CALA

CALA

Somerville, MA

Located at 1060 Broadway in Somerville, Mass., CALA is an inclusive, intergenerational urban village with 48 residences and accessible green space. In 2017, Kaplan was hired to provide preconstruction and construction management services and worked closely with the architect, co-owner, and developer, Sebastian Mariscal Studio, to create a campus-style environment.

The 91,000 SF building sits on a compact two-acre parcel. The 48 residential units include 55+ senior living and artist live/work units, with twenty percent of the units designated as affordable. Five commercial properties spanning over 23,000 SF feature office space. A public park adds a half-acre of usable green space for the residents of Somerville.

Over a three-year period, the fortress-like concrete building, originally built in 1973, was transformed into an open framework with over 50% of new construction incorporating outdoor space. Major structural upgrades, like additional shear walls and column reinforcing, were performed to meet modern building and seismic code. Of the many structural changes made, the most notable was the relocation and elevation of the existing central courtyard throughout the first floor of the building. The reconfiguration freed up space for a resident garage while allowing the new, elevated courtyard to enjoy increased light and ventilation. The extensive modifications to the building inverted many of the core elements of the existing structure, creating significant waterproofing challenges that the team had to overcome.

In 2021, the project won a Best Project award in the Renovation/Restoration category from ENR New England. The project was named a finalist for ENR’s Best Overall Project of the Year. In the same year, Kaplan was honored with an Excellence in Construction Eagle award in the renovation category from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts.