Project overview: Situated between two neighborhoods, 212 Stuart Street negotiates the intimate residential scale of historic Bay Village and Boston’s High Spine with a thoughtful massing and a classic yet contemporary facade design. Deploying an innovative approach to materials and construction, the building’s fluted facade resonates with the masonry detailing of the historic neighborhood while varying in scale to animate the elevation.
The building operates at several scales in the city. When viewed from a distance, the 19-story tower meets the sky with a distinctive silhouette. At the street level, it houses two townhomes that meet the ground in a way that immediately engages with the sidewalk and streetscape as stoops, planters, and ironwork create a dialogue with the residential context of Bay Village.
Located on a former parking lot in a small, irregular shape, the site presented several impediments within the design process – particularly its tight urban context, which broadened the possibility for innovation. The team studied the fluted precast panel as a simple and elegant way to express depth and texture on the facade that brings a unique optical effect that changes throughout the day as the sun moves around the building. The number of concave profiles was optimized to reduce reliance on unique molds yet maintain the appearance of a highly varied facade pattern, while the dimension of the precast modules was optimized to around a truck’s bed size and crane picks, a solution to overcome challenges presented by the site condition.
Project location: Boston, Massachusetts
Firm name: Höweler + Yoon Architecture & Sasaki
Architect of Record: Sasaki
Completion: 2022
Client: Greystar LLC
Jury comments: Very nice work with beautiful façade articulation. This tall Boston building reconciles different urban scales with clarity and innovation. The fluted precast façade is technically optimized and visually expressive, creating depth and historic resonance while remaining contemporary. Ground-level townhomes and landscaped thresholds strengthen the pedestrian experience, and social and environmental goals are thoughtfully integrated. Very elegant design solution; interiors could be shown to support.
Images/Photographers: Chuck Choi, Ben Kou General Contractor: Consigli Construction Structural: McNamara Salvia Mechanical: AHA Engineers Electrical: AHA Engineers Plumbing: AHA Engineers Acoustics: Acentech Interior: Elizabeth Stuart Design Landscape: Sasaki Geotech: Haley & Aldrich Envelope Consultant: Vidaris
