Recent content by Joe_Schmoe

The Batterymarch building does this trick where it uses darker colored bricks on the bottom, and subtly becomes lighter as it goes up. It produces the effect of making it seem taller and gives it more vertical thrust. I'd love to see someone try the same trick with these terra cotta blocks...

Re: 45 Province That should have been the slogan on the giant banner: 45 Province: Smell The Glove.

Re: 45 Province "There's something about this that's so black, it's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is: none." -Spinal Tap

I guess it has been decided that Boston is red at the bottom, white in the middle, and blue up top. Kinda patriotic.

Re: 319 A Street Rear Notice the slight color variations in the terra cotta on the tower portion which gives a pleasing variety of shades without being garish. Compare that with the godawful variations on Waterside place.

A legacy of suck.

Re: Avalon Exeter (formerly New Tower(s) Planned For Prudential Center) I think the city has exceeded its quota for this style of window.

Re: Christian Science Church Center Renovation/ New Towers Not a fan of high rise apartment towers, but I guess deracinated transnational cosmopolitans need a place to live too.

Re: 319 A Street Rear 45 Province is and so is that group of nice new row houses on Mass Ave. But it's not a wonder drug, there are ways to use it well and ways to use it poorly.

Re: 319 A Street Rear That's how you do it. Respects the palette, windows, and materials of the surrounding buildings. Best project of 2013. Once again, a terra cotta cladding is the way to go to fit a modern building in with historic neighbors.

They could have continued the nice rhythm of the streetwall, but nooooooooooo, they had to be bastards.

Re: Residences at Kensington When International Place was built it caused a huge outcry. Today, you don't hear a peep. No one even seems to care about all the buildings going up that are really degrading the quality of the city.

Fashion has learned how to be modern and yet escape dull repetitive minimalism. Architecture could learn a few things from this. Check out these dresses: They are meticulously detailed, use gradations of color in interesting ways, make inventive uses of materials, unmistakably modern...

I'm a big booster of neotraditionalism, but it has to be done right. But I'd rather have a brutalist nightmare than the cheap knockoff Federalism we get with that School St project. If you strip out the details like the 6 over 6 windows, or just make the mansard straight instead of curved, it...

Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown What do modern architects tell themselves to keep their self-respect when seeing their work lined up with its betters?