Edward W. Brooke Courthouse

The Edward W. Brooke courthouse is located just a couple minutes' walk away from Boston's government center. its courtyard is quite large, and is nearly fully enclosed, with the exception of the main entrance from New Chardon street. The courtyard spans three floors. The bottom floor is mostly hidden from view and serves primarily as a parking garage. the only views one has of the bottom level are through punctures in the upper two levels that allow light and air to filter downward. A dominant puncture runs throughout a large portion of the courtyard, curving to conform to the oval green space in the center. This cut serves as a divider between the public courtyard and the private parking garage, and also allows one to view across the gap and into the parking area. It is at this cut that stairways bridge the gap between the middle court level and the elevated roof terrace above the parking garage.
While the courtyard itself is fairly interesting, the facades of the surrounding buildings that face the courtyard are equally as fascinating. the courthouse in particular uses some clever architectural devices to reference ancient greek temples, but still appear contemporary. The columns of the facade are perhaps its most interesting elements - they are spaced evenly and pushed out several feet from the main structure and create a covered walkway that spans the length of the courtyard. The columns are shaped by dominant armatures on site, creating more of a rhombus in plan than a square. The acute shape of the columns maintains the courthouse's aesthetic of sharp angles (determined by the shape of the overall site). The facades of the second building that encloses the courtyard are also quite interesting. They taper back with each rising level, and are punctured at points by large, sculpture-like forms of concrete that rise into the sky and seem to compliment the city's skyline beyond. At several points on the upper most level of the courtyard, the sculptural punctures that rise upward are surrounded by smaller sculptural pieces, that contain lights for night time illumination. (pictured below) The large sweeping stairways are another dominant feature on site. They radiate outward from the oval green space in the center, and serve as the connecting aesthetic between the heavier material of the upper roof terrace, and the subtler green space of the courtyard.Overall, this courtyard is a fascinating place. The courthouse and the other building that define the courtyard compliment one another quite nicely, though without the courtyard element they would appear to be two completely different creatures. The courtyard itself is full of interesting architectural techniques, and feels quite private, while still providing a view back to the city's skyline that rises above the surrounding buildings.

Tent City

Tent City, a housing project located right across the street from Back Bay station in Boston, was our place for analysis this time. The building(s) itself is quite large, and covers a large area. Its central 'courtyard' is what makes the building unique.
It is located directly in the heart of the project, and is accessed by a small side street that meanders its way into the middle of the area, or through a small pedestrian entrway from the main street. The entryway itself is extremely symmetrical when viewed in elevation, and uses strong vertical axes to give the building a sense of grandeur.
the central green space within the courtyard is "fenced in" by many tall trees aligned in increments around the entire area, creating both a division between the street and the green space, but also an interesting moment in perspective.





Aside from having some interesting planning and design elements, the building also uses some strange, yet fascinating benches. All of the benches which surround the building on the main streets around it are constructed from wood, yet are painted to represent brick and mortar. Just thought was an interesting idea...

Roslindale

A small park located right on Washington Street was our site of analysis for this examination. The elongated shape of the plan allows for a smooth flow of traffic around the area, and also creates a nice atmosphere for local small-scale shops.
The entire park area is surrounded by several layers of enclosures. The inner most ring of enclose occurs as an envelope of trees and canopies. The trees are space evenly around the area, and help to create a visual barrier between the quiet interior space and the noise of Washington Street. the second layer of enclosure is a fence that surrounds the entire green space, and is only broken at the park's four points of entry. (typical entry pictured below). The final layer of enclosure around the park were the streets and the buildings that face the green space.
An interesting moment occurs at one of the parks entry points - a view corridor is created whose axis cuts directly through the center of the park and intersects with its enclosures. The fence becomes perforated to allow for pedestrian traffic, and a better view.other interesting planning techniques can be seen in the park's drainage system. the pathways that pass through the green space are constructed of large cement tiles with a crown in the center. The crown allows water to drain off to the sides into swales covered with bricks. The bricks allow for a deeper penetration from surface water, and any excess is forced down through the swales to storm drains at the bottom.

