Situated in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the LEED Gold certified Watermark Kendall West complex is host to residential, commercial, and retail spaces. In April 2014 Recover Green Roofs installed two roof patios on the second and 21^st floors of Watermark Kendall West designed to provide residents with recreational and leisure spaces overlooking Cambridge, the Charles River, and downtown Boston.

Marked as a global center for innovation and cutting edge technology, the award winning walkable Watermark Kendall neighborhood is located next to MIT and consists of two residential towers, East and West:

Watermark West:
24 story, 375,000 square feet, 321 luxury apartments and 25,000 square feet retail, completed 2006, LEED EB Gold (2010 with re-certification in 2015).

Watermark East:
17 story, 135,000 sf building, 144 apartments and 10,000 square feet retail, completed 2013, LEED NC Silver.

Together, the two towers offer extensive private and public amenities including a fitness spa, 24-hour concierge services, roof terrace and courtyard green roof, as well as retail, restaurants, outdoor parks, and a small kayak facility on a canal that feeds into the Charles River.

The Property Manager, Gables Residential, has utilized many strategies to reduce energy, water, and waste and to improve the environmental impact of Watermark Kendall West including:

“Opportunities to reduce water consumption are continually identified. Since 2014, the property team has replaced original shower heads with 1.5 gallon per minute (GPM) fixtures and retrofitted kitchen and bathroom faucets with 1.5 GPM aerators in all resident units. Additionally, drip irrigation and irrigation controls were added to water the building’s vegetated roof and landscaped balcony. As a result of these and other efforts, the property has saved over 2 million gallons of water per year.” ~ Principal: Sustainability Profile – Watermark Kendall West

And the property team promotes sustainability education through Green Living Guides for its residents. Gables Residential says, “Our community amenities are thoughtfully designed with fun and convenience to make the most of your everyday living experience.”

“The 21st floor rooftop terrace offers breathtaking panoramic views of Cambridge, the Charles River, and Downtown Boston. The 3,000 sf terrace features Brazilian hardwood decking, concrete pavers, seating and meeting space with high-end finishes, custom-fabricated planters, living walls, drought-tolerant grasses and plantings.

The project’s scope of work also included the renovation of four apartment units on the 20th floor involving the removal of the ceilings to install a steel support system to hold the added weight of the roof top terrace, as well as the reconfiguration of the drainage systems to accommodate the new ecosystem above.” ~ Nauset Construction

As a consultant with CBT Architects, Recover designed the twenty-first floor Sky Deck at Watermark Kendall West with custom-fabricated planters that support tall ornamental grasses and trellised vines to create a variety of semi-private seating areas around the roof. The green roof also features Bison wood tiles and pedestals surrounded by a grass lawn that is dog-friendly. The Watermark Kendall West 21st Floor Rooftop Patio even occasionally hosts doggie pool parties for its residents in the summer.

Home to a diverse community, the property identifies best-in-class sustainability strategies to guide its environmental efforts. Overlooking the Charles River and the MIT campus, the roof terrace and courtyard greenroof beautifully illustrate Watermark Kendall West’s philosophy while providing amenities for an active lifestyle along with spectacular views.

Also completed by Recover Green Roofs in 2014, the 2nd floor green roof courtyard at Watermark Kendall West experienced a renovation in 2018. See the refurbished Watermark Kendall Terrace West Second Floor Terrace Project Profile in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database.