[ARCHIVED] Harbor Garage Redevelopment | 70 East India Row | Waterfront | Downtown

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Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Having just watched the video, I think this building sounds like it will have great street level interaction. There is a lot of retail and restaurants, so that sounds promising. I think its location between the aquarium, and quincy market will make it very attractive for retailers.

I think I like the idea of the LCD screen. I am not totally sold, but it is different and I like how he is thinking.

I also like the terra cotta connection between the towers, it is interesting and unique. I think it unites the whole project, rather than it being two separate one, plus it gives the illusion of a much taller building depending on you viewing angle.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

"When you look at the Arch, and you say why is it there"

Yes, that's exactly what I think when I look at it. I'm obviously in the minority here, but I don't like this design at all. The arch is a lot of it. I get what the thinking is, in that it opens up the view from the city to the water and vice-versa, but how many people are going to look at the building and get that?

And I hate the Terracotta with a passion. The glass color with the brown just clashes, if you can make the Terracotta black, it'd probably look a whole lot better.

I still can't get over the Arch though. I'm all for innovation, but this to me is right up there personally with that museum in Louisville for the "What's the Point?" factor.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

What's the point of the Chicago Spire?

It's modern (modern-post-modern) architecture; you can't expect nor should anyone demand that it always have brilliant and perfectly apt symbolism or perfect functionality.

The more modern it gets the more it should be measured on its aesthetics in my opinion. If one simply doesn't like it on that level that's one thing, but to demand some higher purpose to a building or just one aspect of a building is just as pointless as asking 'what's the point'.

This looks to be a great mixture of functional modern with an added aesthetic flourish that we don't see too much of in Boston.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Bubbybu said:
The more modern it gets the more it should be measured on its aesthetics in my opinion. If one simply doesn't like it on that level that's one thing, but to demand some higher purpose to a building or just one aspect of a building is just as pointless as asking 'what's the point'.
Click to expand...

I don't dislike the building design simply because of the arch. That's a reason, and a big reason why--but it's not the only reason. I just don't like the way the arch itself looks. I don't care if it was symbolizing peace on earth or goodwill towards man, I don't like the look of it.

It's a building, I'm not demanding higher purpose from it. Rarely does a building serve a higher purpose than it's intended use, but that's for another thread/time. My whole "What's the Point" comment was more along the lines of just having the arch there to add a design flair that I personally don't find aesthetically pleasing. Chioforo even says himself it serves no purpose. So being that I don't like how it looks, I could do without it. That's all. I'm not asking "What's the Point?" of trying something new, I applaud him for that and wish others would do the same. It's just not a design I particularly like.

The color of the Terracota might actually bother me more than the Arch to be honest. I can't stand brown anywhere near glass. It just kills the fresh, sleek look of the glass to me. If they changed the color of the Terracotta to black, the arch might even be more appealing to me.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

That's some ugly shit.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I'm excited about it though.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The more I look at this, the more I see the 45 Province st tower. I was hopeing for more than brick and glass!
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Every year, hundreds of millions (some estimate up to a billion) birds are killed in collisions with manmade structures. The highest mortality comes from collisions with glass, particularly in skyscrapers. Unless Chiafaro spends a little extra on special fritted glass, which has imbedded patterns that birds can see and avoid, glass towers like the ones proposed, sited directly along the water's edge, will likely become a megadeath zone for migratory birds.
by paulf2006 February 03, 12:31 PM



That was a quote on Boston.com..WOW


But seriously, I like the design alot. I thought it had a chance to get built until I saw that it could be between 50-70 stories which all but kills the chance of seeing it built.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I also think it is great that this building will promote the aquarium. 95% of my friends have no clue where in Boston the aquarium is or if it's still even open.

Also, I wonder if it would be possible to make the arch an observatory?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Where is this arch everyone is talking about?
I like the Rowes Wharf arch, is there some reason I shouldn't like one here as well?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Its more of a squared-off arch than an actual arch Ron
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Observatory for what, Avian genocide?!!?! I knew that bird-hating bastard Chiofaro had some alterior motive for this building.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I've come to this conclusion.... Blank walls: cool on the arch. Throw out on the two towers. I think you can have a 'border' of terra-cotter around the two actual buildings for aesthetics, but not two entire walls. TERRIBLE.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Way to swing for the fences, Don.

The video screens are an interesting element; will the BRA determine that they, too, are a traffic hazard? I say put cameras in the Aquarium's tanks and display the video feed here. Move the Aquarium's box office to a ground floor location, partnered with harbor cruises, whale watching, and the duck-boats.

I don't mind the height, but I'm a bit tepid on the design. A bit too much KoolhaasAde in the punchbowl.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

@ Suffolk: I'm still not seeing this gigantic blank terra cotta wall you're talking about. I see one side which is all glass, and then the other side which has thin strips of terra cotta running down a glass wall....the arch isn't a gigantic behemoth chunk of terra cotta, it's about fifteen thin pieces of terra cotta...

Am I the only one seeing that? Is the model not showing this? I think it looks pretty obvious in the video at 4:00. This building is far from perfect, but I stil think it's nice. I agree a color change on the terra cotta would probably be a good move. Whether you love it or hate it, this is a good direction to move in for design...this isn't just another glass box.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I love it! Build it just as it is! This is art as irony! The contextual 70's shoebox shapes. The extended middle finger plainly visible from the Mayor's office. The solution to the shadow issue. Please do not change a jot or a tittle!
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

tmac.. I think there's some ambiguity about the blank walls.... Chiafaro and the video were a bit deceptive about the walls... I think they are going to blank. That video doesn't visualize and make it clear at all
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Still, I think it's a bit unfair to speculate that these are going to be gigantic blank walls. The only thing we've seen so far is a rendering that makes it appear that they could be blank (though if you look closer, it looks like they are just strips going down the side of the buiding) and a model which portrays the terra cotta as thin strips going down a glass wall.

Perhaps I'm just being optimistic. If the walls are indeed 100% terra cotta, then it changes my whole view on this project.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Some blurry captures from the video.

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