Kendall Square Workspace 5

As part of the ongoing renovation of a tech office campus for a confidential client, Utile and Merge Architects collaborated on the design of Workspace 5. Located in Cambridge’s Kendall Square, the workspace represents the last floor to be renovated in this building by the Utile and Merge design teams. The floor, inspired by the sites and colors of New England, was reimagined as a series of open workspaces, punctuated by flexible collaboration zones and supported by meeting rooms and shared amenities. Utile served as the Architect of Record.

The design takes its primary inspiration from the region’s wetlands, translating the distinct landscape into an interior palette. Shades of green—lighter and brighter in open workspaces, darker and more saturated in lounge areas—evoke the calm, grassy marshlands characteristic of the environment. These are contrasted by bursts of warm colors that recall dramatic New England sunsets over water. Vibrant wall graphics extend this visual narrative, surrounding users in dynamic compositions that reinforce the wetland theme while serving the practical function of providing privacy for adjacent enclosed rooms.

Just as New England wetlands are defined by their interplay of light and water, the workspace leverages natural daylight as a central design element. Open workspace clusters are positioned along the outer perimeter to maximize proximity to city views and natural light. Diaphanous screen walls allow daylight to penetrate deeper into the floorplate, dividing open zones from circulation corridors while maintaining visual connection and brightness throughout.

The floorplate’s long rectangular shape with irregular corners is subdivided into distinct “islands,” a reference to the scattered landforms within New England’s coastal wetlands. Each island contains its own supporting spaces and is buffered by bands of enclosed meeting rooms that offer opportunities for collaboration. Flexible workpoint zones distributed throughout further break down the neighborhoods into intimate clusters, mimicking the varied character of the regional landscape. Shared lounge spaces located across from the elevator lobby provide places to step away from focused work, much like clearings in the landscape can offer moments of pause.

Together with a small kitchen for refreshments, the project functions independently within the larger campus ecosystem while maintaining the building’s established New England character and familiar spatial logic for seamless wayfinding.