Kintsukuroi, translating to “golden repair,” is the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with precious metals. The art regards the breakage and repair as part of the pottery’s history, and accentuates it rather than completely erasing or disguising it. Inspired by Kintsukuroi, designers at Gensler approached One Post Office Square with the intention of utilizing some of the already-existing features and enhancing it with architectural additions, creating something exquisite.
One Post Office Square, located in the heart of Boston’s financial district, is the site of Norman B. Leventhal Park, a lush, verdant oasis amidst the bustling high-rise office buildings. The meticulously-maintained and well-loved park was built over the site of an old parking garage that had been demolished. The project architects took on was the retrofitting job of a 42-story precast tower from the early 1980s.
The lower half of the office tower’s precast panels were removed, and new curtainwall panels were introduced to the structure. Additionally, former masonry facade was also replaced with a high-performance glass wall, giving the building a more timeless look. To aid with the designers’ endeavors, Pure + Freeform panels in a custom cement finish were used on the tower’s exterior wall, providing a sleek and dynamic appearance.
The panels, fortified with Lumiflon FEVE Resin technology, provide a plethora of benefits that ultimately prevent early coatings failure, thus extending its lifespan. FEVE-based fluoropolymers offer unparalleled color and gloss retention capabilities, preserving the vibrance of a coatings system for an extended period of time. Additionally, FEVE coatings exhibit superior weatherability, ensuring the structural integrity of a coating remains intact, even when facing prolonged exposure to UV radiation, moisture, salt, and other elemental deterrents.
Strengthened with Lumiflon FEVE Resin, the office tower at One Post Office Square will remain immaculate for years to come.
Photography ©Raj Das
Categories Architecture