Park 151

Park 151 is a new 20-story, 468-unit residential building at the apex of the 42-acre Cambridge Crossing neighborhood. The design charge for Park 151 was to create a distinct multifamily residence that expresses the life science and innovation community surrounding it. The design needed to be a deliberate extension of “the most innovative square mile on the planet.” Park 151 is an authentic, intellectual, creative expression of the energy that infuses Cambridge, Massachusetts. The design is a departure from its neighbors and predecessors, marked by original art, sculpture, and unexpected design solutions.

Features include:

• An illuminated, glass-walled vestibule clad in dichroic film illuminates the street with a colorful, prismatic display, creating an inviting front door.

• Bold yet approachable interiors are filled with rich colors and expressive textures, immersing residents in a dynamic urban gallery.

• Laser-cut metals recall machine technology – light permeates through perforated metal ceiling panels, exposing mechanics that make the building function – while dark metal frames parallel architectural design elements.

Park 151 required a design strategy nimble enough to match changing expectations for shared living environments since the pandemic upended the way we live and work. On track for WELL v1 Multifamily Residential, Park 151’s 30,000sf of amenities prioritize healthy living, providing clean air, clean water, unlimited outdoor access, and a vast diversity of choice, including work-from-anywhere options. The design needed to involve the creative spirit of the community. A collaboration between the design team and a Boston-based nonprofit, Artists For Humanity, which empowers teen artists, for example, resulted in a captivating sculpture that drapes in cloud-like swaths from the lobby ceiling. The piece was inspired by the concept of minute scientific elements creating a whole and comprises more than three miles of hand-crafted chains of steel beads.