The Innovation and Design Building

What The Innovation and Design Building does

The Innovation and Design Building (IDB) is a 1.4 million square foot mixed-use commercial real estate property located in Boston Marine Industrial Park within the city's Seaport/Innovation District. Originally constructed in 1918 by the U.S. Department of Defense as a waterside storehouse for the South Boston Army Base, the eight-story complex was later acquired by the City of Boston in 1983 and transformed into a modern innovation hub. Today, IDB houses over 200 businesses and 3,000 employees across technology, life science, design, manufacturing, and consumer product sectors, with notable tenants including Autodesk, Ginkgo Bioworks (operating a $400 million R&D facility), Reebok, America's Test Kitchen, and the Boston Beer Company. The property is anchored by the Boston Design Center, which features over 30 showrooms showcasing more than 1,200 luxury furnishing and decorating product lines, and it is supplemented by a diverse mix of on-site dining, fitness, and amenity tenants such as Chickadee Restaurant, Flour Bakery, and EverybodyFights.

IDB generates revenue through multi-year commercial real estate leasing of office, laboratory, retail, restaurant, and amenity spaces, with pricing handled through quote-based negotiations via exclusive leasing agent JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle). The operation is owned and managed by Jamestown, a private equity real estate investment manager founded in 1983 with $11.6 billion in assets under management as of March 2024. In 2021, Jamestown entered into a partnership with Related Beal to jointly manage and develop the property, with a stated focus on expanding life science lab space. The go-to-market is anchored by a BOMA 360 certified building, an on-site tenant app (IDB App for iOS/Android) supporting amenity booking and food ordering, multiple transportation options (MBTA Silver Line, dedicated IDB shuttle to South Station, Pier 10 Ferry), and an event programming calendar (MassBio mixers, makers markets, outdoor cinema) that drives tenant engagement and community building.

The company's competitive position rests on a combination of location scarcity (prime Boston Seaport waterfront), large-format flexibility (1.4M SF allowing diverse tenant clustering), and a curated amenity ecosystem that supports tenant retention and rents. IDB is not a technology company in any meaningful sense; its core product is physical space, and its competitive advantages are real estate fundamentals rather than differentiated technology.

Name

The Innovation and Design Building

Legal name

The Innovation and Design Building

Website

https://idbldg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Innovation and Design Building is a 1.4 million square foot mixed-use commercial real estate property in Boston's Seaport district, owned by Jamestown and partnered with Related Beal, leasing office, lab, retail, and amenity space to 200+ businesses across technology, life science, design, and manufacturing sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Leasing

NAICS

Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Construction (IMAFACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Space Planning & Workplace Design (BPAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate leasing
• Mixed-use office space
• Life science lab space
• Design showrooms
• Tenant amenity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Leasing: The IDB generates revenue through leasing office, lab, retail, and amenity spaces to various tenants including architecture studios, technology startups, life science firms, design showrooms, and restaurant/fitness operators. The building also contains the Boston Design Center with over 30 showrooms featuring more than 1,200 luxury product lines.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Innovation and Design Building is a 1.4 million square foot mixed-use commercial real estate property in Boston's Seaport/Innovation District that leases office, laboratory, retail, and showroom space to tenants including technology startups, life science firms, architecture studios, design showrooms, restaurants, and fitness operators. The property is anchored by the Boston Design Center, which features over 30 showrooms and 1,200+ luxury furnishing and decorating product lines serving interior design professionals.

