South Station Tower Wins 2026 ENR New England Best Project Award

Engineering News-Record (ENR) has named Boston’s South Station Tower its 2026 New England Best Project in the Office/Retail/Mixed-Use category. Hines developed the project with Pelli Clarke & Partners as design architect and Suffolk Construction as construction manager.

To support a 51-story tower above South Station’s active rail lines, crews installed 46 foundation elements through a working service tunnel between the historic headhouse and the passenger platforms. Precast concrete arches span the Great Space, the station’s new public concourse, and link the tower’s eight primary columns. This arrangement carries the tower’s weight to the foundations while concealing the column bases and leaving passengers a clear route to the platforms.

Space to store and assemble materials was scarce at track level. During construction, crews used the new eight-story podium spanning the tracks as a staging area. Drivers reserved delivery times so trucks arrived when cranes and crews were ready to unload. The same podium now supports the tower and provides space for the expanded bus terminal.

Read ENR’s November 5 feature on the construction of South Station Tower.