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A few quick photos of this from this morning. I have to say its been a while since I have been down here and I had low expectations of this based on the render but I was pleasantly surprised by the facade texture. Now lets hope the street level is as well resolved.

Firstly, that isn't Dutch so disagree in English or just don't. Secondly it is a fallacy to say strong planning traditions and government intervention result in higher unemployment and stagnant economies. The Dutch unemployment rate is lower than the United State's and similar to Massachusetts...

I always thought this site would be a good candidate for smaller scale development too. Check out Homeruskwartier in Almere-Poort, Netherlands. The problem is, in the Netherlands the government owns most of the ground and therefor can plan land use more closely. Even where they do not own the...

Way to early to call success or failure on this, though agreed renders are always silly. My biggest concern at this point is street engagement and programming which they appear to be thinking about. This is not Harvard Square (or frankly even the Seaport) nor will it ever be but perhaps it could...

I mean this is an improvement but god that original cladding and glazing is awful. One of the worst buildings left in town.

I generally agree with this thought though I do think it is worth fleshing out the complexities a bit, and I think you imply this, but really your two points are a high level net assessments. That is, [1] 'is it an improvement over what is there' and [2] 'does it create a public good' should...

A few diagrams I think are pretty useful. Program (p. 130 in the PDF of the PNF) and a site plan with the future Blueway (p. 140).

I don't see why the building couldn't be left and programmed to activate the park you describe, which would be my first choice. Even if the building had to be moved, I think its too iconic and representative of what Boston lost not integrate into whatever might happen here. I have often thought...

Google image search suggests "tower block" as the search term for the second image which I think is accurate. This is going to get ripped apart in permitting. A few thoughts, [1] I like the step backs and lighting, god knows we need more buildings with some sort of texture and architectural...

I agree, I don't see how this would have legal weight, pure optics. I also don't understand how the city would get metrics about what percent of the building is students either. And it is fucked up that they can get away with this, while students are not a protected class everyone knows this...

I mean, those are interesting facts, but the most interesting fact is as KMP said, pulling a building permit indicates this project is very much a go. It strongly implies that the project: has funding, has a contractor signed up, has construction drawings complete, and has all required...

I doubt it is fully on spec we just dont know who they are speaking with. Wasn't Salesforce floating around a while back?

^ I agree, that doesn't mean I like it though. I actually think what makes redevelopment most challenging isn't the engineering of the tower per se, its the fact that the site wouldn't be able to have sufficient parking. That and the value of the asset in place would make the land basis a very...

I think this might be the worst building downtown at the moment, certainly one of the ugliest in one of the most prime locations. I would almost be sad to see it re-clad, I rather it be razed and to see something new go higher.

I want to see the retail plan here, having the channel side activated is going to be key, west/south exposure on the water is not something we see everyday.

I dont, but I am very interested to see the 2020 census data once it becomes available. It will be interesting to see how this growth cycle has played out in numbers.

Sort of. My guess is they want to start with the less costly and therefore less risky product type (in this case its looks like a 5 over 2 construction which is the maximum height you can stick build) to test the sub-market, establish the location, and get cash flowing to recoup costs from...

Can does not mean they will. It has much less to do with zoning and what is currently on campus and everything to do with brand management and the institute's leadership. I believe they specifically do not want buildings encroaching on the dome as viewed from the Charles, the Green building does...

Those Breman Street surface parking lots were for sale last year and I strongly suspect we will see a multifamily proposal for them, hopefully with some upgrades and activation along the greenway.

I hundred percent agree. The suburban look of a lot of affordable housing gives it away for what it is, but I am not even sure this is a cost issue as much as a unfortunately legacy of garden city thinking and low expectations for design in affordable contexts. I think this project's design...