CREW Boston members joined the team at Millennium Partners Boston in person at the Winthrop Discovery Center on Franklin Street to explore Winthrop Center, a 62-story, 691-foot mixed-use tower with 812,000 sq. ft. of Global Class A office space and 317 next-gen residences under construction nearby. 
 
Winthrop Center sets the new global standard by integrating health and wellness, productivity and social engagement, and technology and sustainability into its design. Members toured the new development, discussing state of completion, levels of finish, the pros and cons of office tenant fit out, and observing the differences in construction between “standard” design and the more robust Passive House Institute (Phius) rating system. 
 
Though the entire project will be certified under the more familiar LEED Rating system for energy efficiency and WELL certification for health and safety, the offices will meet Phius standards. Incorporating efficiencies in design of walls, windows, ventilation, insulation, and heat exchange, passive buildings are designed using principles and construction techniques that make them both hyper energy efficient and extremely comfortable. Upon completion, Winthrop Center will be the largest Phius-certified office building in the world.
 
Back at the Discovery Center, Kathy MacNeil showed beautiful promotional videos and discussed details of the residential and office spaces. The evening concluded with networking and refreshments in the residential model unit, with a dramatic (faux) view of the city skyline.