Northeastern University Quad

The Quad located at the Parker Street edge of the Northeastern Campus is a busy place, to say the least. Surrounded on all sides by dormitories, and just minutes away from the rest of Northeastern University's Behemoth of a campus, this area is constantly flooded with commuters walking to and from the Ruggles T station and students alike. The area is not quite symmetrical, yet at first glance it seems that it could be. However, the curving walls of the Parker Street dormitory create a unique moment in plan as the building protrudes into the quad, then quickly flows outward in the opposite direction. The buildings surrounding the quad possess many similar motifs, including windows and shading devices. Some Unique moments also occur at corner conditions of the surrounding buildings, where common room windows look out onto the quad - large aluminum louvers act as shading devices, while the mullions in the windows are arranged in a way that almost reflects the Mondrian style cubism, or the golden section. Some of the windows are also extruded out from several facades in relation to the sun's position. A common element that all buildings surrounding the quad possess, is the brick trim/ornamentation on the parapet walls on top of the dorms. The ornamentation serves to emphasize the top of the structures, and also seems to relate somewhat to greek-style pediments, and their strong horizontal axes. Perhaps one of the most intriguing architectural moments occurs in a skewed corridor that punctures through one of the dormitories. The corridor aligns with one of the walkways in the corridor, but the interesting element is the way in which the corridor is skewed - when approaching the building from Parker Street, the angle and tweak of the corridor creates an elongated perspective and also frames the quad beyond. Aside from some specific moments, the rest of the quad seems somewhat typical of a college campus. The materiality in the buildings is constant throughout, and the architecture of each building reflects that of the next. Combined with the orientation and alignment of the pathways passing through the quad, this area seems similar to some renaissance piazzas, reflecting the perspective plan motif, and the concept of the view corridor. It is definitely an enjoyable space, and seems to compliment quite well, the rest of Northeastern's campus.

The Institute of Contemporary Art

The Institute of Contemporary Art, also known as the ICA is located right on the Boston harbor. Its orientation provides vast views out across the harbor, and its appearance is dominated by a huge cantilever. The materiality and the continuity of the design's themes throughout make this building quite an enjoyable space. The area being examined in this analysis is the exterior deck just under the cantilever.
The ICA's exterior deck serves as a place for reflection, and also as a good place to enjoy a meal. The presence of the enormous cantilever above creates a sense of enclosure within an exterior place, and when looking across the harbor, the giant plane above essentially frames the view. However, the materiality of the building is perhaps its most interesting element. The facades of the building are not only dominated by the upper cantilever, but also by its structure. A huge span of steel warps its way throughout the building, providing support for the upper half of the building, and also defining architectural spaces inside and out. Amongst the other interesting usage of materials, the wood paneling and flooring of the deck outside stands out the most. At first glance, the flooring seems to be running parralel with the footprint of the building. Yet at further examination, it becomes evident that the wood is layed out in a slightly skewed manor, creating a unique moment when viewing the space in perspective. The flow of the wood throughout the ICA's exterior is seemless. Aside from the spacing between each board, the wood decking seems to never end. The floor breaks away in certain points and skews, yet the wood decking flows with it, adapting to alterations in the plan. The stairs and 'bleachers' are also completely wrapped with the same material, creating what is experienced a seemless flowing path of wood.The foundation of the building is merged nicely with the building itself. Boulder-like rocks mixed with sand, gravel and the like provide a firm bed for the structure above, and at some points, the foundation is exposed by a puncture in the wooden deck above. Overall, the ICA's exterior space is enjoyable on any day, due to its shelter from the cantilever above. The only downside to the area is the constant breeze coming from the harbor, which can get quite powerful at times. However, the views that the area provides more than compensate for that.

Christian Science Center

The Christian Science Center is located just a short distance from the Prudential center in Boston. The area being examined in this analysis lies between the main entrance to the church and the facade of the apartment and condo building across the street. Other buildings around the area serve to further enclose this space, and an allay of trees on either side of symphony road helps to create a semi-transparent transition zone between the residential/commercial and religious sides of symphony road.

The first thing one notices when observing this particular space is the vast classical influence used in the architecture. The doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders are all employed within the area. Some facades also use the giant order - particularly the facade of the library. Strong horizontal and vertical axes are easily identifiable in all of the science center's buildings - even the structures with more of a modern touch. ALL buildings surrounding this area exhibit a strong and steady vertical rhythm in the their facades, whether it is through the use of classical columns, concrete supports or vertical mullions. The spacing between vertical elements around the area is quite even throughout, creating a steady and incremental rhythm of vertical axes. The trees in and around the area also help to relate the vertical scale of the surrounding buildings back to human scale. Horizontal rhythm is also noticeable, but is more subtle than that of the vertical elements.

The materiality of the buildings around the area is also quite heavy. Many of the buildings are constructed from granite and marble as well as limestone, while the rest of the buildings surrounding the space of analysis are constructed from concrete. The weight of each of these materials makes their respective buildings seem heavy and daunting. However, the stone dome on the top of the Church conveys a feeling of lightness, or even weightlessness, which also helps to portray the area as being in the presence of a higher power.