Product overview

The Innovation and Design Building is a 1.4 million square foot mixed-use commercial real estate property in Boston's Seaport/Innovation District. The property offers office and laboratory space leasing alongside the Boston Design Center (30+ showrooms, 1,200+ product lines). Tenant amenities include dining options (Chickadee Restaurant, Flour Bakery, Al's Cafe, and others), fitness facilities (Reebok and EverybodyFights), the IDB App for tenant services, and shuttle transportation. The property is managed by Jamestown in partnership with Related Beal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Office & Lab Space Leasing Commercial office and laboratory space leasing in a 1.4 million square foot facility housing architecture studios, R&D firms, manufacturing facilities, and technology startups in Boston's Seaport/Innovation District. Leasing is handled through Jones Lang LaSalle brokers.
• Boston Design Center Showroom Leasing Leasing of design showroom space for interior design professionals at the Boston Design Center, which features more than 1,200 luxury furnishing and decorating product lines across fabric, furniture, lighting, antiques, fine art, wall and floor coverings, kitchen and bath components, and contract services.
• Shipping Container Kiosk Leasing Leasing of shipping-container kiosk spaces along the IDB Promenade for food and retail operators, managed by Claire Bernard at IDB.
• IDB Mobile App Building-specific mobile application for tenants providing centralized IDB news access, amenity appointment booking (chair massages, eye exams, teeth whitening, bike maintenance, dog care, dry cleaning), and online food ordering for on-site retailers. Available on iOS and Android.
• IDB Shuttle Service Dedicated shuttle bus service connecting The Innovation and Design Building to South Station during peak hours (6:20am-9:50am and 3:15pm-7:35pm) for tenant use.
• IDB Event & Community Programming Community event programming including Makers + Markets holiday markets, MassBio Seaport mixers, outdoor Moonrise Cinema screenings, and Promenade gatherings that bring together IDB tenants and the broader Boston community.

Quantifiable outcome

• BOMA 360 designation demonstrates operational excellence and tenant satisfaction in building management

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Related BealcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In 2021, Jamestown entered into a partnership with Related Beal for the ownership and management of The Innovation and Design Building. Related Beal provides comprehensive, cutting-edge environments for life science lab space and commercial tenants.
• Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJLL serves as the exclusive leasing agent for office and lab spaces at IDB. Contact brokers Benjamin Hux, Ryan Enright, and Molly Heath handle commercial leasing inquiries.
• MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)supportingOthersIDB is conveniently located along the MBTA Silver Line route, providing public transit access for tenants and visitors. The building also operates a dedicated shuttle bus to/from South Station during peak hours.
• POST Physical TherapyminorOthersPOST physical therapy services are available at EverybodyFights gym location within IDB, providing on-site rehabilitation and wellness services for building tenants.
• Seaport MedspaminorOthersSeaport Medspa services are available at EverybodyFights gym location within IDB, providing aesthetic and wellness treatments for building tenants.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Industry City: Brooklyn waterfront mixed-use campus owned by Jamestown; ~6M SF of office, retail, light manufacturing and showroom space. Directly analogous operating model and ownership lineage to IDB.
• The Yards: Brookfield's mixed-use waterfront redevelopment in Washington, DC combining office, retail, dining and residential in adaptive-reuse buildings. Comparable waterfront mixed-use repositioning strategy and tenant mix.
• Chelsea Market: Mixed-use culinary, retail and office hub in NYC owned and operated by the same parent (Jamestown). Highly comparable concept: adaptive-reuse historic building, curated tenant mix, food/retail anchor, design-forward identity.
• Ponce City Market: Atlanta adaptive-reuse mixed-use property owned by Jamestown combining office, retail, dining and residential. Closest same-owner comparable to IDB in terms of historic-building reuse, curated retail/dining and office leasing strategy.
• Pacific Design Center: West Hollywood design showroom complex hosting hundreds of trade showrooms for interior designers. Directly comparable to the Boston Design Center anchor inside IDB in terms of trade-focused design showroom leasing model.
• Cambridge Crossing: Mixed-use innovation district in Cambridge, MA developed by DivcoWest and Bulfinch, featuring office, lab, retail and amenitized public space. Comparable Boston-area life-science-and-tech innovation campus competing for similar tenant demand.
• The D&D Building (New York Design Center): NYC design showroom building housing dozens of to-the-trade showrooms for interior designers, architects and specifiers. Closest East Coast peer to the Boston Design Center component of IDB.

Regional players

• Assembly Row: Federal Realty's mixed-use live-work-play district in Somerville, MA combining office, retail, dining and residential. Comparable Greater Boston amenitized mixed-use asset with similar tenant-targeting strategy.
• Seaport Square / Seaport Boston: WS Development's mixed-use district immediately adjacent to IDB in the same Boston Seaport/Innovation District. Closest submarket peer, directly competing for office, retail and lab tenants in the same catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Alexandria Real Estate Equities: NYSE-listed REIT focused on office/lab space for life science tenants. Comparable given IDB's substantial life science tenant base (Ginkgo Bioworks' $400M R&D facility plus Entrada, Jnana, HotSpot, Ratio, Aktis), and the lab conversion opportunity in the building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/idbldg
• Facebookfacebook.com/IDBldg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Innovation and Design Building