Best 10 Projects of the Decade (2000-2009)

Best 10 Projects of the Decade (CHOOSE 10):

  • 1. Blackfan Life Sciences Building

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • 2. One Lincoln (State Street Financial Building)

    Votes: 18 34.0%
  • 3. Millennium Place

    Votes: 19 35.8%
  • 4. Mandarin Oriental

    Votes: 18 34.0%
  • 5. Rollins Square

    Votes: 7 13.2%
  • 6. 303 Third

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • 7. 45 Province Street

    Votes: 10 18.9%
  • 8. MIT Brain and Cognitive Science Center

    Votes: 13 24.5%
  • 9. Trilogy

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • 10. Jill Brown-Rhone Park

    Votes: 5 9.4%
  • 11. Landmark Center Renovation

    Votes: 13 24.5%
  • 12. Zakim Bridge

    Votes: 40 75.5%
  • 13. Courthouse MBTA Station

    Votes: 12 22.6%
  • 14. Opera House Restoration

    Votes: 22 41.5%
  • 15. Alston Public Library

    Votes: 20 37.7%
  • 16. Boylston Street Apple Store

    Votes: 20 37.7%
  • 17. North Point Archstone

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • 18. Atelier 505

    Votes: 10 18.9%
  • 19. Battery Wharf

    Votes: 16 30.2%
  • 20. Brighton Community Boathouse

    Votes: 8 15.1%
  • 21. Northeastern Building H

    Votes: 10 18.9%
  • 22. Cambridge Public Library Addition

    Votes: 7 13.2%
  • 23. Central Square Theatre

    Votes: 8 15.1%
  • 24. Boston Children's Museum Addition

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • 25. Fenway Park Improvements

    Votes: 11 20.8%
  • 26. FP3

    Votes: 33 62.3%
  • 27. Genzyme HQ

    Votes: 5 9.4%
  • 28. Harvard Northwest Science Complex

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • 29. Harvard Memorial Drive Graduate Student Housing

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • 30. Boston Institute of Contemporary Art

    Votes: 29 54.7%
  • 31. Logan Airport Terminal E

    Votes: 10 18.9%
  • 32. MacAllen Building

    Votes: 25 47.2%
  • 33. MassArt Dormitory

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 34. Richard E. Griffin Academic Center

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • 35. 111 Huntington

    Votes: 22 41.5%
  • 36. Shapiro Brigham & Women's Hospital3

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • 37. MIT Simmons Hall

    Votes: 13 24.5%
  • 38. South Station Headhouses

    Votes: 12 22.6%
  • 39. MIT Stata Center

    Votes: 18 34.0%
  • 40. UMass Boston Campus Center

    Votes: 4 7.5%
  • 41. Cambridge Valentine Houses

    Votes: 5 9.4%
  • 42. Zero Arrow Theatre

    Votes: 5 9.4%

  • Total voters
    53

briv

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CHOOSE 10

In no particular order (photo credits coming):