The Fens

"The Fens" has come to be a nickname for Frederick Law Olmstead's Emerald Necklace, and it has also come to be a popular day-time hangout for many students and residents in Boston alike. The area being examined in this analysis lies between Park Drive and Ruggles Street, and is comprised of an athletic track and field flanked by bleachers and trees on both sides. The bleachers run the entire length of the field (on both sides) and act not only as a place of viewing the events on the field, but they also serve as a secondary transition zone, seperating the private residential area on Park Drive from the public area within the park. This transition zone also occurs on the side of the park opposite from the residential buildings, but is less of a tranzition zone and more of a circulation zone, occuring just before the Muddy River creates a distinct edge to the park. The public area within the park is also sunken into the ground much lower than the public areas surrounding it. This technique of planning also serves as a way of seperating the athletic field from the more private areas in the immediate context. An allay of trees surrounds the athletic field on all sides, further reinforcing the seperation between public and private.
When viewed in plan, the athletic field and its surrounding environment are entirely symmetrical. The field itself comprises two baseball fields of equal size, that oppose each other from each end of the field. The bleachers that flank the field on either side serve as a balancing device for the area, but also emphasize the horizontality of the field, and its purpose. Smaller details of the bleachers, such as the stone ornaments and rear walls contrast the enormous length of the field, by emphasizing the relatively small vertical scale of the area. The tallest structures on site are the light posts that serve as night-game flood lights, yet even their presence is minimalized by the taller structures whose silhouettes rise above the treeline in the distance. The presence of the lights is further lessened by the seemingly simple transition from light posts to trees - a motif that is achieved through the use of incremental spacing between both the light posts and the trees.
Overall, this little portion of the Emerald Necklace serves as a nice retreat from the noisy and crowded daily life of greater Boston. Its design allows for both quiet reflection in the pathways that encircle the area, and for recreational activity with friends and opponents alike. The presence of the distant Boston Skyline also adds a nice aesthetic to the area without dwarfing the overall size of the park.

Copley Square

For many, copley square is a place that sticks out in memory. It is a fine testemony to the architectural mastery of the time period in which it was originally constructed, yet still resounds today with a serene, yet accomplished modern touch. The area of the square that i will be analyzing today is located just between Trinity Church and the John Hancock building. The two structures reside mere metres away from one another, yet represent such a gargantuan distance in human history and technology. Obviously, these two structures differ from one another on a vast scale. Not only were the buildings constructed literally centuries apart, but their concepts and architectural devices contrast one another so completely, that they actually seem quite complementary. Trinity Church has been a place of worship for Boston residents for a long time, and it still acts as one of the most revered religious buildings in the area.
It exhibits fine gothic and classical influence without becoming so large in scale. The stone construction obviously gives the structure a heavy appearance, yet it fits nicely within the context of the surrounding buildings - especially the Boston Public Library, which faces it from directly across the central plaza.

However, the John Hancock building seems - at first glance - to be so completely out of place when juxtaposed to Trinity Church. Not only are the construction types different, but the scale of the towering skyscraper dwarfs that of Trinity. The Hancock building also comprises very little ornamentation, and uses a repetetive pattern of window connections and mullions to create a grid-like facade of steel and glass. Whereas Trinity Church exhibits fine stone-work and craftsmanship, as well as highly ornate decoration. However, when examined a bit more closely, it immediately becomes clear that the towering obelisque of glass and steel actually fits quite nicely within the context of Trinity. The glass of the structure reflects the environment around it to a point where it nearly disappears, and also provokes viewers into contemplating the surrounding area from a different point of view. The grid-like facade of the tower also acts as a device that scales and frames the surrounding context, making it easier for close observation.
The "room" that is created between Trinity Church and the Hancock building is small on the ground plane (it extends only as far as the blocks on which the buildings are constructed) yet extends infinitely in the vertical direction. The tower of glass and steel, which opposes Trinity Church, actually seems to complement the verticality of the church spires across the street (whose purpose was to bring the structure closer to the heavens). As one looks upward to the top of the Hancock building, their eyes are drawn ever upward, as the edges of the tower point vertically to some unseen vanishing point far up above in the heavens. In conclusion, this area of Copley plaza serves as a great melding point for both the religious and economic governances of human culture, as well as displaying the accomplishments of detailed craftsmanship and mass production. And even though the scale of the two dominant buildings on site may be largely unbalanced, the Hancock building compensates for this by elegantly reflecting the surrounding environment, as well as contributing a modern touch to an area that is nearly completely renaissance.