Boston Public Market

The design of the Boston Public Market, the first year-round indoor public market in the country to prioritize local, sustainable food, reflects the triumph of place-making and architectural creativity over mind-boggling infrastructure complexity, transforming the ground floor of a previously vacant state office building into a vibrant destination that anchors a growing market district. The design integrates seven entrances, drawing visitors and residents from all parts of the city. The Kitchen and Hub create memorable urban destinations. Through displays, signage and active instruction, the entire market is designed as a platform for public education. Building-scale signs, exterior lighting, and window decals designed as part of the project announce the market as the cornerstone of the emerging market district. The Market supports local agriculture and promotes land conservation while reducing carbon emissions associated with food transport by air. Everything sold in the Market is produced or originated in New England, the vast majority in Massachusetts, which supports the local economy. The Market is located directly above the Haymarket MBTA station (Orange and Green Lines, MBTA bus routes) and three blocks from North Station (Commuter Rail & Amtrak, Orange and Green Lines), and is served by two nearby Hubway bike share stations, promoting low-emissions visits. The design minimizes energy and water use while providing for recycling and composting. Designed to meet LEED standards for Interior Design & Construction (v4, Retail), the project is certified LEED Silver and received a prestigious design award from AIA New England. Crisply detailed white canopies of corrugated metal are evenly washed with up-lights, creating luminous canted ceilings that vault over 40 distinctive vendor stalls. Rectangular pylons, clad in metallic copper laminate, conceal utility risers and simulate a pillared market hall. Pendant lights of copper and silver define the aisles and central hub and evoke a culinary theme. With overhead utilities left in shadow and copious use of salvaged barn board, the overall ambiance is that of a bustling market street at twilight. The design reconciles extreme site constraints ­ Central Artery Tunnel ventilation shafts, Haymarket subway station, parking garage, and new Registry of Motor Vehicles ­ with complex infrastructure requirements. With no basement, sub-floor utilities had to be designed within a raised slab. With no ceiling plenum, overhead utilities had to be threaded through existing infrastructure serving the upper office floors. All complexity is resolved with finesse to create a new public amenity for Boston.