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Case Study – Great Hills Partners – Boston Headquarters



When Boston-based Great Hills Partners were planning their new expanded headquarters, they envisioned a space that reflected their culture and elevated the bar for their industry. They wanted to create a memorable workspace that would draw Boston's top talent. To bring their vision to life, they partnered with Gensler Boston.  

Gensler Boston knew they would need to provide an exclusive experience for the space on the 29th floor. They wanted to create something elegant yet edgy to reinforce GH's reputation as a forward-thinking firm. The experience would need to begin the moment the elevator doors open. 

 The elevator lobby's glass walls allow the eyes to go right to the view on the far side of the reception area - the design team would need a custom solution to make a statement in the lobby and reception area while not distracting from the open view. The concept was to create a concealed and floating grid system composed of glass pendant elements. 

From the initial renderings, the concept was massive in scale. Encompassing nearly 500 square feet of space with glass pendants spaced at one-foot intervals. The Elevator Lobby, at 25' long x 7' wide, required 175 pendants, while the Office Lobby space, at 17' x 17' wide, required another 256 pendants. Each pendant had to be wired and cut to the same size to convey the effect needed. An additional layer of the design challenge was the system also had to meet the efficiency requirement for the state energy code - this was no simple feat with 431 lights.  

Gensler Boston partnered with Fabbian USA and Available Light - Boston to fulfill their vision. Fabbian drawing on its nearly 60 years of experience creating lighting and Available Light to review the light sources and ensure compliance with the energy requirements. 

The Fabbian team worked with the Gensler Boston team and provided numerous glass and pendant samples in various shapes for contemplation. The solution needed to be unique - something that would match the overall design and Great Hills branding. The resulting glass was created using a custom mold – this enabled the glass to be just the right size and shape.  

It was one thing to create something unique in concept, but to convert the idea to the final implementation meant that the system needed to be installable. With such a massive canopy, the Fabbian technical team created a mounting system that could easily be set and leveled using all-thread and screw-points interconnecting each section of the canopy. The system was finished in matte black so that the canopy would disappear from view once installed. With 431 pendants, it was essential to ensure the wiring and power were easy to implement. Fabbian used 2W LED sources for each pendant- allowing the system to use less than 1000 watts at full brightness and controlled by only 52 dimming drivers. 

The result is a stunning custom system that leads people from the elevator lobby into the open main reception area while setting the tone for what to expect when working with Great Hills Partners. Fabbian can accommodate custom orders from simple to complex to ensure your next project is just what it needs to be. See the full gallery and case study here.

View our Custom Brochure to learn more, and contact us when you are ready to discuss your project.


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