GE Files Detailed Plans on New Boston Headquarters

A rendering of GE’s new Fort Point Channel headquarters complex. Image Courtesy of General Electric, Gensler

BOSTON—General Electric filed detailed plans with city and state agencies on Monday for its new global headquarters in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood of Boston. The project calls for the rehabilitation of 5 and 6 Necco Court , which were built in 1907, and will build a new 12-story building. In total, the new 2.4-acre campus, which will open in two phases in 2018, will include approximately 388,700 square feet of gross floor area in the three buildings. The complex will eventually house 800 GE employees. GE filed plans for its project with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The first phase of construction includes preservation and rehabilitation of the existing Necco Court brick buildings, which will begin in the fourth quarter of 2016. The anticipated occupancy of the renovated buildings will be in the first quarter of 2018. The second phase of construction will begin in the first quarter of 2017 with occupancy of the new building anticipated later in 2018, the company states. The architect for the GE headquarters project is Gensler. The company, which will r elocate its global headquarters from Fairfield, CT ,  did not divulge the projected cost of its new headquarters complex. It did, however, note that the GE Foundation has committed $50 million to “improve healthcare in underserved Greater Boston communities, improve the quality of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in Boston Public schools, and build a diverse workforce for jobs of the future in STEM.” “We want our campus to be a global epicenter of innovation, a place to foster relationships among our employees and the greater community,” says Ann R. Klee, head of Boston development and operations for GE. “Our headquarters is designed to engage and leverage the talent, technology and work ethic of Fort Point and greater Boston, while also giving back to the community through investment, rehabilitation and an inviting public space.” In the Executive Summary section of its Expanded Environmental Notification Form/Project Notification Form filing with the BRA, GE stated, “The Brick Buildings, and approximately 41,000 of the approximately 61,000 square feet of outdoor public space that will be developed, will be acquired by a subsidiary of MassDevelopment and leased to GE which will completely rehabilitate them. The third building on the campus will be a new 12-story building known as the New Building to be constructed and owned by GE.” The company says the GE headquarters campus will be in the top quintile of similar buildings using the Energy Use Index and will be LEED version 4. Key “green” features include encouragement of public transportation, walking or biking for employees and visitors (the site will have only 30 parking spots), reuse of existing buildings, a rooftop solar system, and green, vegetated roof areas. In addition, given its proximity to the Fort Point Channel, the buildings will be resilient to sea level rise by raising the ground floors and critical systems, as well as landscape design. The 2.4-acre campus will include: what the company terms as “maker space” for GE employees and co-collaborators, as well as hands-on classroom workspace for tech start-ups, university and high school students and the community to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The campus will also feature “convener space” for presentations and events for GE and the community; a community work lounge for visitor reception with a variety of options for employees, customers, and public visitors to use as a “co-work” area; and laboratory space where GE will to engage 6-12 early stage life sciences companies to develop innovative co-created products. The complex will also have space earmarked as an innovation and exploration center that will highlight the past, present and future of the company. The public outdoor space will include an expanded Harborwalk and will total approximately 1.5 acres and will improve access to the area. The campus will also feature a public coffee bar and a bistro-style restaurant.