Per a proposed amendment and two-year extension of its current Institutional Master Plan (IMP), Boston University is now planning three major projects, including the renovation of the Warren Towers dormitory and the Mugar Memorial Library, respectively, along with a new project – the Pardee School of Global Studies.
Repairs to Warren Towers at 700 Commonwealth Ave., which comprises three 18-story towers and hasn’t been updated since opening in 1965, will include accessibility improvements, upgrading the building envelope, and making the structure more energy efficient, with a target of LEED Gold, said Sonia Richards, BU’s associate vice president for planning, design and construction, during a joint Boston University Charles River Campus and Warren Towers Task Force and public meeting hosted virtually by the Boston Planning & Development Agency on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The proposed renovation will entail no changes to its height, or to the current number of floors, said Richards.
The expected 39-month construction schedule is set to get underway in May of 2025, immediately after commencement, said Richards, and it will occur in three phases so that at any given time, only been building will be under construction while the other two buildings are occupied.
Additionally, the renovation of the existing Mugar Memorial Library at 771 Commonwealth Ave. is expected to result in no change in size to its 220,000 square-foot Gross Floor Area, or its current maximum height of 114 feet, without mechanicals.
Meanwhile, Pardee School of Global Studies, proposed for 250 Bay State Road, would comprise 70,000 Gross Floor Area, including 12-plus floors and a penthouse, with a maximum height of 186 feet.
The BPDA’s public comment period for the IMPNF (Institutional Master Plan Notification Form) for this project is open through March 2. Visit the BPDA’s project page at https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/warren-towers-renovation to submit a public comment, or to learn more about the project. Public comments can also be emailed to Tyler Ross, BPDA senior project manager, at [email protected].