Northeastern University Network Science Institute

JDL partnered with Saam Architecture and RW Sullivan Engineering to transform the 5th and 6th floors of the Christian Science Tower, located in the Back Bay of Boston, for Northeastern University graduate students. The project includes the fit out of two floors, totaling just over 14,000 sq. ft, and the construction of two specialized computational lab spaces which provide students the space to learn and develop cutting edge network technologies.

Unique conditions of this project required JDL and the onboarded MEP subcontractors to closely coordinate all trades to ensure design expectations were met. The building, built in 1972, has notably low waffle slab ceilings and active walker ducts running through the floors. Given the ceiling height of 7’ 4”, a multitude of items, as spec’d, would not fit amongst the existing equipment and needed to be relocated with the design team. For example, the office linear lights were called to be installed vertically in the room but given the positioning of the duct lines and fan powered boxes, there was not enough room for the housing within the grid and they had to be repositioned to run horizontally. A distinct aspect of the space was the use of the walker ducts for all coring and in slab work. The fixed locations of the runs required JDL, Saam, and Creative Office Resources to reposition both furniture plans on either floor.

For design, Saam and RW Sullivan provided a concept that was specifically tailored to the demographic occupying the facility. On the 5^th floor, the I.O.T, Internet of Things, Lab houses 70+ data lines, multiple dedicated circuits, electrified Unistrut, a unique pass through for a 36,000 Btu/h cooling capacity unit, and top of the line smart appliances. Outside of the lab, 9 Hush DIRTT Phone Booths offer space for students to work privately, hold meetings, or take a break. Coming in small, medium, or large sizing, each phone booth is equipped with power, fans, and AV capabilities. Aside from these special areas, the space boasts 18 individual offices, 3 conference rooms, open area work stations, dedicated wellness, and a kitchen breakroom that emphasizes collaboration and connection outside of studying. Focusing on warmth and rustic tones, material origins span from the United States, to Canada, to Italy and beyond.

A standard requirement of Northeastern University is turning over spaces that are LEED compliant and certified. A globally recognized certification program, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and provides a framework for designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining buildings that focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. JDL was tasked with not only managing procurement of materials and staying within schedule but gathering sustainable data on every product (even down to the adhesives and oils!) and tracking BPDO, Low Emitting, and Waste calculators for final submission. LEED milestones that were of particular interest for this job included EPDs, HPDs, declare labels, Green Label Plus certification, VOC total emission, recycled content (pre-consumer and post-consumer), and material health status. JDL is proud to have worked on this renovation which was awarded Silver status by the judging commission.