Boston Trust Walden with Margulies Perruzzi

Hear from the designer in the episode below for more in-depth project stories!

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Hear from the designer in the episode below for more in-depth project stories! -

Margulies Perruzzi was brought on by Boston Trust Walden, an independent, employee-owned firm providing investment management services to institutional investors and private wealth clients, to move their outdated and outgrown headquarters from the 33rd floor at One Beacon Street to the 34th floor. The 31,000 SF renovation transformed the space into one that feels both professional and welcoming while remaining airy and light filled with stunning 360-degree views of Boston.

The design of Boston Trust Walden’s new space is largely based on their core principles:

Stewardship: We place our clients’ interests above our own, and the shared interest of our firm above self-interest.
Excellence: We demand superior performance from ourselves and our colleagues.
Collaboration: Teamwork produces superior outcomes and is its own reward.
Accountability: Each day we are answerable for our words and actions to our clients and to each other.
Integrity: Consistently acting with honesty, transparency, and humility earns trust.
Relationship: Authentic connection to each other is grounded in respect and empathy.

Boston Trust Walden prioritized smaller, uniform offices, direct access to daylight for workstations, impactful space adjacencies, a focus on socialization and collaboration, and high standards of acoustic integrity. To achieve these goals, Margulies Perruzzi designed perimeter offices with full glass fronts to bring light into the interior of the space and created alcoves at the perimeter for workstations with access to natural light. A lot of thought was put into creating an employee hub to serve as the core collaboration area. Featuring a coffee bar, pantry, and a variety of seating options including booths, high top tables, and traditional café seating, the employee hub encourages spontaneous collaboration and can also be used as informal meeting space. A client area is located adjacent to the employee hub and reception area and boasts four conference rooms of various sizes. The proximity of these spaces was strategic so that they could be enjoyed by both clients and staff alike.

A unique feature of the Boston Trust Walden office is the trading area. Located in the interior of the space with direct access to an adjoining social area, it was designed to have a direct sight line to the stunning view. The design team also made sure to place the trading area in a space where employees would have a lot of interaction with other staff. Space was leveraged at the heart of the interior of the office for ADA-compliant restrooms, locker space, and a multi-purpose wellness room. Throughout the design process, employee wellness was always prioritized.

Margulies Perruzzi selected earthy natural tones mixed with brighter colors to complement the natural wood floors, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for employees and visitors. The design team took care to make sure all materials selected for the space were thoroughly researched for not only the environmental impact of the material, but the sustainability and social impact of the companies producing them. These selected materials not only visually embodied Boston Trust Walden, but also aligned with the firm’s focus on social and environmental responsibility, ensuring products used met this high standard.