Berkeley Investments High-rise Housing

Sorensen Partners was Architect for concept design and permitting feasibility for adapting an existing four-story masonry warehouse building into high-rise housing for Boston-based Berkeley Investments in 2017. The first scenario (53,000 GSF/66 units) adapted the existing masonry warehouse building. The second scenario (141,000 GSF/169 units) demolished a rear wing of the existing building and replaced it with a tower; and the third scenario (153,000 GSF/161 units) extended the tower of the second scenario over the existing warehouse at the front of the site. Massing studies for Scenario 3 are shown below:

Our feasibility study services included code and zoning analysis, historic designation assessment, typical floor plans, section drawings, modeling and massing studies, and sample unit layouts.

We used subtractive hand-modeling of a plaster cast of the building site extruded to 11 stories to model an ideal form for the maximum buildout in Scenario 3, preserving the corner warehouse.

Each design scenario included tenant amenities: storage, laundry rooms, gym, lounges, lobby/mailroom, and parking. Sample one and two-bed unit layouts are pictured below. The average unit size is 350 square feet for 1-BR and 600 square feet for 2-BR.