Alewife TMA's Member Spotlight

Property -  Cambridge Discovery Park

Real Estate Developer & Operator - The Bulfinch Companies, Inc.

Interview with George Kassas, Senior Associate and Property Manager

June 2023

Tell us a little bit about your  Company 

Bulfinch is a commercial real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition, development, repositioning, and management of properties in Greater Boston. Our portfolio consists of approximately 4M SF of life science, medical office, office and industrial assets. Cambridge Discovery Park (CDP) is a 27-acre first-class life science, research, and office campus in the Alewife Life Science Cluster directly off Route 2 in Cambridge. CDP is one of the largest campuses in Cambridge after MIT and Harvard and delivers amenities both on and off-site in a richly landscaped environment. The park’s world-class tenants include Forrester Research, The Smithsonian Astrophysical Institute, Fog Pharmaceuticals, LifeMine Therapeutics, Senda Biosciences, Arbor Biotechnologies, Simcere and MOMA Therapeutics. CDP currently offers 14,000 - 60,000 SF of move-in ready lab/office space available for lease. 

What drives your  Company  to work to reduce carbon emissions?  

Bulfinch is deeply committed to creating a sustainable environment for tenants, guests, and the community. We incorporate sustainable practices throughout the portfolio, while enhancing building technologies, systems, and certifications (LEED, Energy Star, Fitwel, WELL), as well as undertaking programs to reduce our carbon footprint.

Bulfinch incorporates green design elements and materials across our portfolio to minimize negative impacts on the environment. Energy and water efficiency design elements in addition to sound planning, design, engineering, and construction techniques are crucial to this mission. 

Select examples Include: 

• Lab Heat Recovery System 
• Drought tolerant planting materials and time clocks for watering purposes 
• Water-reducing aerators in all bathroom faucets, shower heads, and low-flow toilets 
• Electricity purchased from third parties typically exceeds minimum requirements for renewable energy components provided by wind, water, and solar
  

What sustainability projects is your Company working on that you are most excited about?   

Bulfinch and the team at CDP are particularly excited about doubling the number of EV (Electric Vehicles) charging stations in the CDP parking garage. Through Eversource's Make Ready Program, we are adding 20 charging stations. 

We are proud of our partnership with Green City Growers, which provides urban farming and gardening options for tenants at CDP. Through the program, tenants learn how to grow their own vegetables in raised planting beds. The Green City Grower team helps the tenant gardeners, and they can bring the produce they grow home, creating a true wellness in the workplace experience. 

Bulfinch also takes great pride in achieving the LEED Gold certifications in our buildings and  our work to get the buildings on the CDP campus Fitwel Certified. LEED certified refers to efforts to reduce the impact a building has on the environment and FitWel certified refers to the impact a building has on its tenants, supporting the need to provide them with best-in-class amenities. 

Additionally, Bulfinch has invested in several renewable energy programs that use recycled air in our buildings and recycled water to cool the HVAC systems. We also incorporate white roofs on our buildings to reduce the amount of heat that is absorbed into the buildings to save energy spent on air-conditioning. 

What are some of the transportation related benefits offered to the tenants and employees at your properties? 

Bulfinch encourages sustainable transportation efforts with local organizations, like the Alewife TMA, to promote sustainable transportation options for tenants.

Examples include: 

• Shuttle service to/from Alewife Station for tenants 
• Onsite BlueBikes station. 
• Bike racks and indoor bike storage for tenants 
• DCR Partnership to maintain the pedestrian walkway to Alewife T Station (Bulfinch provides security and maintenance) 
• Additionally, Bulfinch is proud to be a sponsor of the Jimmy Fund’s Cow Parade this year. At CDP and we will feature two cows (at either end of pedestrian walkways to the CDP campus from Alewife T Station). 
  

What do you find most valuable about being a member of the TMA?  

Bulfinch values our partnership with the Alewife TMA and benefits from the services and programs they provide that encourage commuters at CDP to use alternative transportation modes. Our tenants at CDP benefit from the TMA’s ridesharing services, the Emergency Ride Program, and the engaging monthly Commuter Challenges like Bike to Work Month, the Earth Month Challenge, and the Golden Ticket shuttle promotion. 

We are grateful to Melissa Zampitella, Executive Director of Alewife TMA, for suggesting a shuttle partnership with our neighbors, The Royal Belmont. This partnership contributes to reducing our carbon footprint and provides a valuable amenity to our tenants. Bulfinch also enjoys working with the other TMA member organizations to support better transportation infrastructure and travel options in the Alewife area. 

Tell us about a memorable  transportation experience you have personally had.  

The CDP team recently took a work trip to San Francisco (it was my first time there) and I was fascinated by the trollies that travel up and down those hilly streets! 

I am a Boston resident and an avid Bluebikes user. I take Bluebikes all over Boston and Cambridge, so I deeply appreciate the bike lanes in both cities, since they make it much safer to bike.