South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

Re: South Station Tower

The foundation work for this is already finished, so once "work" starts it'll all be vertical. This should rise like Avalon North Station or The Merano, which were also built on existing footings.

I am not very involved with this project but I do know there is more foundation work than what is already in place. It is my understanding there will be approximately 12 months of enabling, excavation, and foundation work ahead of tower erection.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Given the lack of major tenants moving to boston (about 3-4 maybe on the horizon), i do not see the demand to fill every new major development. If i was dictator, i would allocate the office space to other high rise buildings. Obviously that isnt how it works but that's my preference .

Not sure I understand the logic here. If Aetna and paypal amongst others are sniffing around, they're going to want already available space most likely, not waiting 5 years for a new tower to go up. Furthermore some extra capacity might lower sky high rents compared to most of the rest of the country.

Boston collectively thinks too small when assessing its needs for housing, office space, and transportation.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Not sure I understand the logic here. If Aetna and paypal amongst others are sniffing around, they're going to want already available space most likely, not waiting 5 years for a new tower to go up. Furthermore some extra capacity might lower sky high rents compared to most of the rest of the country.

Boston collectively thinks too small when assessing its needs for housing, office space, and transportation.

+1

We don't have too much office space in this town. You need a healthy vacancy rate so that when someone is looking for space they can find some. It is similar to why you don't want unemployment to be too low - if everyone has a job then there is nobody to take a new job when it opens. A modest vacancy rate (like a modest unemployment rate) greases the wheels on a fluid, dynamic market.
 
Re: South Station Tower

I do want to note that while companies like Aetna and Paypal are looking for space, they are not looking for vertical space. A lot of companies nowadays, especially startup and techs, are looking to eschew vertical space for horizontal space which they believe is more reflective of their horizontal organization structure and allows ideas to flow more freely. The tenants that are looking for vertical spaces, mainly large financial corporations, are not the ones that are moving to Boston so don't be misled that just because there are companies looking for space, that there will be demand for a large office tower. Developers build to what their consumers need, not what we want.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Aetna is neither a startup nor a tech. It's an insurance company. Insurance company's have built the two tallest buildings in Boston (just saying).

Also Salesforce is a tech/marketing company that has shown an affinity for tall buildings and may want more space in Boston.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Also isn't paypal currently in International Place?
 
Re: South Station Tower

So my point would be we need to build both. Yes GE and others may want the open spaces and horizontal set up of the Seaport. But, banks, insurance, law firms, mature tech companies, etc might still want those skyscrapers. These aren't mutually exclusive.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Aetna is neither a startup nor a tech. It's an insurance company. Insurance company's have built the two tallest buildings in Boston (just saying).

Also Salesforce is a tech/marketing company that has shown an affinity for tall buildings and may want more space in Boston.

Is salesforce the ones behind the tower in SF?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salesforce_Tower
 
Re: South Station Tower

So my point would be we need to build both. Yes GE and others may want the open spaces and horizontal set up of the Seaport. But, banks, insurance, law firms, mature tech companies, etc might still want those skyscrapers. These aren't mutually exclusive.

That is true, but the majority of the demand is being met by the Seaport. Unfortunately, you would have to restrict the amount of office space going up at Seaport to actual drive demand for a tall office skyscraper, which won't happen any time soon because there is so much space left to build on.

Btw, my company is looking for additional space so I know the demand for space is there. However, as described above, we recently expanded to the Seaport and I don't see this trend changing.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Is salesforce the ones behind the tower in SF?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salesforce_Tower

Yes. Plus they also have a 630 foot tall tower in NYC called the Salesforce tower. They also have towers in Tokyo and London. They do have a large Boston presence so I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted a building with their name on it.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...wer-someday/6ZNQZuUjTKVwb68iNSoHEO/story.html

I'm hoping that the Bulfinch Crossing office tower could land Salesforce as its primary tenant.
 
Re: South Station Tower

As someone who is for about 80%ish of projects on here, i am very against this one. No i will not have a shadow over me from it when it will be built. My problem is how uninspired that architecture is compared to other large new developments (govt center garage). The building totally does not play well off of the station when it should be a gateway to boston building.

Given the lack of major tenants moving to boston (about 3-4 maybe on the horizon), i do not see the demand to fill every new major development. If i was dictator, i would allocate the office space to other high rise buildings. Obviously that isnt how it works but that's my preference .


I agree, stall this project
 
Re: South Station Tower

This project has been stalled for 40+ years, I think it's about time to see something go up. The tower may not be the "prettiest" thing, but it's different at least, and the functionality provided by the entire project far outweighs the aesthetics of the tower itself.
 
Re: South Station Tower

There's significant ground level improvement in this project, and significant improvement to the station. Put it up.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Yes. Plus they also have a 630 foot tall tower in NYC called the Salesforce tower. They also have towers in Tokyo and London. They do have a large Boston presence so I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted a building with their name on it.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...wer-someday/6ZNQZuUjTKVwb68iNSoHEO/story.html

I'm hoping that the Bulfinch Crossing office tower could land Salesforce as its primary tenant.

I can see the headlines already:

Salesforce proposes 1000 foot tower in Back Bay


And the NIMBY comments complaining about how it will ruin everything.
 
Re: South Station Tower

I agree, stall this project

You realize taste is personal? So you guys dont like how it looks so that means it shouldnt be built.... We need the condos and we need the office space, plus the upgrades to the station. Doesnt work like that unless your Khalid Bin Rashid whateverr the fuck the Dubai dictators name is.

-and thank god its not his call because his taste is trash because dubai looks like hell right up until the last 2 years where they finally figured it out but theyve already built 942 shit bags that will be there forever.
 
Re: South Station Tower

You realize taste is personal? So you guys dont like how it looks so that means it shouldnt be built.... We need the condos and we need the office space, plus the upgrades to the station. Doesnt work like that unless your Khalid Bin Rashid whateverr the fuck the Dubai dictators name is.

-and thank god its not his call because his taste is trash because dubai looks like hell right up until the last 2 years where they finally figured it out but theyve already built 942 shit bags that will be there forever.

You need to calm the hell down.
 
Re: South Station Tower

It's been a long time since I last posted, but I've been looking at this South Station tower development for quite some time, yet I cannot express enough frustration in its design- I'm so tired of those "soulless" glass structures being erected in Boston. Perhaps the sample i'm posting is not quite similar in many ways, but yet-we're looking at an existing structure that was enhanced & transformed wonderfully for a commercial purpose-- It is that way too much to ask for in Boston?
herzog-de-meuron-elbphilharmonie-concert-hall-hamburg-germany-designboom-03.jpg
 
Last edited:
Re: South Station Tower

^ Yes. And wonderful example.
 
Re: South Station Tower

Yes, that whole grouping of buildings is astounding. Where is that?
 

Back
Top