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Appropriate for a university to build this ground-breaking structure. Much to learn going forward that will help other builders to move in the same direction. In fact, it would be a great advantage to BU to hold yearly (or less often) seminars/conferences for builders, city planners, and architects on the building itself. They could cover what BU has learned about its functioning, what they might have done differently, as well as the overall costs of running it in comparison to similarly-sized buildings this general latitude, etc.
 
It will be interesting to see how BU achieves the goal of having a net zero carbon footprint by 2030.
 
Just to be a Debbie Downer I predict that in the next 5 years BU will spend a minimum of $10 million to fix/replace some of these advanced features.

Not if BU takes a deconstructionist approach to whatever problems arise. I read an article a while back on the tendency of cutting edge buildings like BU's to start developing problems almost immediately. The author was responding to critics of a new building with an extravagant roof that started leaking almost immediately. The critics argued that the architects should have stuck to a tried-and-true roof structure instead of an eye-popping extravaganza. The author's defense was that the radical design immediately developing leaks wasn't a problem. The problem was the critics. They needed to deconstruct their assumption that a roof shouldn't leak.
 
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The glare into those Warren Towers dorm rooms doesn’t look fun!
I actually had a glare effect like that in my row house in Chinatown (from a large condo tower across the street). It can actually be pretty nice. It tends to only happen in mid-winter when the sun angle is really low, and the extra light is actually welcome to north facing windows. I suppose it could be bad if it is strong enough, but generally these façade glare effects are pretty diffuse.
 
I actually had a glare effect like that in my row house in Chinatown (from a large condo tower across the street). It can actually be pretty nice. It tends to only happen in mid-winter when the sun angle is really low, and the extra light is actually welcome to north facing windows. I suppose it could be bad if it is strong enough, but generally these façade glare effects are pretty diffuse.
And if the glare really bothers you, some black out curtains from homegoods for $40 will solve your problem completely. I never understand any of these "light pollution" concerns.
 
This building looks spectacular on the close-up shots ^. The distance shots can make it look askew, but the close-up photos really display the energy and dynamism of the offset blocks and the contrasting patterns.
 
Wow it looks completely different in that pic than Ive ever seen it look. It almost appears to be outlined and the edges seem rounded off.
 
One question about this building and Northeastern's ISEC and EXP: With all the fins, how do they wash the windows?
 

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