Assembly Innovation Park | 5 Middlesex Ave | Somerville

Assembly Innovation Park | Life Science Development

AssemblyInnovationPark_Brochure2021.pdf

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Isn't this a lab building? Can't really go much taller.

DZH22 said:
It's 225' high, but a whopping 318' wide. So basically another massive wall. I feel like I'm screaming into the void at this point. Personally, I don't think we should ever build another building wider than it is tall in Boston, Cambridge, or Somerville.
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Czervik.Construction said:
Isn't this a lab building? Can't really go much taller.
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Blackfan went almost 350' in 2008 and the Ames Street one in Cambridge is about 280' from 2013. They could absolutely go taller, and nobody put a gun to their heads and said it has to be one single building that's as wide as a football field!
 
I am with you, more Blackfans are needed, but you bring up the tallest lab building in the city.

The Ames example at 280' is actually only a few floors (assuming 15' per floor) taller than this one. Developer might think this area is still a little speculative (lol) and went wider vs taller.

DZH22 said:
Blackfan went almost 350' in 2008 and the Ames Street one in Cambridge is about 280' from 2013. They could absolutely go taller, and nobody put a gun to their heads and said it has to be one single building that's as wide as a football field!
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DZH22 said:
Well it looks like the tallest is only about 250', so they're leaving half of their potential on the table in that respect.
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Yes, in respect of airspace there's a shortfall. But there are other respects (and I'll recap them here, though we have a "why aren't they taller thread)
- Firefighting and public safety, where ladder trucks reach about 120' max.
- Elevator cost, space wasted on vertical shafts (Or more rope and higher speed and more operating costs)
- Utility piping cost, space wasted on vertical shafts and lifting water.
- Streetwall: you can activate more street with more-but-shorter buildings (ask Paris)
- Tenant preference: Nobody likes long elevator waits nor long elevator rides.
 
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Countless millions to build all this and I still had to walk through glass and trash in the depressing Kensington underpass today. Has no one ever heard of public private partnership.
 
Ruairi said:
Countless millions to build all this and I still had to walk through glass and trash in the depressing Kensington underpass today. Has no one ever heard of public private partnership.
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They have - the Kensington underpass is being handled in partnership with the 74M developer.
 
The private side probably isn't catering to walk-ins. They're only trying to impress people who come in on the OL or by car.
 
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