GrandMarc Residence Hall (YMCA) @ Northeastern U | 291 St. Botolph Street | Fenway

Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

I rather like it, given the area and the fact that its a dorm.

Of course, anaother 5-10 stories would be better...
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

I don't get it. Are we now holding dorms to a lower standard than other typologies, like say office or apartment buildings? If so, why? If anything, maybe we should be holding them to a higher standard considering that dorms make up such a large percentage of what is actually getting built in this city.

And what's wrong with this area? It's active, heavily populated and home to several important cultural institutions. Of course it can be improved, but this building does nothing to do so.

Here are a few of the latest renderings. Compare these to Phoenix's rejected original proposal posted earlier in this thread.
neu_grandmarc_7.jpg


neu_grandmarc_1.jpg


neu_grandmarc_2.jpg


neu_grandmarc_3.jpg


neu_grandmarc_4.jpg


neu_grandmarc_5.jpg


neu_grandmarc_6.jpg
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The design itself wouldn't be so bad if we didn't know they would use the cheapest pre-fab materials. If they went with a high quality facade then it might actually be an asset.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

briv said:
I don't get it. Are we now holding dorms to a lower standard than other typologies, like say office or apartment buildings? If so, why? If anything, maybe we should be holding them to a higher standard considering that dorms make up such a large percentage of what is actually getting built in this city.
Click to expand...

Maybe the city and the architectural critic community might subsidize the schools so that they can hire more creative architects who will use more expensive materials.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

TomOfBoston said:
Maybe the city and the architectural critic community might subsidize the schools so that they can hire more creative architects who will use more expensive materials.
Click to expand...

Not that I agree with your premise, but aren't we already subsidizing schools by awarding them tax-exempt status?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

International Village-style block windows and crappy precast panels + trendy irregularly spaced windows = success!
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

It's the fat stumpiness that bothers me more than the materials, actually.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

They have a very tight space to build on. If they built taller, then that would likely lead to NIMBY objections.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Just because it's the NIMBYs' fault rather than the architects' doesn't make it any better.

Are there really no NIMBYs out there who would rather look at a well-proportioned building (with probably the same amount of shadow cover overall) than a squat but somewhat shorter one? Why are these people only capable of thinking in the most crude and basic aesthetic terms? They will wind up hating what they themselves compelled.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

czsz said:
They will wind up hating what they themselves compelled.
Click to expand...

There's philosophy embedded in this statement...I have to put down my architectural toys and go chew on this for a while.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Northeastern is starting to define how it sees its campus' architectural style. This is pretty much just a rearranged version of the International Village.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Could be uglier. More importantly, where's the laundry facilities in the building? Saw no mention of them whatsoever in the pdf.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

DominusNovus said:
Could be uglier. More importantly, where's the laundry facilities in the building? Saw no mention of them whatsoever in the pdf.
Click to expand...

I did a bed count for the building if those plans are really identical for floors 2-12, and then 13-16, and I came up with 731 beds. Since the proposal is for only 720 beds, I'm sure they plan on putting a laundry room somewhere. My guess: 2nd floor of the building, over the proctor station(s)... just like in West Villages F/G and International Village.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

dshoost88 said:
I did a bed count for the building if those plans are really identical for floors 2-12, and then 13-16, and I came up with 731 beds. Since the proposal is for only 720 beds, I'm sure they plan on putting a laundry room somewhere. My guess: 2nd floor of the building, over the proctor station(s)... just like in West Villages F/G and International Village.
Click to expand...

The 2nd floor is beds, no evidence of laundry there. I would think it would be on the top floor. Lots of open area. Like West H.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

DominusNovus said:
The 2nd floor is beds, no evidence of laundry there. I would think it would be on the top floor. Lots of open area. Like West H.
Click to expand...

They only showed a "typ" plan. That's not a definitive 2nd floor plan.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Seriously, who but a future NEU student gives a fat rat's ass about where the laundry room is? This building will hang over the surrounding neighborhood like a wide, stumpy curtain of crap.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

czsz said:
Just because it's the NIMBYs' fault rather than the architects' doesn't make it any better.

Are there really no NIMBYs out there who would rather look at a well-proportioned building (with probably the same amount of shadow cover overall) than a squat but somewhat shorter one? Why are these people only capable of thinking in the most crude and basic aesthetic terms? They will wind up hating what they themselves compelled.
Click to expand...

NIMBYs don't care how it looks. I thought that's pretty much a fact now.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Pretty... banal.

Before long we'll be regarding this in the same light we regard 60s and 70s concrete blocks.
 
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