700 Main Street Renovations

One of the premier laboratory space developers in Cambridge, MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo) sought to reposition its 700 Main Street property for a second generation of use following TKT Shire’s move to Lexington. The complex, originally developed in the early 2000s, combined new construction with extensively upgraded warehouse buildings from the early 1900s. LAB was engaged to convert the single tenant design to a flexible multi-tenant use, to create a new sub-dividable entry lobby and to clarify the linkages between the older structures.

The proposed solution utilizes vertical millwork piers with glass infill to divide a former double height library into two distinct lobby entrances, and introduces a transparent monumental stair to link two of the attached warehouse blocks in a seamless and natural way. The smaller, historically significant building facing Main Street, originally one of Thomas Edison’s laboratories, was renovated for office use.

Additionally, the design includes a new loading facility and freight elevator to allow for more flexible subdivisions for future tenants.