Tetris called for an uncompromising level of detail, speed, and adaptability.
At the outset of the project, in 2021, the company’s Kendall Square lab footprint totaled 88,234 square feet across four buildings. These 11 floors of wet and dry labs catered to over 30 research and development groups, with needs ranging from chemistry and biology to analytics and imaging.
The team’s first challenge was to plan and design this complex renovation in just six months.
The highly intertwined nature of the lab spaces called for a deep understanding of their interdependencies. To achieve this, the team conducted hundreds of meetings with the buildings’ users, gathered thousands of pages of notes, and assessed MEP and utility requirements for over 12,000 pieces of equipment.
In its second year, the project’s scope and objectives were dynamically reshaped.
In 2022, the company hired SMMA to devise a master plan for a new campus, also in Kendall Square. The new campus would include a brand new 16-story high-rise laboratory research building. This shift in direction required Project Tetris to pivot. The solution was to convert existing office space to more demanding infrastructure programs like heavy chemistry–all located in newer buildings within the new campus footprint.
Below are a few recent studies and projects that have stemmed from SMMA's work completed and underway with Project Tetris:
Master Plan for the company’s relocation and consolidation of all Cambridge real estate to Kendall Square. This study included the programming, blocking, and stacking of the newly constructed 16-story lab building [“Building F”]. It also called for an expansion of research space within the company’s two adjacent properties.
Planning and design services to refine, expand, and evaluate the company’s lab footprint within its new campus in Kendall Square.
A six-floor, 148,580 sf office space renovation that supports technology integration and connectivity, implements the company’s brand and workplace standards, and provides flexibility for future accommodations.
Several R&D groups had infrastructure requirements beyond what their current Central Square location could accommodate. As heavy chemistry users, MAQ and HVAC limitations pushed them to a new location. The solution was to relocate these groups to the 2nd and 3rd floors of a 6-story lab-capable office building [“Building E”] in Kendall Sq. while preparing the building for future expansion.
