Genzyme Center

The Genzyme Center is located in the midst of other dynamic research institutions on a former brownfield site close to the Charles River in Cambridge. The design brief called for a forward-looking building that would serve as a distinctive point of identity for the Genzyme Corporation, its employees, guests, and visitors. From the initial architectural competition through a highly integrated design process, the primary objective was to develop the building from the inside out. It accommodates about 920 individual workplaces over 12 floors.

Organized as a vertical city with individual dwellings, public areas and indoor gardens extend up the full height of the central atrium, a space serving as a large return air duct and light shaft. Open stairs form part of a vertical boulevard, which starts at the ground floor lobby before proceeding upwards through various neighborhoods with open workstations and separate offices.

All workstations are naturally illuminated through a combination of re-directional blinds along the building’s perimeter and the top-lit central atrium. Above the atrium, a sunlight redirection system—featuring heliostats and fixed mirrors—further enhances daylight levels throughout the interior. Daylight is carefully filtered through a prismatic ceiling beneath the skylights, then diffused into the interior through reflective devices such as the sparkling chandeliers and the light wall with chrome elements that wraps the atrium core.

Inside the atrium, the chandeliers are kept in constant motion by virtue of the stack effect thus animating the interior space. The building envelope features operable windows so that offices located along the perimeter have not only access to daylight but also to air. The building has been awarded the USGBC LEED Platinum Rating and stands as a leading example of what can be achieved through the thoughtful application of sustainable strategies in the workplace.