CC&F Breaks Ground On The Bolt, A New Manufacturing Hub In The Boston Area

The Boston-Cambridge area of Massachusetts has been called the “premier location for the life sciences industry on the U.S. East Coast, if not the entire world.” 

An estimated 130,000 people work in the local life sciences sector, and with numerous nearby prestigious colleges and universities, including Harvard, Boston College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, more are joining their ranks each day. 

A short drive from this famous life sciences hub is The Bolt, or the Boston Outpost for Leading Tech, a customizable lab, office and manufacturing space designed for life sciences, tech and advanced manufacturing firms. 

“Companies are eager to expand their manufacturing to the Greater Boston area, but they need quality locations and buildings to do so,” said Shaun Sullivan, vice president and director of design and construction at Cabot, Cabot & Forbes. “We see the market demand, and we are actively building for the future to meet it.”

Located in Woburn, 10 miles north of Downtown Boston, The Bolt features 180K SF of flexible life sciences space that can be outfitted with everything from wet labs and clean rooms to office space and production floors. Once a brownfield site, the project broke ground on Nov. 6 and is slated for delivery in 2027.

All layout configurations provide column-free spans and generous bay spacing, giving The Bolt a light, airy feel that fosters productivity. Additionally, The Bolt can be outfitted for either a single tenant or multiple tenants, providing a number of flexible uses and layouts for different types of users, depending on their needs.

Other building features at The Bolt include four loading docks with overhead doors and canopies, 37-foot clear heights for optimal vertical clearance and 234 outdoor parking spaces. The building will have a flexible HVAC structure to cater to tenants’ needs as well as high-capacity electrical service — 8,000 amps — from Eversource. 

“This project is essential to attract companies to the region and pick Greater Boston sites for their expansion,” Sullivan said. “We have many older industrial-type buildings, but new advanced manufacturing buildings are scarce within the Massachusetts Route 128 belt. The Bolt’s presence in Woburn will help to correct this scarcity, providing a first-class site for burgeoning companies to make their new home.”

Sullivan said the shortage of spaces like The Bolt is so severe that today’s tenants are being pushed into inadequate facilities, forced to relocate farther from Boston or even driven to choose sites in other states.

However, the city of Woburn, alongside the state of Massachusetts, has made considerable infrastructure investments in recent years to promote economic growth, such as the construction of the New Boston Street Bridge. Once completed, the bridge is expected to transport around 20,000 commuters daily.

“Infrastructure improvements such as the New Boston Street Bridge will make a major difference in Woburn, vastly improving how people travel to and from work every day, which will have an immediate and long-lasting effect on the community,” Sullivan said. “Advancements like this make the Greater Boston area more accessible to top talent, and innovative companies will surely take notice.” 

A standout feature of The Bolt is its location, Sullivan said. Located just outside of the hustle and bustle of Boston, with direct access to Boston Logan International Airport and Interstates 93 and 95, The Bolt is minutes from dozens of shopping, dining and entertainment destinations, such as Woburn Village — a popular mixed-use shopping center in the heart of town. 

“It is located in a desirable city with leadership that is working to bring projects like this to fruition and provide companies with what they need to start work and to continue to grow without having to relocate,” Sullivan said.

Some of the nation’s largest biotechnology firms, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Amgen, Charles River Laboratories and Dentsply Sirona, already call Woburn home. Sullivan said The Bolt’s location is superior due to its proximity to these established advanced manufacturing sites in Woburn as well as the biotech and medical facilities of Downtown Boston.

Just 9 miles away in Boston, tenants will have access to the world’s most prominent biotech hub, home to Moderna, Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. Boston is also home to Massachusetts General Hospital, the No.1 hospital in the nation, as well as the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, which includes top-ranked institutions Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

This article was produced in collaboration between CC&F and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.