This project replaced decades-old temporary safety barriers at Boston’s Government Services Center with a permanent, code-compliant life safety solution.
Designed by architect Paul Rudolph and constructed between 1969 and 1972, the Brutalist complex includes two cast-in-place concrete buildings over a shared parking garage and plaza.
The scope included installation of approximately 2,000 linear feet of guardrails along undulating concrete lightwells and benches overlooking the garage below. The challenge was developing a cost-effective, repeatable solution adaptable to varied existing conditions while respecting the architectural significance of the site.
The final design employs curved, laser-cut steel panels cantilevered from the existing concrete structure. Patterned to echo the texture and play of light found in the original bush-hammered concrete, the guardrails are finished to complement existing bronze elements and visually recede within the plaza environment.
