Revealing Hidden Opportunities – Cambridge Discovery Park

When Needham, MA-based Bulfinch Companies acquired historic Acorn Park, one of the first post-war suburban office parks in Cambridge, it set out to do much more than expand available square footage to meet the growing needs of the life science industry. With a mission to enhance the communities in which it works, Bulfinch made the decision 20 years ago to restore and preserve the neighboring wetlands and wooded areas and improve the area’s resilience in the face of rising flood waters caused by climate change. To reach these goals, the design and construction team had to employ collaboration and innovation to reveal hidden opportunities, including leveraging the space under the buildings on the site.

The Bulfinch Companies acquired Cambridge’s historic Acorn Park 20 years ago
to fill the demand for much-needed lab and office space for the life science
industry, it set out to preserve the ecology of neighboring wetlands and wooded
areas and improve the area’s resilience in the face of rising flood waters
caused by climate change.

Located within one of the world’s most important biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and high-tech centers, Cambridge Discovery Park is a 27-acre, state-of-the-art life science campus, which connects to the Alewife Reservation, one of metro-Boston’s largest urban wilds and an important North American migratory bird flyway. The campus replaces 14 sprawling, out-of-date office buildings and parking lots with six new LEED-certified buildings, new structured parking garages and a passive park. It also returns nearly 10 acres back to lush open space and natural vegetation. 

Looking High and Low for Innovative Stormwater Solutions
One of the most challenging aspects of the project related to stormwater management due to the following factors:

1. Location within an environmentally sensitive floodplain along the Little River.
2. Combined sewer overflows (CSO) during heavy rain events from the nearby Alewife area.
3. Desire to protect the buildings and surrounding community from projected rising floodwater due to climate change.
4. Goal to compensate for the displacement of floodwaters caused by project improvements.

The resolution was an innovative stormwater management strategy involving both natural and engineered solutions. These green infrastructure design elements enhance community health and safety, provide opportunities for passive recreation and protect sensitive ecosystems. Permitting required by multiple agencies necessitated specialized technical expertise, an exceptional level of proficiency, and complex coordination. The project approvals for the first phase in particular were achieved within a compressed timeframe, involving a continuously evolving design and extensive project team coordination.

The resolution was an innovative stormwater management strategy involving both natural and engineered solutions. These green infrastructure design elements enhance community health and safety, provide opportunities for passive recreation and protect sensitive ecosystems. Permitting required by multiple agencies necessitated specialized technical expertise, an exceptional level of proficiency, and complex coordination. The project approvals for the first phase in particular were achieved within a compressed timeframe, involving a continuously evolving design and extensive project team coordination.

In order to restore and enhance ecological function to the sensitive floodplain, a passive recreation park, stormwater wetland pond and additional natural features to treat stormwater were added. The heart of the pond includes a fountain that provides a focal point for visitors, while oxygenating the water and masking urban noise. An island and a series of bends provide further treatment while creating valuable bank habitat. Simulating the natural processes improves the ecological health of the Little River and its natural wetlands, while bringing workers and visitors into a relaxing oasis of habitat for numerous indigenous and migratory birds.

The project team developed an innovative on-demand stormwater retention system
located beneath each of the five buildings on the site. In addition, impervious
surfaces were reduced by 26 percent, and first-floor building elevations were
raised to respond to estimated increased flood elevations.

Although Cambridge Discovery Park has separate sewer and stormwater utilities, the nearby Alewife area experiences CSO events during times of heavy rain. To mitigate the impacts, a unique flood displacement technique was employed. An underground sanitary sewer holding tank capable of storing 24-hours’ worth of sanitary sewerage was placed beneath each building. 

When the flood waters arrive, the city remotely closes each building’s connection to the City’s sewer system allowing the tank to store sewage. During a CSO event, the flood waters enter the storage areas under the buildings through flood access grates located through the landscaped areas of the building. The floodwater is collected then filtered through a series of man-made stormwater wetlands—first a sediment-collecting forebay, followed by polishing basins with shelves to support multiple levels of emergent wetland species. 

Once the CSO event has passed, the city remotely opens the connections to the City sewer system so that the tanks can empty and the buildings’ sewage can once again flow freely to the City’s system.  This work was carefully integrated with the building design, including the foundation and building utilities and was quite complex in order to work within the existing flat landscape and previous traditional building construction techniques.

Pre-construction site flood storage volumes were calculated and compared to the post-development flood storage volumes, including the areas under all of the buildings, in order to meet the permitting requirements in accordance with local and state regulations while considering increased flooding due to climate change. 

Other techniques employed were reducing impervious surfaces by 2.7 acres, a 26 percent decrease. and raising first-floor elevations of the buildings to respond to estimated increased flood elevations. 

Award-Winning Results
Not only is Cambridge Discovery Park a highly sought-after office and laboratory property within the Alewife Life Science Cluster, but it has won multiple awards because of its careful consideration of many multifaceted competing priorities—ecological functionality, storm resiliency, regulatory compliance, and the need for open space. The innovation and complexity involved, using both natural and engineered solutions, enhances the environment within the park and throughout the surrounding community. The world class office and research campus sports five new LEED-certified buildings and has been recognized by the American Council of Engineering companies of Massachusetts, the City of Cambridge, and the Cambridge History Commission.

The Cambridge Discovery Park Team
Bulfinch – Facility Owner and Developer
BSC Group, Inc. (Prime Consultant) - Civil/Site Design, Ecological Design, and Environmental Permitting
Stantec – Architecture
Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger – Structural Engineering
Paul Finger Associates – Landscape Architecture
McPhail Associates, LLC  – Geotechnical Engineering
AHA Consulting Engineers – MEP Engineering 
Dain, Torpy, Le Ray, Wiest & Garner, P.C. – Legal 
John Moriarty & Associates – General Contractor