Women in Design (WiD): From Office to Laboratory: The Transformation of 350 Mass Ave
Image Credit: DiMella Shaffer
The Women Behind the Design of 350 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA — May 29th, 2025— enviENERGY Studio is proud to support the ongoing transformation of 350 Massachusetts Avenue, a major repositioning project, that will convert a dated office building into a high-performance laboratory facility. As the project’s sustainability consultant, enviENERGY, is providing guidance and documentation in support of LEED v4 Gold Certification, Cambridge’s Article 22 Green Building Requirements, and long-term energy and climate resilience goals.
Currently in the design phase, the project is led by architecture firm DiMella Shaffer and illustrates the evolving and sometimes competing strategies of sustainable design: operational energy efficiency, decarbonization, embodied carbon reduction, and climate resilience.
“What’s so compelling about this project is how it reflects the real-world complexity of sustainable design,” said Elizabeth Venuti, Building Performance Lead, at enviENERGY. “The team is constantly weighing trade-offs, balancing the need for flood resilience and thermal performance with the embodied carbon impacts of insulation, structural upgrades, and equipment selection.”
The comprehensive renovation will emphasize energy efficiency, including the integration of triple-glazed curtain walls, high-performance storm inserts, and enhanced insulation to improve thermal performance. Mechanical systems will be upgraded to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 87% compared to conventional systems, with 25% of peak heating load and 100% of domestic hot water systems electrified.
In alignment with Cambridge's Flood Resilience Standards, critical infrastructure such as lobbies and transformer vaults will be elevated above projected flood levels, ensuring long-term operational continuity. The design also incorporates a green roof and low embodied carbon through the re-use of the existing structure and envelope, contributing to the city's Green Building Ordinance compliance.
Beyond environmental considerations, the project enhances the urban fabric by activating ground-floor retail spaces and improving pedestrian connectivity, particularly at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Sidney Street. These efforts aim to foster a vibrant, engaging environment for both occupants and the broader community.
“The greenest buildings are the ones that already exist, and the design team is still able to decrease the embodied carbon inherent to new construction by reusing an existing structure. This graphic was created by DiMella Shaffer, the architect, and it is a perfect representation how these strategies are balanced for 350 Mass Ave.”, Elizabeth Venuti, Building Performance Lead, enviENERGY Studio.
Image Credit: DiMella Shaffer
The project was recently featured by the Boston Society for Architecture’s Women in Design (WiD) community as a case study in adaptive reuse and female-led project teams.
Women are leading across the board, at the ownership level, in architectural design, envelope consulting, sustainability, and project management, making this redevelopment both a technical and cultural model for the region.
