Assembly Innovation Park | 5 Middlesex Ave | Somerville

What's the immediately next to 93, in the renders? Not their project, but definitely some massing models of something.
 
First official proposal, for the far eastern corner of the site.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ifa.somervillema.gov/documents/h3-compiled-arch-renderings.pdf

Dime-a-dozen apartment filler. Brand name is ALTA XMBLY, which the renderings make clear is supposed to confuse people at a glance. On the sign, it will read as ASSEMBLY, especially when presented without the space in the middle.

Can we pass a State law that bans these stupid names? You have an address. Especially in this case, where the address is on "Revolution Dive", which is already gimmicky.
 
Equilibria said:
First official proposal, for the far eastern corner of the site.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ifa.somervillema.gov/documents/h3-compiled-arch-renderings.pdf

Dime-a-dozen apartment filler. Brand name is ALTA XMBLY, which the renderings make clear is supposed to confuse people at a glance. On the sign, it will read as ASSEMBLY, especially when presented without the space in the middle.

Can we pass a State law that bans these stupid names? You have an address. Especially in this case, where the address is on "Revolution Dive", which is already gimmicky.
Click to expand...
Name is stupid, but I really like the building. It's quite dense. Nice to see ground level units too to help activate the street.

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That name is REALLY bothering me for some reason.
 
"XMBLY" makes no sense. Trying to be hip, I get that but they can do better.
 
This is bordering on illness. This is what you get when you're desperate to evoke "Crossing" but no one higher up would approve your stupid Crossing name. After all, if it isn't a Landing or a Crossing, can you even get it permitted?
 
8 stories means concrete and steel construction, right? That's a pleasant surprise. I expected to see 5-over-1 here.
 
The guts might be steel or concrete, but the exterior screems 5 over 1. (sigh)

cca
 
I have low confidence in this facade being high quality material based on the renders.
 
I think the Alta XMBLY development deserves it's own thread, XMBLY is the commercial portion. Alta is a different development.

Also, I love the name XMBLY. It was the only way to use the word "Assembly" without using the word "Assembly". And it follows the three rules of real estate branding:

1) People should talk about it (Which you all are) even if its controversial. Remember how everybody hated "Ink Block" or have you forgotten? The reaction was swift and it was bad. Which means it was good. Today, nobody thinks about how weird it was. People moving into the failed brand of 345 Harrison actually say "I'm moving into the Ink Block, the new building across the street".

2) Needs to be less than 3 syllables. Good luck to "Cambridge Crossing" or "Boston Landing" for ever getting recognized/remembered or talked about (see rule 1) and for being too long (rule 2).

3) It has to be real, not made up. So what 'really' is this? It's a techie office development in Assembly Square. So 'authentic' names would follow the trope of Assembly Row, Assembly Edge, Assembly Marketplace, etc. So the developer could name this something like "Assembly Center" but that would fail both rules 1 & 2.

"XMBLY" does it all. Slam dunk. The target audience isn't probably you - it's C-suite tech and life science executives (firms with names like XMBLY and not like "Somerville Crossing" etc)

It's good that it bothers certain types of people. As the person who named it, I love that you're all talking about it!
 
How does it not fail Rule 3? Can you use XMBLY in a sentence for me that does not refer to this development?
 
How am I even supposed to pronounce that stupid word? Exembly?
 
Mike, come on. Parents love their children but this ain't it.

It's closer to the confusion around the iPhone X. Apple says "ten", some people say "ten", more people say "ecks." Except Apple, this isn't. If people are mostly talking about how they don't even know how to pronounce the name, that's not the same thing as "it's too edgy, tech people will understand."
 
Also, ask Wynn about how people talking about your brand is always good for your brand.
 
Oh boy that rendering is ugly as shit. Somerville needs to stand up for itself and demand better design, you should be able to demand that in a hot market
 
Mike02125 said:
I think the Alta XMBLY development deserves it's own thread, XMBLY is the commercial portion. Alta is a different development.

Also, I love the name XMBLY. It was the only way to use the word "Assembly" without using the word "Assembly". And it follows the three rules of real estate branding:

1) People should talk about it (Which you all are) even if its controversial. Remember how everybody hated "Ink Block" or have you forgotten? The reaction was swift and it was bad. Which means it was good. Today, nobody thinks about how weird it was. People moving into the failed brand of 345 Harrison actually say "I'm moving into the Ink Block, the new building across the street".

2) Needs to be less than 3 syllables. Good luck to "Cambridge Crossing" or "Boston Landing" for ever getting recognized/remembered or talked about (see rule 1) and for being too long (rule 2).

3) It has to be real, not made up. So what 'really' is this? It's a techie office development in Assembly Square. So 'authentic' names would follow the trope of Assembly Row, Assembly Edge, Assembly Marketplace, etc. So the developer could name this something like "Assembly Center" but that would fail both rules 1 & 2.

"XMBLY" does it all. Slam dunk. The target audience isn't probably you - it's C-suite tech and life science executives (firms with names like XMBLY and not like "Somerville Crossing" etc)

It's good that it bothers certain types of people. As the person who named it, I love that you're all talking about it!
Click to expand...

Hang on, so 'Boston Landing' fails as a name but 'Xmbly' works? I'd think twice about leasing there because of the amount of explaining I'd have to do about my address. Daft name. (and ugly boring building)
 
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