BOSTON, MA.- CBT Architects and Equity Office Properties took home multiple honors in the New England Chapter of the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) fourth annual Interior Design Awards, including the Best in Show award for its renovation and repositioning of the lobby at One Post Office Square in Boston. The 41-story Class A office tower also received first place in the Office Under 30,000 SF category, and CBT and Equity Office Properties placed first in the Hospitality category for its work at Equinox Fitness in Boston’s 225 Franklin Street.

Located on Post Office Square, the building is a signature 830,000 SF office tower updated with an elegant new lobby, entrance, and enhanced façade at street level. CBT worked as partners with the building owner, Equity Office Properties, to reposition the building and to transform the address into a prominent Class A property. The strategy was aimed at decreasing vacancy, improving the building’s perception and transforming the existing building into a higher value position for the market. The new lobby brings a fresh, light and aesthetically clean direction to the building.

The IIDA New England Interior Design Awards showcase not only the design of the projects, but it also recognizes the collaborative efforts of the entire project team. “A high degree of coordination and attention to detail by the design team, construction team, stone fabricator and stone layer was required to properly execute the lobby feature wall that depicts the Apennines Mountains,” said Robert A. Brown, AIA, IIDA, LEED AP principal of CBT. “Using a computer, digital photos of each marble slab were arranged and placement was agreed upon by the designers as they attempted to recreate the unique experience in the quarry. Instructions were given for size and placement of each piece and the entire wall was laid out flat on the ground for review prior to shipment and installation. The result is the satisfying vision of valleys and ridges climbing through the clouds across the wall.”

“In this challenging economy we decided dramatic alterations were a necessity to maintain the One Post Office Square elite status in the city. The opportunity was ideal to transform an underperforming asset into a prized property,” said Andrew Maher, Managing Director of Equity Office Properties. “The repositioning has proved to be highly successful and creatively reinventing the building has distinguished it from the surrounding competition. As a result of the upgrades and physical changes at One Post Office Square, we were able to retain the property’s flagship tenants: Putnam Investments and Sullivan & Worcester LLP.”

The transformation of the lobby begins with a three-story Pilkington structural glass wall, framing the perimeter of the building. The original lobby, set back from the façade with a dark arcade, was increased by 30% in size by extending a glass enclosure beyond the building’s exterior. The lobby is composed of a quiet white-on-white palette which forms the background for the seasonal color of Post Office Square to vibrantly enliven the space. The elevator lobbies were redesigned with a rich, dark fumed oak with white glass and stainless accent details. Floor plates, which serve a bank of 17 elevators, are 12,000 to 25,000 square feet and offer sweeping views of the Charles River, Boston Harbor and Boston skyline. The building, which connects to the Langham Hotel, is home to Putnam Investments, Sullivan & Worcester LLP, Acadian Asset Management, Jones Lang LaSalle and Lahive & Cockfield. The leasing agent is Jones Lang LaSalle.

Equinox Fitness is located at 225 Franklin Street in the heart of Boston’s financial district to cater to the surrounding business professionals. The space was formerly used as a bank; in fact the existing basement vault of building was used for the locker rooms and inspired the design of the entire fitness club. The 32,000-square-foot facility houses guest services including strength floors and cardio spaces, a group fitness studio, pilates studio, boxing studio, yoga studio, cycling studio, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a full-service spa, café and juice bar, and a retail shop. This was a highly collaborative design-build turnkey project by the landlord that required almost 24-hour construction to meet the tight four-month construction schedule. The club’s ownership and in-house fitness team, CBT and S3 Design worked diligently to create the look desired for this flagship club.