NADAAA Selected to Design New Headquarters for Boston Society of Architecture
Exterior of 99 Chauncy Street, future new home of the BSA.
The Boston Society of Architecture (BSA) is leaving its home of just 15 years at a Höweler + Yoon–designed space in the Atlantic Wharf building for new digs at 99 Chauncy Street in the heart of downtown. Boston-based NADAAA has been tapped to design the new headquarters, selected from a shortlist of four firms competing for the commission. NADAAA demonstrated a “deep understanding of the civic potential” of the new downtown space, said Calvin Boyd-Morlani, a senior associate at Payette who serves on the BSA board of directors and is a member of the organization’s New Space/Firm Selection committee.
The move, which is expected to happen in early 2027, marks a new beginning for one of the oldest (established in 1867) and largest (more than 4,500 current members) chapters of the American Institute of Architects.
Per a press release, the move to 99 Chauncy will enable the BSA to “right-size its physical footprint” while decamping from the waterfront to Boston’s downtown core. (The current BSA space at Atlantic Wharf is 15,000 square feet while the new downtown space will be 8,700 square feet.) The prominent corner location will help the organization “create a visible and welcoming hub where architects, designers, and the public can gather to explore ideas shaping the future of architecture and the built environment.”
“We’re thrilled to establish the BSA’s new home in a neighborhood that reflects the energy and diversity of Boston,” elaborated BSA executive director Danyson Tavares.
As detailed in the release, the new NADAAA-designed space will include staff offices and flexible spaces for exhibitions, lectures, conferences, and community events. As noted by the BSA, the headquarters will also support a new BSA-led initiative that explores “innovative models to strengthen the nonprofit sector through shared resources, collaboration, and civic infrastructure.”
“The BSA headquarters effectively serves as an embassy for the discipline: on the one hand communicating what architecture can do for the environments in which it is set, and on the other, how the profession can embody the capacity to listen to a wider audience,” said Nader Tehrani, founding principal of NADAAA in a statement.
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