PCA Completes Design Work for One Million Square-Foot Mixed-Use Arsenal Yards

WATERTOWN — Cambridge-based architecture and interior design firm PCA has announced the completion of their placemaking and design work at Arsenal Yards, the emerging new neighborhood in the heart of Watertown’s East End at the site of the former Arsenal Mall. Working with the project’s development partners Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies, PCA master planned the entire seven-building, one million square foot mixed-use destination, and designed its vibrant urban village, residences, and open spaces.

The new neighborhood brings together an eclectic mix of live, work, and play environments including more than 50 retailers and restaurants, 108,000 square feet of lab and office space, 300 apartment residences, and a 146-room hotel. Anchoring the neighborhood are two original Arsenal brick buildings, authentically restored to their original character and size. Retail stores and restaurants spill out into the outdoor areas and green spaces, blurring the lines of inside and outdoor experiences to invite passersby in and activate the neighborhood’s public realm. Walkways wind through Arsenal Yards and connect residents and visitors to the River Green, Watertown’s Arsenal Park, and the bike and pedestrian path along the Charles River.

“From the earliest stages of our planning and community conversations, we realized the opportunity was to not only reimagine the Arsenal property, but to also make a great public space, a destination where people want to return to,” said Eric Brown, AIA, Principal at PCA. “Fulfilling that goal led to a focus on designing an active pedestrian experience with walkways and sightlines that create the feel of a comfortable village center.”

In addition to master planning for the hotel and the 10-story lab building, PCA provided full design services, including the interiors and tenant amenity spaces, for Arsenal Yards’ residential buildings and the planning and design of structured parking for 1200 cars. The PCA-designed Arsenal Yards residences, Blvd & Bond Apartments, is comprised of a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. Roof decks, integrated as part of the residential buildings, provide an outdoor respite and a place to entertain. Additional amenity spaces include a fitness center, a work from home area, game room and adjoining lounge spaces, and a communal kitchen that connects to the rooftop action.

Arsenal Yards, Watertown MA