1. Blackfan Life Sciences Building
blackfan_kz1000ps.jpg


2. One Lincoln (State Street Financial Building)
One_Lincoln_Street.jpg


3. Millennium Place
handel_millenium.jpg


4. Mandarin Oriental
101mandarin01.jpg


5. Rollins Square
106rollins04.jpg


6. 303 Third
303third.jpg


7. 45 Province Street
45_province_pcarpi.jpg


8. MIT Brain and Cognitive Science Center
BrainCog_2.jpg


9. Trilogy
Fenway_Triangle_trilogy2.jpg


10. Jill Brown-Rhone Park
JillBrown-RhonePark.jpg


11. Landmark Center Renovation
Landmark_Center-Sears_Bldg-Boston.jpg


12. Zakim Bridge
Leonard_Zakim_Bridge_3copy.jpg


13. Courthouse MBTA Station
MBTA_Courthouse_Station.jpg


14. Opera House Restoration
OperaHouse.jpg


15. Alston Public Library
allston_library2.jpg


16. Boylston Street Apple Store
apple.jpg


17. North Point Archstone
archston_n_point.jpg


18. Atelier 505
atelier.jpg


19. Battery Wharf
battery-1.jpg


20. Brighton Community Boathouse
brighton_rowhouse.jpg


21. Northeastern Building H
building_h.jpg


22. Cambridge Public Library Addition
cambridge_library.jpg


23. Central Square Theatre
central_sq_theatre.jpg


24. Boston Children's Museum Addition
childrens_museum_flickrjpg-1copy.jpg


25. Fenway Park Improvements
fenway.jpg


26. FP3
fp3.jpg


27. Genzyme HQ
genzyme_4.jpg


28. Harvard Northwest Science Complex
harvard_nw_science.jpg


29. Harvard Memorial Drive Graduate Student Housing
harvardgsh.jpg


30. Boston Institute of Contemporary Art
ica.jpg


31. Logan Airport Terminal E
logan_terminal_e.jpg


32. MacAllen Building
macallen2.jpg


33. MassArt Dormitory
massart.jpg


34. Richard E. Griffin Academic Center
mcp.jpg


35. 111 Huntington
oneeleven.jpg


36. Shapiro Brigham & Women's Hospital
shapiro_bwh.jpg


37. MIT Simmons Hall
simmons_holl.jpg


38. South Station Headhouses
south_station_headhouses.jpg


39. MIT Stata Center
stata_DimitriBertsekas-1.jpg


40. UMass Boston Campus Center
umb_campctr.jpg


41. Cambridge Valentine Houses
valentine_house_2.jpg
Valentine Houses

42. Zero Arrow Theatre (need a better photo)
zero_arrow_theatre.jpg
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2010)

Ron, Van and Ablarc, unfortunately those posts you posted with the previous version of this thread were lost. I made a mistake and had to delete the thread. Sorry guys.
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2010)

What I posted before:

Millennium Place is the correct spelling of the two towers on Tremont Street. (Or Ritz-Carlton Towers.)

If you are not going to include the Paramount, then the decade-ending year should be 2009 rather than 2010.
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

I had no idea that the State Street building was from the last decade. Yikes, it looks like the stuff Philip Johnson and Burgee farted out in the mid 80s. It looks waaayyyyyy out of place with the rest of those above (except its partner 111 huntington, which looks very 1992ish). 111H seems to have closed a chapter on Boston development, there is a marked shift in expression after it was built.

Also that cambridge park is probably a great planning project in terms of the urban structure of cambridge, but its a pretty poor design project i'd say. It shoves all bike traffic out with cars, unlike the streetscapes a few blocks away near the Stata Center that deftly weave bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic into one corridor but each with its own discrete zone. I would suggest in 2011 a separate category for open space, best/worst. There is a standard of compelling contemporary expression at work in [most of] the building projects listed that this is not being held to this project only because this one is such a smart urban move.

EDIT: forgot about zero arrow--- who let him in here?
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

Zero Arrow was one of my nominees, as was Central Square Theatre. I like any project that adds live performance spaces, and these two are tasteful, contextual infills. The same bias caused me to vote for Atelier, Opera House, and ICA.

Wonder if 111 Huntington will win both Best and Worst?
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

I can't believe all the votes for One Lincoln. I wonder if there are still a lot of "tall = good" people lurking among us.

Also: holy fucking shit is that photo of 45 Province amazing. HDR, I assume?

Briv, is it possible for you to add a vote? I forgot to put in one for the Brighton Community Boathouse.
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

The Fenway Park picture you chose doesn't reflect the full extent of the renovations. That very vantage point - second-deck, behind home plate - is no longer shielded in glass, as of 2005. (600 club/.406 club => EMC club).

^^ which is, I assume, a huge improvement for those well-heeled enough to sit there. I went on a Fenway tour as a kid, and remember feeling acutely disappointed when they brought us up to the 600 club. Like watching a game in an icky movie theater.
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

Couldn't vote for more than seven.
 
Re: Best 10 Projects of the Decade (1999-2009)

Couldn't vote for more than seven.




Btw, as a nitpicker it's my duty to point out that 1999-2009 is eleven years, not a decade. ;)
 
CZ, I think I can add a vote for you for the Brighton Boathouse.

I also fixed the time frame.

Which ones did you vote for, Ablarc?
 
I forgot all about Rollins Square (and I live right around the corner); perhaps a testament to it's success is that it fits into the neighborhood so perfectly. It's a little slice of back alley Paris right in Boston.
 
Rollins Square is also seen as a textbook case of how you do mixed income housing correctly (or as correctly as it can be done).
 
Why do people like the Zakim Bridge so much? It's nice eye candy for cinematic Boston flyovers, but Golden Gate Bridge this ain't. What does it actually do for the city? Isn't anyone peeved that its sole purpose is to get cars downtown, and that we'll never be able to walk or bike over it?
 
I like it as a sculptural landmark that you can see from many different places on the ground (not just in the air). I don't resent it for being inaccessible to pedestrians and bikes, since it's right next to the Charles River Dam crossing which accommodates them just fine.
 
What's wrong with eye candy?

It's become a nice landmark for Boston (this city is chronically short of really recognizable feats of architecture and engineering) such that it's even featured in Amtrak ads.
 
2 One Lincoln
14 Opera House
19 Battery Wharf
35 111 Huntington

I wish 33 Arch Street was on here, it's my favorite building. :(

But luckily One Lincoln is my second favorite.

And I think the other 3 votes I made were nicely done as well.
 

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