Massachusetts State Police Lower Basin Barracks

Samiotes provided civil engineering and environmental permitting services for the renovation and addition at the historic Lower Basin Barracks building located on Charles Dam Road in Boston. The redevelopment includes the reduction of the existing paved area into a smaller, more efficient parking lot, allowing a large portion of the site to revert to park and landscaped areas for pedestrians to enjoy. The stormwater management improvements feature a rain garden that provides the necessary treatment and BWSC capacity, while also providing a natural ecological transition from the parking lot to the adjacent park. 

 

Blending Infrastructure, History and Parkland
Samiotes collaborated with Finegold Alexander and the full project team to develop site-specific engineering solutions that responded to the historic character, environmental sensitivity, and complex permitting needs of this active civic facility. Key strategies included:

• Designing a rain garden that met BWSC recharge/detention regulations while enhancing the park edge

• Leading and assisting with an intensive, multi-agency permitting process (BWSC, Boston Conservation Commission, MassDEP, MassDOT, MWRA, MA DCR)

• Creating a traffic management plan and coordinating utility access for uninterrupted building occupancy during construction with the CM

• Solving for numerous underground and surface-level unknowns on a constrained, high-profile site

• Supporting the project’s pursuit of LEED Silver® certification through thoughtful stormwater and sustainability integration

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By balancing historic preservation, resilient infrastructure, and thoughtful site design, Samiotes helped transform the Massachusetts State Police’s historic barracks into a modern, high-performing facility—while returning a significant portion of the site to the public realm. The result is a dignified, durable and dependable home for public safety operations, seamlessly integrated into the surrounding Esplanade landscape.