Massachusetts, USA
Elkus Manfredi Architects reinvented an underutilized site at 66 Galen Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, into a LEED Gold-certified life science campus that has become a new anchor within Watertown’s innovation ecosystem.
Located near the Charles River and close to major transit routes, 66 Galen was designed from the outset to ensure that the public realm was as considered as the building itself.
66 Galen by Elkus Manfredi Architects, received an 2026 International Architecture Honourable Mention from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
A key design challenge was transforming the patchwork site into a cohesive campus integrated into its neighborhood.
Designers minimized the building’s scale along Galen Street to fit into the Watertown Square context of two- and three-family houses, and created two dramatic intersecting volumes on the building’s north and northwest sides facing Watertown Square to signify the front door.
To break up the massing of the 225,000-sf structure, designers created a different design treatment for the south and east sides of the building overlooking the Charles River, featuring curvilinear forms inspired by the river’s geometry and two new parks for tenants and the public.
As part of an overall focus on health and wellness, over 45% of the site is dedicated to green open space.
The southeast side features labs with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and a large sloping park connecting to the river.
In a nod to the site’s history of industrial masonry structures, 66 Galen’s exterior is comprised of stone and terra cotta, which designers carried up onto the mechanical penthouse to create consistency of materiality throughout.
The development team believed strongly in community-building and prioritized communal spaces and social interaction not only to create a sense of belonging and common purpose but to set the stage for informal and formal collaboration among the building’s diverse scientific thinkers.
The lobby embodies this focus, offering varied seating options that encourage occupants to relax, recharge, and connect with each other, and the public café invites people to linger with healthy snacks, caffeine, and community.
A dramatic wallcovering reaches the full double height of the lobby, evoking contemplation of the connection between nature and art.
Shaped like smooth white stones, the reception desk joins charcoal stone flooring to continue the story of natural forms and materials. A broad open staircase rises to a fireplaced area on the lobby’s second level, where people gather for receptions and presentations.
Flanking the stairs and set along the windows onto Galen Street is a wide bank of stadium seating.
Six outdoor spaces – balconies, terraces, and a roof deck amenity space with a business center – offer direct outdoor access to tenants on every floor.
Other amenity spaces include a fitness center, 277 below-grade parking spaces, and a secure bicycle parking area.
Sustainable features include a 25,000-sf rooftop solar array and captured stormwater filling 100% of the site’s irrigation demands. Innovative integration of clean energy technologies, including solar energy, battery storage, and EV charging infrastructure, optimizes energy generation and storage and supports the local community.
Ultimately, 66 Galen Street is a testament to the power of collaboration among architects, developers, civic leaders, and communities.
Project: 66 Galen
Architects: Elkus Manfredi Architects
Lead Architect: David P. Manfredi
Landscape Architects: Ground Inc.
General Contractor: John Moriarty & Associates Inc.
Clients: The Davis Companies and Boston Development Group
Photographers: Chuck Choi
