New Boston Warehouse Goes Green; Older One Headed for Multi-Family Makeover

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

F.W. Webb Co., a plumbing and heating distributor, has opened the city’s first environmentally friendly warehouse. Located at 307 Dorchester Avenue in South Boston, the two-story state-of-the-art facility was designed as a distribution center and showroom. Webb said that the facility triples the company’s footprint in Boston while reducing its carbon footprint.

The 47,657-square-foot project was built by RAM Construction L.L.C. on the site of a vacant electrical supply warehouse. As reported by Citybizlist, the building is eligible for certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. Seventy-five percent of the construction waste from the demolished building was re-used. Thirty rooftop solar panels and an 8,000-gallon energy storage tank will meet around thirteen percent of the facility’s heating and hot water needs. Cooling will be provided by a geothermal water source connected to the HVAC system. Documents filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority last year estimate the project’s cost at $7 million.

A warehouse facility is also the centerpiece of another innovative program. Berkeley Investments Inc. will invest $17.5 million to convert a five-story warehouse at 381 Congress Street into a 43,500-square-foot residential building, according to the Boston Globe. The developer will create 28 affordable apartments and 16 larger units. Plans also call for a 1,200-square-foot patio and about 6,000 square feet of retail space, as well as bicycle storage space and rooftop gardens.