The five-year planning project for the redevelopment of Kendall Square involved adding up to 1.1 million square feet of lab, academic, office, and retail buildings surrounding the Kendall Square Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station at the end of the MIT campus’ Infinite Corridor.
Nitsch provided planning-level consultations, analyzed preliminary utility demands, and designed schematic infrastructure upgrades and recommendations. The final plan, which was submitted to the Cambridge Planning Board for review, included six new buildings for research and development, housing, and retail/office space, as well as approximately three acres of open space.
After the City of Cambridge approved the plan, Nitsch provided utility design for the site enabling project for the buildings south of Main Street (a project known as SoMa). We designed the water, sewer, and drainage systems, and coordinated the routing for other utilities including chilled water, steam, power, and telecom. As part of the sanitary design, Nitsch performed a capacity/flow study of the Kendall Square area and designed a municipal lift station. We were the liaison to the City for the utility design and performed resident engineering for the enabling project.
Key Collaborators
Owner: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Investment Management Company
Architect: Perkins & Will
Landscape Architect: Hargreaves Jones
General Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Cost Consultant: Vermeulens
