Summat Else

Boston University’s Center for Computing & Data Sciences: a sustainable relocation project for MovePlan

Boston University’s Center for Computing & Data Sciences in Boston, Massachusetts, is a 19-storey building designed by KPMB Architects and is the most environmentally friendly building in the city.

While its exterior design has generated many of the headlines, it is its environmental credentials which will see it lead the way in building sustainability. At 350,000 square feet, it is the largest carbon-neutral building in Boston, free of fossil fuels, and relying on geothermal wells for heating and cooling. External shading and triple-glazed glass windows minimise energy consumption and the building’s electricity is matched with renewable energy generated from BU Wind, a power purchase agreement with a wind farm in South Dakota.

Relocating four faculties into one new building

MovePlan was the University’s move partner, chosen to relocate a number of disparate departments into one new building: the Faculty of Computing & Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, and the Hariri Institute. With the new building seeking to place collaboration at the heart of its design, several aspects, such as whiteboard walls to encourage ideation, small gathering spaces to encourage conversations and a central atrium running the entire length of the building featuring platforms intended for group working, meant that many ways of working had to be revised.

Collaboration is something we steadfastly believe in. We are proud of the quality of the services we offer, but we’re also well aware that the success of our projects is down to working with the right people, together.

Over the past 30 years, we have built a strong network across our industry. This ecosystem allows us to work on projects with the relevant partners and, in turn, they include us in projects where our expertise is needed.

As sustainability practices become more of a priority than ever before, and with greater awareness and prominence of ESG and required initiatives by employees and customers alike, corporations can’t afford to overlook any opportunity to innovate their workplaces and support a more conscious approach to business.

It has been three years since the start of the pandemic and in the intervening time, we have all experienced a structural shift in our behaviours and attitudes towards working practices.

Representatives from various industries took part in MovePlan’s APAC roundtable event titled The Workplace Beyond Hybrid.

The diverse group discussed how to prepare strategies for success beyond the current day, resulting in an insightful and productive session.

Topics included where we are today, what’s beyond hybrid and how to drive change.