Completed in April 2007, the Macallen Building Condominiums are an integral part of the urban revitalization in South Boston, occupying a transitional site between highway off-ramps, an old residential neighborhood and an industrial zone. The 350,000- square-foot (32,515-m2), 14-story building, including three levels of parking, is the first LEED Gold residential building in Boston.
Macallen includes 140 condominium units, ranging in size from studios to three-bedroom layouts, with options for duplexes and triplexes. Macallen offers residents an exercise facility, swimming pool, film room, hybrid community car, easy access to public transportation, bike paths and recreational facilities along with retail vendors on the ground floor.
The western end of the building becomes a part of the Boston skyline by rising to the maximum allowable height, yielding panoramic views of the city. The eastern end slopes down to an intimate scale, mirroring traditional South Boston storefronts and brickwork. The northern and southern façades feature approximately 60,000 square feet (5,574 m2) of 0.16-inch (4-mm) Reynobond ACM with a PE core in a custom dark-bronze color by Alcoa Architectural Products, Eastman, Ga., that reflect the industrial neighborhood while expressing the structural system within the building. Condominiums are stacked together like colossal masonry units, creating a random mosaic within the logic of the staggered truss, providing maximum diversity of lifestyles and living arrangements. The building also features a custom CW-250 curtainwall system by Oldcastle Glass Vistawall, Santa Monica, Calif., which included 26,700 square feet (2,480 m2) of the window glazing system and 21,700 square feet (2,016 m2) of the vertical accent mullion glazing system.
Innovative sustainable design strategies used throughout include extensive use of recycled and rapidly renewing materials in construction, as well as recycling 75 percent of construction debris, diverting it from landfills. Each unit has fresh air ducted independently, significantly improving air quality, and a sloped green roof that aids in energy conservation, providing insulation and allowing rainwater to be collected, stored and treated. These strategies will aid in saving more than 600,000 gallons (2,280,000 L) of water annually while consuming 30 percent less electricity than a conventional building.
A sloped, sedum vegetated green roof uses recycled materials and fabricated systems to control stormwater drainage, filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air, reduce heating and cooling loads, reduce the building’s urban heat-island effect and provide an ecosystem for wildlife. A 20,000-square-foot (1,858 m2) outdoor terrace provides similar benefits.
Macallen Building Condominiums, Boston
Award: 2008 AIA Housing Award for Multifamily Residences and 2008 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Project Award
Property owner: Pappas Enterprises Inc., Boston
Design architect: Office dA Inc., Boston
Architect of record: Burt Hill Inc., Boston
Landscape architect: Landworks Studio, Boston
General contractor: Bovis Lend Lease, Boston
Structural Engineer: Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger, Boston
Skylights: OpenAire Inc., Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Curtainwall: Oldcastle Glass Vistawall, Santa Monica, Calif.
Glazing: Viracon, Owatonna, Minn.
Coatings: PPG Industries, Pittsburgh
