China Trade Building
Boston, MA
BH+A has completed several projects at the China Trade Building in downtown Boston. The 6-story, 105,000 sf iron and masonry building was designed in 1887 and is listed on the City of Boston’s Historic Buildings. The firm was originally engaged by the City to assess the existing conditions of the building over a decade ago, and have since completed the following projects:
- Replacement of the mechanical system to provide fresh air, and included new chillers.
- Renovation of the Chinatown Branch of the Boston Public Library on the first and second floors.
- Renovation of the toilet cores, with related accessibility upgrades.
- Accessibility upgrades that including handrails and structural reinforcing or existing stairs.
- Replacement of the fire alarm system, including the addition of sprinklers and smoke control systems in the atrium.
- Assessment and repair waterproofing issues in the building including structural slabs and integral waterproofing layer replacement.
All the projects were designed and went through construction with the building occupied. Our current project is a restoration of the building exterior, working with a façade that has had numerous modification done to its appearance over the years, including the addition of security grilles at windows, changes to the 1st floor storefront design, the addition of aluminum windows in some areas, and masonry patches that are in some cases now failing. We have completed a survey of the conditions and are preparing bid documents for masonry repairs and restoration of the original wood windows.
