Fan Pier Developments | Seaport

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^^^

Route 128 By the sea

Great Vision for an innovation district
 
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Too bad they didn't do something more creative with the vents. I get that they tried to minimize them, but if they're gonna be noticeable do something cool.
 
Listen, The buildings actually came out alot better than I expected. The problem I have is the location for this type of developments. These type of buildings belong in Kendall Square (Cambridge) or 128.

Was eating at Legal Seafoods on Saturday Night. The area was hopping.

My question, Between walking from the bridge in between the Parking lots, and the Fan Pier buildings (Something is not right with the planning.) I can't figure it out.
#1 What is going make the area vibrant and walking friendly from the Financial District to the Restuarants? I know the buildouts still have to happen but with all the box buildings how can this area really be unique to walk around.

Something is not right.
 
TheRifleman said:
Listen, The buildings actually came out alot better than I expected. The problem I have is the location for this type of developments. These type of buildings belong in Kendall Square (Cambridge) or 128.

Was eating at Legal Seafoods on Saturday Night. The area was hopping.

My question, Between walking from the bridge in between the Parking lots, and the Fan Pier buildings (Something is not right with the planning.) I can't figure it out.
#1 What is going make the area vibrant and walking friendly from the Financial District to the Restuarants? I know the buildouts still have to happen but with all the box buildings how can this area really be unique to walk around.

Something is not right.
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I think you've answered your own question. I'm not a fan of these buildings from an architectural standpoint, but the overall plan seems like it should enliven the area once it reaches completion. You can already see this down by the WTC/Fish Pier/Jimmy's area. Pier 4 is going to help fill in the gap a bit, but the big thing that still needs to happen is the second tier of lots need to be converted to building stock.
 
Design issues aside, the visually jarring element is that they are all_the_same_height. Exactly the same. For a walkup this is fine because they are human scale, but once you pass 12 story's or so you really need some setbacks and/or difference in overall height between buildings. Right now it looks like a giant FRA grim reaper came with a scythe and chopped the tops off a bunch of towers.
 
HenryAlan said:
I think you've answered your own question. I'm not a fan of these buildings from an architectural standpoint, but the overall plan seems like it should enliven the area once it reaches completion. You can already see this down by the WTC/Fish Pier/Jimmy's area. Pier 4 is going to help fill in the gap a bit, but the big thing that still needs to happen is the second tier of lots need to be converted to building stock.
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Basic Retail is not going to make this area unique very desirable strip to walk down. Need to see the plans for all the ground floor activitiy with the street.
***The only reason I eat in this area now is because of the Parking scenario.
Once the parking is gone, I will not find this area that favorable to walk or visit.

What does everybody think of a Trolly going back & forth the Financial District to the restaurants. Like San Fran type?
 
TheRifleman said:
What does everybody think of a Trolly going back & forth the Financial District to the restaurants. Like San Fran type?
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You mean a street level, heritage line like the Embarcadero service? I don't know, seems kind of duplicative with the existing subway that serves that part of town.
 
HenryAlan said:
You mean a street level, heritage line like the Embarcadero service? I don't know, seems kind of duplicative with the existing subway that serves that part of town.
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Free trolly, next to James Hook Lobster, crossing the Northern Ave Bridge, continuing on Northern Ave and then cutting over to the convention center on E Service Road. Or maybe just go straight all the way to the cruise line terminal. Not intended to compete with the Silver Line--make it a free hop-on, hop-off thing like the 16th street mall in Denver. Line the route with bars and retail. Give the Seaport a spine.
 
chumbolly said:
Free trolly, next to James Hook Lobster, crossing the Northern Ave Bridge, continuing on Northern Ave and then cutting over to the convention center on E Service Road. Or maybe just go straight all the way to the cruise line terminal. Not intended to compete with the Silver Line--make it a free hop-on, hop-off thing like the 16th street mall in Denver. Line the route with bars and retail. Give the Seaport a spine.
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+1
 
chumbolly said:
Free trolly, next to James Hook Lobster, crossing the Northern Ave Bridge, continuing on Northern Ave and then cutting over to the convention center on E Service Road. Or maybe just go straight all the way to the cruise line terminal. Not intended to compete with the Silver Line--make it a free hop-on, hop-off thing like the 16th street mall in Denver. Line the route with bars and retail. Give the Seaport a spine.
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Start it at the North End Greenway and travel down Seaport Blvd. Would be absolutely huge in the warm weather and would transport tourists.. which I feel is one of the major drawbacks of the Silver Line. It's fine for commuters, but not tourist-friendly at all.
 
I've been a fan of the trolley idea for years. Push it all the way to the Black Falcon pier, though, to give cruise ship tourists a fun way to get into town. (Of course, the taxi industry wouldn't be happy with that.) And, wouldn't this help those going to the Harpoon brewery?
 
The louvers are.. interesting. They're obviously there for function, but it's kind of ballsy that there is ZERO attempt to integrate them.

"Yeah, I'm a lab building. Come at me bro."

It's almost like Vertex decided to add some massive ventilation requirements last minute and the designers had no time/money for a reaction. Any early renderings to the contrary?
 
Sloppy in what way?
The amount of air handlers in the mech. levels need X amount of air. To accomplish this louvers are needed of a sufficient open space.
It's hard to get architecturally pleasing louvers when you need so much of them to be open. When you have lower CFM demands maybe you can get better screened ones with less open air to integrate better into the building.

Either the louvers grow along the building to allow for a more pleasing look (that is still going to jar with the glass) that still has the amount of open air space, or you get what we have right here.
 
SeamusMcFly said:
Sloppy in what way?
The amount of air handlers in the mech. levels need X amount of air. To accomplish this louvers are needed of a sufficient open space.
It's hard to get architecturally pleasing louvers when you need so much of them to be open. When you have lower CFM demands maybe you can get better screened ones with less open air to integrate better into the building.

Either the louvers grow along the building to allow for a more pleasing look (that is still going to jar with the glass) that still has the amount of open air space, or you get what we have right here.
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If you are a good lab designer .. you know that you are going to have lots of louvers. From the first moment you should have a strategy to integrate them into a design that makes them a contributing factor. Saying that it is bold to just put them there because that is where the air handler is and it is just the right amount that is needed is just thoughtless derivative design.

Wouldnt work well with the glass? Well ... if you were to understand that large fields of louvers were a requirement from the get go ... maybe a mirrored glass box would not have been the best choice. Holistic solutions are what good design is all about. This is a failure of that concept.

cca
 
JohnAKeith said:
I've been a fan of the trolley idea for years. Push it all the way to the Black Falcon pier, though, to give cruise ship tourists a fun way to get into town. (Of course, the taxi industry wouldn't be happy with that.) And, wouldn't this help those going to the Harpoon brewery?
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I always forget about the cruise ship pier. This would be perfect for that. A touristy/cheesy in a good way/still useful transit link that would move people and give the are some character and identity.
 
davem said:
Design issues aside, the visually jarring element is that they are all_the_same_height. Exactly the same. For a walkup this is fine because they are human scale, but once you pass 12 story's or so you really need some setbacks and/or difference in overall height between buildings. Right now it looks like a giant FRA grim reaper came with a scythe and chopped the tops off a bunch of towers.
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Yeah the FAA restrictions (it is the FAA, right?) make the buildings look chopped. The final vision for the area has buildings of different heights closer to the water and nearby, though. Hopefully that makes these buildings look a little better.
 
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