BU Development Thread

I was speaking to Bob Brown (BU President) recently about BU development, specifically architecturally and aesthetically. It was an interesting conversation and I received an email with more information about their strategic plan and his views on BU's future. Thought I'd share.

To highlight, he stated:

"I agree with your comment about great architecture and great spaces defining
a campus. The new student village high-rise residence is an example of
creating a visually appealing building with great spaces, but at reasonable
cost. This has to be our goal, as we do not have the endowment or funding
to do otherwise and we have a large need for expanded and renewed
facilities.

We are in design for a new east campus Center for Student Services with a
very good architectural firm. I hope you will like the design when we
unveil it in the spring."


Master plan rendering:
Boston-University-LG-Rev.jpg
 
I sure hope they're not demolishing the entire north side of Kenmore?

Cannot be happier with all the air rights development though.
 
Also it looks like Ned is going to have an aneurysm.

czsz said:
I sure hope they're not demolishing the entire north side of Kenmore?
Click to expand...

It looks more like they are just filling in the parking lots and building ON TOP of the existing buildings on the north side. Guess we won't really know until it is fully reviled.

It also looks like they moved the tower back from the center of Kenmore Sq where it should be to act as a landmark. Although on second thought this may have been done as not to obscure the view of the Citgo sign, which, looks like it may be moved (or at least moved up onto the new building).
 
Can somebody explain the picture better? Maybe its the orientation (when compared with google maps that is), but are they planning to cover storrow drive, or is that air rights over the pike or something else?
 
until it is fully reviled
Click to expand...

Haha, Freudian slip?

In any case, looks like the plans would involve hiding/moving the Citgo sign?
 
Fat chance on a wholesale demo after the Hotel Commonwealth fiasco. Looks like they're simply adding floors to the existing buildings on the north side of the Square, but what'll happen to the Citgo sign?

The massing model for the site of the former HoJo's looks promising. The air rights part of the plan looks good, but how to finance that?

ED: I type too friggin' slow...
 
It's looking southwest. Storrow Dr will still be there but the Pike will be covered from Kenmore Sq (Fenway Center) to after the BU bridge where the Pike rises up. Fantastic idea.

For further clarification the BLUE buildings are the new buildings.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
It's looking southwest. Storrow Dr will still be there but the Pike will be covered from Kenmore Sq (Fenway Center) to after the BU bridge where the Pike rises up. Fantastic idea.

For further clarification the BLUE buildings are the new buildings.
Click to expand...

Ahh ok i see it now. I was confusing those 2 blue buildings where the pike seemingly ends as the two BU towers that are already built. Thanks.

Now i am excited!!
 
The smart thing to do would be to bury the T and add protected bike lanes to the median. Speed up the subway and encourage biking (which is better for a campus of this shape.)
 
But one of those blue buildings sits right where that beautiful old building (they one the have been allowing to fall into disrepair) is now. :(
 
Look carefully and you will see the blue part sits ON TOP of it. Also we shouldn't rush to judgment from this image alone.
 
You either have great eyes, a great monitor or both because all I see is a blue boxy blur.
 
@ van - First thing came to mind: Better hope ol Ned Fogerty doesn't catch sight of this...

I've never seen so much air rights in my life, zomg zomg zomg. I predict none of this will happen, except that the corner block (3 or 4 buildings?) @ Kenmore goes Drukeresque. And are they trying to mess with the Citgo sign?
 
It will happen in some form -- BU has literally nowhere else to go.
 
This is fantastic. Stitching together the city by building over the Pike is one of the most important things Boston needs to do to be a truly world-class city.

However, if they want to do things "at a reasonable cost ... as [they] do not have the endowment or funding to do otherwise," how can they manage this? Building all of those platforms costs money ... LOTS of money. Even when big developers are involved, air-rights development can be financially very difficult, as at Columbus Center, or NY's Hudson Yards and Atlantic Yards projects. I'd love to see this happen, but it looks pretty sketchy.

In some ways, I'd almost be happier if BU razed two of its most horrid dorms: Warren Towers (700 comm ave) and what I think is called West Campus (the trifecta of hideous dorms around Nickerson Field). That would be a more feasible undertaking ... but it looks like both of those complexes are left standing in the master plan.

Finally, anyone know anything about the railyards (I think they're owned by CSX, or at least lots of their trains are always idling there) to the west of BU? Building these out, if at all possible, would make for a fantastic entrance to the city, and would be a great thing to see in the longer term.
 
I'm pretty sure Harvard actually owns that railyard.

Also, this is probably a 50 year plan.


edit: Van beat me.
 
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