Bulfinch Crossing | Congress Street Garage | West End
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C
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I'd appreciate your opinions as well.
And how did the meeting go? Was there a general lean toward a certain design?
I'd appreciate your opinions as well.
And how did the meeting go? Was there a general lean toward a certain design?
Beton Brut
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
First-off, it was more of a display than a meeting or presentation; there were about a hundred people, and the crowd turned over (I arrived at 6:30).
The renderings were up on stands and there were models. I chatted up a few of the project people and some of the locals. People are interested in seeing this go forward. Only one person (of maybe twenty I spoke with) was opposed to the idea of replacing the garage with something in line with these proposals.
They didn't want folks taking pictures so I had to be a bit surreptitious. I took a ton of pix, but not all are winners. I was unable to shoot the models, only the renderings.
So here goes:
Cook & Fox
In interesting design, strongly influenced by Norman Foster's design for WTC2. The street-level (not visible in the photo) seems to need work. I don't hate it, but it needs some work.
Gensler
Not too shabby. Reminds me both of the proposed tower for Copley Square, as well as Zaha Hadid's unbuilt proposal for the NYC 2012 Olympic Village in Queens. Another Alvar Aalto vase, inside a fishnet stocking.
Office of Metropolitan Architecture (Rem Koolhaas)
Koolhaas and his team are always hit or miss with me. This is a miss.
S.O.M.
Another disapointment. SOM's proposal for Transbay in San Francisco was breathtaking. This looks like they didn't even try.
It's a design in four gestures:
Foster & Partners
Well thought out (not the best rendering). Circulation and the public realm look pretty good. Boston could have its own Barad-dur and Isengard. My pick.
First-off, it was more of a display than a meeting or presentation; there were about a hundred people, and the crowd turned over (I arrived at 6:30).
The renderings were up on stands and there were models. I chatted up a few of the project people and some of the locals. People are interested in seeing this go forward. Only one person (of maybe twenty I spoke with) was opposed to the idea of replacing the garage with something in line with these proposals.
They didn't want folks taking pictures so I had to be a bit surreptitious. I took a ton of pix, but not all are winners. I was unable to shoot the models, only the renderings.
So here goes:
Cook & Fox
In interesting design, strongly influenced by Norman Foster's design for WTC2. The street-level (not visible in the photo) seems to need work. I don't hate it, but it needs some work.
Gensler
Not too shabby. Reminds me both of the proposed tower for Copley Square, as well as Zaha Hadid's unbuilt proposal for the NYC 2012 Olympic Village in Queens. Another Alvar Aalto vase, inside a fishnet stocking.
Office of Metropolitan Architecture (Rem Koolhaas)
Koolhaas and his team are always hit or miss with me. This is a miss.
S.O.M.
Another disapointment. SOM's proposal for Transbay in San Francisco was breathtaking. This looks like they didn't even try.
It's a design in four gestures:
- Two Modernist towers that look disturbingly similar to the JFK Building (contextualism?);
- A boot-shaped geode (Koolhaas) with random windows (Machado + Silvetti);
- A hokey ground-plane running up the facades of the low-rises;
- Gausey space-frame atria
Foster & Partners
Well thought out (not the best rendering). Circulation and the public realm look pretty good. Boston could have its own Barad-dur and Isengard. My pick.
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czsz
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
Holy fucking shit, some real architecture. I'd die for the Cook & Fox or Gensler proposals. Koolhaas' is uncharacteristically clunky; I guess this is what happens when he puts down the bong. And pray spare us SOM, which looks like it wanted to do a mashup of the worst of Government Center with the worst of the more creative Koolhaas. I wouldn't complain about getting Foster's, but, like all his designs, it's just a tad bit too tame.
Holy fucking shit, some real architecture. I'd die for the Cook & Fox or Gensler proposals. Koolhaas' is uncharacteristically clunky; I guess this is what happens when he puts down the bong. And pray spare us SOM, which looks like it wanted to do a mashup of the worst of Government Center with the worst of the more creative Koolhaas. I wouldn't complain about getting Foster's, but, like all his designs, it's just a tad bit too tame.
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
Gensler and Foster are the two best imo
I love the latice work on Gensler's....when I first saw it I in fact thought that was the Foster design a la their Swiss Re Building in London.
I like Foster's...but I'd like to see the wide shorter building from another angle...does the shown facade split at a near 90 degrees or is it more broad faced? The bifurcation of the taller building reminds me of the currently stalled Russia Tower they designed...
OMA's design is just a mess....I see what they tried to do...play off the geometric interplay of Pei's Government Center but it is just too much....too busy, too cubic....and definetely not Boston....I guess they saw our city hall and figured the area was ripe for even more harmonious architectural masochism....
Cook & Fox's design is not bad but it looks like it belongs in Dubai...not Boston...in fact it strongly resembles Zaha Hadid's Dancing Towers design...
I dunno what SOM is smoking....did they even put one iota of effort and energy into this design? Maybe it is just a poor picture but it looks like something they dusted off out of their 1980's reject closet....
Props to Gensler and Foster Partners for coming up with some classy designs that are tailored to Beantown....secondary props to Cook & Fox and OMA for at least trying....
