Robotics firm Boston Dynamics has received the “Best New Large Workplace” award at CoreNet New England’s Awards of Excellence Gala. This event highlights the top performing firms and projects in the New England region in corporate real estate leadership, with this year’s event highlighting both the 2020 and 2021 winners to account for the gala’s 2020’s pandemic-based postponement.
Boston Dynamics received this distinction for its new corporate headquarters and lab facilities in Waltham, which was completed in March 2021 by construction management and pre-construction services firm J. Calnan & Associates (JC&A) in collaboration with design collaborative Bergmeyer. Engineering services were provided by NV5, a leading provider of professional and technical engineering and consulting solutions.
The 180,000 s/f research, development, lab and office workplace was completed in March of 2021 and spans three levels, built within an existing space to accommodate Boston Dynamics’ rapid expansion. JC&A and Bergmeyer’s teams designed and built the facility with an emphasis on enhanced connectivity throughout, including offices, conference rooms and workstations that overlook open plan robotics labs. The space was built with natural materials, reflecting the company’s commitment to craftsmanship and intentional design.
The highlight of the night was when Spot, Boston Dynamics’ agile mobile robot, came on stage to accept the award on behalf of its creator. JC&A’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship led them to invest in Spot as an addition to their team. JC&A’s branded version of Spot navigated the spotlight with ease and stopped for several photo ops along the way. Spot is able to traverse terrain with unprecedented mobility, allowing it to automate routine inspection tasks and data capture safely, accurately, and frequently.
This in turn creates numerous avenues for increased efficiency for JC&A’s future projects, with tasks such as documenting construction programs, monitoring remote environments and automating tasks becoming significantly streamlined. This also reduces the consumption of valuable resources, further exemplifying JC&A’s commitment to providing best-in-class work while prioritizing safety and the environment. “The JC&A team is incredibly proud to have worked on such an inspiring and future-shaping project,” said Dan Charest, project executive and parter at JC&A. “Safety, innovation and sustainable practices have consistently been at the core of JC&A’s approach, and Boston Dynamics’ new headquarters is a prime example of the amazing results that this focus can yield. We are greatly appreciative of the values that our firm shares with Boston Dynamics and congratulate them on receiving this prestigious award.”
*Article originally published by New England Real Estate Journal.
