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I think Boston might be leading the nation in new tall building construction with significant office space within? (South Station Tower, Winthrop, Hub, State Street) I've been to many different cities in the last few years and it basically all seems like condos (especially Austin and LA).
 
I think Boston might be leading the nation in new tall building construction with significant office space within? (South Station Tower, Winthrop, Hub, State Street) I've been to many different cities in the last few years and it basically all seems like condos (especially Austin and LA).
New York would like a word. The JP morgan tower alone is probably more sq ft than all of Boston's tall office building projects
 
Weirdly enough I think I saw Boston led the country by a wide margin in commercial space under construction in 2023. I imagine most of that was in the form of low-midrise lab space but still I think that's pretty interesting given how conservative I imagine Boston's building culture is compared to the Sunbelt or wherever else. Would be nice if they developed nearly as much housing though
 
Weirdly enough I think I saw Boston led the country by a wide margin in commercial space under construction in 2023. I imagine most of that was in the form of low-midrise lab space but still I think that's pretty interesting given how conservative I imagine Boston's building culture is compared to the Sunbelt or wherever else. Would be nice if they developed nearly as much housing though

September 18th everything begins to change for housing.

 
P.S. These guys have nearly 700,000 sf of office space to lease, as office vacancy rates edge above 27% in the CBD, and 23% overall in Boston (per Colliers 2Q 2024 Boston office market report)... brutal.
It's been pretty well documented how the floor-plates and layout of high-rises and skyscrapers from the '50s-'90s (and beyond) make many of those buildings difficult to convert to residential on a whim, but in that a good chunk of SST is already -- and was always planned to be -- residential, might this be an instance where the developers could assess market and demand and decide, "Yeah, let's make the 10 floors just beneath the residential protion of this tower residential, as well." ?
 
It's been pretty well documented how the floor-plates and layout of high-rises and skyscrapers from the '50s-'90s (and beyond) make many of those buildings difficult to convert to residential on a whim, but in that a good chunk of SST is already -- and was always planned to be -- residential, might this be an instance where the developers could assess market and demand and decide, "Yeah, let's make the 10 floors just beneath the residential protion of this tower residential, as well." ?
Office section floor plate is probably too big -- there is a reason for the setback at the residential part of the tower. Also, all the utility issues exist in the office section (all centralized, not spread through the floor plate).
 
That'd make sense. I was thinking the girth of the office section might be a problem, but even at it's "fattest," the thin sides of SST (when you're looking dead-on from the front of South Station, and the companion other side/perspective) aren't *that* much wider than the thin sides of MT or Winthrop and those work for residential. The utility stuff, though... Yeah.

Anyway, just a thought.
 
Is there a better place for offices than directly above the busiest train station in New England? They'll find tenants.

Let's take that garage across the street that's currently proposed as a squat lab and change that to a 600'+ residential. That makes a lot more sense than trying to retrofit a brand new tower that isn't even completed.
 
I think Boston might be leading the nation in new tall building construction with significant office space within? (South Station Tower, Winthrop, Hub, State Street) I've been to many different cities in the last few years and it basically all seems like condos (especially Austin and LA).

Does this mean that most people are back to working in the office for a significant portion of the work week then???

Why build all this office space if most people work at home most of the time, right?

One of my sisters works full remote for at least 1 more year (will prolly switch companies if they refuse to renew her ability to keep working remote) and my other sister basically just goes in once a week for 30 minutes to swipe her badge.
 
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This building dominates the skyline from the south,as someone who arrived in Boston in the early 80’s I’ve watched the skyline almost double in size.To see buildings downtown taller than 100 Federal and One Financial pl is something I never thought I’d see! I hope I live long enough to see something eclipse the Hancock tower in the Back Bay 🌆

Yeah SST really adds a lot from this angle. In fact its more impactful than both MT and Winthrop combined. But all 3 really add some magnitude to the skyline being nearly 700' each.

Just a single 1000 footer would really enhance everything though.
 
Does this mean that most people are back to working in the office for a significant portion of the work week then???

Why build all this office space if most people work at home most of the time, right?

One of my sisters works full remote for at least 1 more year (will prolly switch companies if they refuse to renew her ability to keep working remote) and my other sister basically just goes in once a week for 30 minutes to swipe her badge.

No. A office space is still in demand. It's the B and C buildings that are getting ghosted. The B's and C's should be retrofitted are perhaps demolished/replaced with residential towers. It will eventually happen - - it just depends on how long people want to wait and lose money dallying.
 
All it'll take for the powers that be in Boston to will a supertall into existence will be Kendall or Union Square putting up a tower that surpasses the JHT.
 
53943955090_65917b1eeb_3k.jpg
 
Great pictures! I hate the massing on this thing. Hate! It looks like a lipstick tube that's 3/7 open. They could've easily softened the edges to reflect the beautiful structure below, and give it a sense of congruity (since it can't be taller). I'm glad something was built, but it's a letdown in my opinion, especially given it's been on the books for roughly 3 decades. Edit/add - From certain angles this has a Pan Am Building vibe, and that's good, but that's not what was intended here.
 
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