GE's 2.4-acre Boston headquarters will mix a modern building wrapped in a solar-panel facade, topped with a lighted GE sign, with two rehabbed brick buildings along Fort Point Channel.
GE unveiled renderings for its Boston headquarters in Fort Point in documents filed to the Boston Redevelopment Authority Monday.
The project includes the renovation of two historic Fort Point buildings and the construction of another, 12-story building.
The headquarters will include event and "maker" space for use by startups, college and high-school students, GE said.
“We want our campus to be a global epicenter of innovation, a place to foster relationships among our employees and the greater community,” Ann R. Klee, GE's head of Boston operations for GE, said in a statement. “Our headquarters is designed to engage and leverage the talent, technology and work ethic of Fort Point and greater Boston, while also giving back to the community through investment, rehabilitation and an inviting public space.”
The headquarters includes 1.5 acres of Harbor walk open to the public, and a coffee shop and restaurant also open to the public.
In the press release, GE boasts the 800-employee site's green bonafides: It sports a rooftop solar-panel array, roof areas with vegetation—and only 30 parking spots.
GE says the building will also be protected against rising sea levels, with raised ground floors and specially designed landscaping.
Work on the existing buildings is planned to begin between October and December of this year, with employees expected to start working them in early 2018.
In early 2017, construction of the new building, designed by architectural firm Gensler, will start, with a planned opening in early 2018.