Skidmore Owings and Merrill can go fly a kite....
Gensler and Foster are the two best imo
I love the latice work on Gensler's....when I first saw it I in fact thought that was the Foster design a la their Swiss Re Building in London.
I like Foster's...but I'd like to see the wide shorter building from another angle...does the shown facade split at a near 90 degrees or is it more broad faced? The bifurcation of the taller building reminds me of the currently stalled Russia Tower they designed...
OMA's design is just a mess....I see what they tried to do...play off the geometric interplay of Pei's Government Center but it is just too much....too busy, too cubic....and definetely not Boston....I guess they saw our city hall and figured the area was ripe for even more harmonious architectural masochism....
Cook & Fox's design is not bad but it looks like it belongs in Dubai...not Boston...in fact it strongly resembles Zaha Hadid's Dancing Towers design...
I dunno what SOM is smoking....did they even put one iota of effort and energy into this design? Maybe it is just a poor picture but it looks like something they dusted off out of their 1980's reject closet....
Props to Gensler and Foster Partners for coming up with some classy designs that are tailored to Beantown....secondary props to Cook & Fox and OMA for at least trying....
Skidmore Owings and Merrill can go fly a kite....
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I like the wave on the cook one. It seems to break up the building, giving it a more slender look, which is different from the rectangle. I do like the base of the last proposal, however. While this sight is perfect for a signature tower, the street level interaction of all these designs needs to done right.
What is their approval timeline? I remember them setting an ultimatum for this or they would just keep the garage. How long will the NIMBY's have to know off 25 floors?
I like the wave on the cook one. It seems to break up the building, giving it a more slender look, which is different from the rectangle. I do like the base of the last proposal, however. While this sight is perfect for a signature tower, the street level interaction of all these designs needs to done right.
What is their approval timeline? I remember them setting an ultimatum for this or they would just keep the garage. How long will the NIMBY's have to know off 25 floors?
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I'm going to second the "holy fucking shit".
SOM? More like POS, m i rite?!
Seriously the Cook & Fox is just stunning. I am almost too jaded to think we could have something of that caliber in Boston.
The Foster is alright but it doesn't really do it for me. This would be awesome 10 years ago.
The Gensler I kinda dig but I think that design would get old fast.
Everything else is crap.
I'm going to bed dreaming of that Cook & Fox design tho.
I'm going to second the "holy fucking shit".
SOM? More like POS, m i rite?!
Seriously the Cook & Fox is just stunning. I am almost too jaded to think we could have something of that caliber in Boston.
The Foster is alright but it doesn't really do it for me. This would be awesome 10 years ago.
The Gensler I kinda dig but I think that design would get old fast.
Everything else is crap.
I'm going to bed dreaming of that Cook & Fox design tho.
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
now let us take our highly refined sensibilities and transplace them with the sensibilities of Mayor Menino, Kairos Shen and the BRA denizens while looking at those renderings.....
Which one do they go for?
Which one does the developer go for?
With the amount of money backing this project the development team can't be cheap enough to select SMO's design.
They probably also know that City Hall and the NIMBY Squad would absolutely hate the OMA proposal.
So we can assume the development team will pick either Foster, Cook + Fox or Gensler....
I think we win with any of those 3 designs. Though I'd like to see more renderings of course....
now let us take our highly refined sensibilities and transplace them with the sensibilities of Mayor Menino, Kairos Shen and the BRA denizens while looking at those renderings.....
Which one do they go for?
Which one does the developer go for?
With the amount of money backing this project the development team can't be cheap enough to select SMO's design.
They probably also know that City Hall and the NIMBY Squad would absolutely hate the OMA proposal.
So we can assume the development team will pick either Foster, Cook + Fox or Gensler....
I think we win with any of those 3 designs. Though I'd like to see more renderings of course....
czsz
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
Our NIMBY overlords are sure to love SOM's design; none of the others give them the respite of some rare open space.
But not before demanding it lose 30 stories and be built of red brick.
That, or whoever volunteers to draw in space for a supermarket first.
Our NIMBY overlords are sure to love SOM's design; none of the others give them the respite of some rare open space.
But not before demanding it lose 30 stories and be built of red brick.
That, or whoever volunteers to draw in space for a supermarket first.
C
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
Foster's proposal exudes strength and is evenly proportioned - qualities I like for exposed locations because they appear to anchor an area.
The Cook & Fox proposal could be my favorite but I'm not really sure about what exactly is the shape of the design - I really need a better rendering.
Gensler's proposal - Idk - Boston's buildings always seem to face something (the street usually, but occasionally landmarks, the water, etc.) and these appear to just sort of float above. The inward curvature of the structures and the entire development's homogeneity of shape acts to separate the buildings from their context. The lack of windows doesn't help, for it further removes the buildings by giving the eye little to latch onto. As a future landmark, a building should define the space it's in - it should feel like a natural culmination of the built environment. These just seem transported.
Koolhaas lacks any of the funkiness and lightness that makes his other buildings unique. This would actually fit well in downtown Minneapolis - modern but corporate.
