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.