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.