SOM is banality, gimmick, and more banality. Blegh.
Foster's proposal exudes strength and is evenly proportioned - qualities I like for exposed locations because they appear to anchor an area.
The Cook & Fox proposal could be my favorite but I'm not really sure about what exactly is the shape of the design - I really need a better rendering.
Gensler's proposal - Idk - Boston's buildings always seem to face something (the street usually, but occasionally landmarks, the water, etc.) and these appear to just sort of float above. The inward curvature of the structures and the entire development's homogeneity of shape acts to separate the buildings from their context. The lack of windows doesn't help, for it further removes the buildings by giving the eye little to latch onto. As a future landmark, a building should define the space it's in - it should feel like a natural culmination of the built environment. These just seem transported.
Koolhaas lacks any of the funkiness and lightness that makes his other buildings unique. This would actually fit well in downtown Minneapolis - modern but corporate.
SOM is banality, gimmick, and more banality. Blegh.
blade_bltz
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I remember seeing an article in which some NIMBY asserted that nothing over 325 ft (height of JFK) would be accepted by the community.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ANGRY!
I remember seeing an article in which some NIMBY asserted that nothing over 325 ft (height of JFK) would be accepted by the community.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ANGRY!
kennedy
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I am stunned! I like Cook & Fox best, closely followed by Norman Foster's (which is odd, I usually don't like his stuff), unfortunately, we'll never have the luck to score that design. SOM made me puke in my mouth, and Gensler is what, in 50 years, we'll look back upon like we look back upon Charles River Park, and Harbor Towers and the like. Koolhaas looked like some squatty, modern, glassy Sears Tower. I think he may have forgotten about Boston's proposal, and thrown it together an hour before the meeting.
Beton, we've officially upgraded you to aB double-0 status after your successful infiltration and reconnaissance of a US Gov't Facility.
I am stunned! I like Cook & Fox best, closely followed by Norman Foster's (which is odd, I usually don't like his stuff), unfortunately, we'll never have the luck to score that design. SOM made me puke in my mouth, and Gensler is what, in 50 years, we'll look back upon like we look back upon Charles River Park, and Harbor Towers and the like. Koolhaas looked like some squatty, modern, glassy Sears Tower. I think he may have forgotten about Boston's proposal, and thrown it together an hour before the meeting.
Beton, we've officially upgraded you to aB double-0 status after your successful infiltration and reconnaissance of a US Gov't Facility.
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
I thought the tops of Cook & Fox referenced the two towers on State St 28 & 60?
You can't see it on this pic but did you notice the Transamerica tower in the back of the first Gensler pic. I think there are some other SF buildings in the background too. The view with the Zakim was spectacular if not realistic. This would be my pick if it actually could look that way at night. Will make a great bookend to the Copley Sq tower. Skin looks a bit like the swimming hall at the Peking Olympics
I thought it was interesting the way Koolhaus fits with the JFK but it had the worst Street presence.
I thought SOM tried the second least, but at least they tried to referenced government center, I agree very little thought went into the atria even with a knock off of the Peking Olympic Stadium thrown in. I disliked this the most at first but grew not to dislike it as much after a while.
I thought Foster's buildings were pretty standard, I expected much more from this firm. The base looked like the massing model.
Notice all the children, guess who's parents want a school included? I thought there might have been a protest.
Beton Brut I must have been standing beside you because I heard all your descriptions while at the presentation.
I thought the tops of Cook & Fox referenced the two towers on State St 28 & 60?
You can't see it on this pic but did you notice the Transamerica tower in the back of the first Gensler pic. I think there are some other SF buildings in the background too. The view with the Zakim was spectacular if not realistic. This would be my pick if it actually could look that way at night. Will make a great bookend to the Copley Sq tower. Skin looks a bit like the swimming hall at the Peking Olympics
I thought it was interesting the way Koolhaus fits with the JFK but it had the worst Street presence.
I thought SOM tried the second least, but at least they tried to referenced government center, I agree very little thought went into the atria even with a knock off of the Peking Olympic Stadium thrown in. I disliked this the most at first but grew not to dislike it as much after a while.
I thought Foster's buildings were pretty standard, I expected much more from this firm. The base looked like the massing model.
Notice all the children, guess who's parents want a school included? I thought there might have been a protest.
Beton Brut I must have been standing beside you because I heard all your descriptions while at the presentation.
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Suffolk 83
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
There's gonna be a million responses to this... so can we have a 8-10 answer poll question to this? I don't really care who decides the questions
There's gonna be a million responses to this... so can we have a 8-10 answer poll question to this? I don't really care who decides the questions
Beton Brut
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
^^ Tan coat w/ fun-fur collar, beard, scowl.
^^ Tan coat w/ fun-fur collar, beard, scowl.
KentXie
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.
S.O.M. and Koolhaas has the worse design and I swear, if they built that, they might as well photoshop the towers out of a picture of Boston like they do with the hotel tower in Pyongyang
S.O.M. and Koolhaas has the worse design and I swear, if they built that, they might as well photoshop the towers out of a picture of Boston like they do with the hotel tower in Pyongyang