improvement Commission, the Transportation Access Plan Agreement for the Boston Transportation Department, Boston Planning and Development Agency, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Boston, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.  

Phase 1 of the project achieved LEED Silver certification, and Phase 2 achieved LEED Gold certification.

Key Collaborators

Owner: Related Beal 
Architect: HDR 
Contractor: Consigli Construction