The first privately financed LEED Platinum office building in America.

“I’ve always thought Genzyme was marvelous, probably the best office space ever created in or near Boston.”

— Robert Campbell, Boston Globe architecture critic

Status: Sold to BioMed Realty Trust in 2005
Address: 500 Kendall Street, Cambridge, MA
Project: Kendall Square
Architect: Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
Builder: Turner Construction
Awards: 2005 US Green Building Council LEED Platinum; 2004 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Projects Award; 2005 NAIOP Green Development Award; 2004 AIA Excellence in Sustainable Design Award; 2010 Forbes Magazine: The Five Most Important Green Buildings; 2008 Harleston Parker Medal for “The Most Beautiful Building” In Boston

Genzyme Center

The Genzyme Building is surrounded by Kendall Square's outdoor space and many amenities.

The 12-story atrium and lobby feature a mobile that is both an artistic gesture and a mechanism for refracting daylight. (Photo: Peter Vanderwarker)

The building received the 2008 Harleston Parker Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Boston Society of Architects/AIA recognizing “the most beautiful piece of architecture, building, monument or structure within the City or Metropolitan Parks District limits.”

The Genzyme Corporation helped make Cambridge into the biotech center it is today, and is often ranked as one of the top places to work in the hot Boston biotech world. (Photo: Peter Vanderwarker)

The Genzyme Building is the recipient of numerous architectural awards. The architect was Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner from Stuttgart, Germany.

Plants throughout the building filter the air and are watered with recycled water from the rooftop collection system.

(Photo: Peter Vanderwarker)

In the News

August 13, 2010

Forbes names Genzyme Center one of "The Five Most Important Green Buildings"

August 13, 2010

January 18, 2009

Boston Globe: Genzyme Center wins annual Parker Medal

January 18, 2009

This year's Parker winner is the Genzyme Center, the headquarters of a major biotech company, at 500 Kendall St. near MIT.

January 18, 2009

April 2, 2008

2008 Harleston Parker Medal for "Most Beautiful Building in Boston" Awarded to Genzyme Center

April 2, 2008

December 3, 2007

ArchitectureBoston: "Graphic Essay: The Innovative Client"

December 3, 2007

David Clem and Lyme Properties are featured in the November/December 2007 edition of ArchitectureBoston, which showcases their focus on excellent architectural work at Kendall Square. The full article can be downloaded here.

December 3, 2007