45 Province Street

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  • Oct 1, 2010

Elegant residences have returned to Province Street, where prominent Bostonians first strolled the streets two centuries ago. Running along the foot of Beacon Hill and within a short walk of the Boston Common, the new 31-floor reinforced concrete mixed-use residential tower provides high-quality amenities while fitting into its historic neighborhood. Designers achieved this goal with a highly articulated facade that features a structural system made entirely of cast-in-place concrete.

The building offers features 37 levels, including four levels of below-grade parking, 31 stories of luxury condominiums and amenities, including retail space on the first two floors, and two mechanical levels below the roof. Amenities include a spa, a four-season pool, spa treatment rooms and a fitness studio. Also offered is a dining room with a catering kitchen, a screening room and a roof terrace.

A glass and terra-cotta rain-screen facade, supported by concrete shear walls, columns and floors, helps bridge old and new Boston. The terra cotta reflects the color and scale of the surrounding historic buildings, while the glass complements the newer structures.

Windows, cladding and canopy were scaled to resonate with the existing streetscape. Despite its height, the building avoids overshadowing its neighbors thanks to close cooperation between the Boston Redevelopment Authority and designers at Bruner/Cott. They explored 119 historic views and determined that the new building could be built at twice the size allowed by the underlying zoning without overshadowing nearby structures. The narrow streets ensure the building's true height is seen only from a distance as part of the skyline view.

To aid this scaling, the building's facade is highly articulated and was studied for massing, daylighting, reflection, shadows and wind. Features include private balconies for each residence. The streetscape likewise is highly articulated to aid the pedestrian scale, with the entrance marked by a curving glass canopy in intentional opposition to the linear, angular facade.

Epoxy-coated reinforcing bar was used on the six below-grade levels of parking. These levels require no space for traditional ramping, as cars are raised to grade level via elevators. Epoxy-coated reinforcing bar also was used in structuring the private exterior balconies for each residence, to ensure they provided superior protection against the harsh Boston winters.

Approximately 25,000 cu yds of concrete were used in the project, with a total of 2,728 tons of reinforcing bar being used.