Cambridge Crossing (NorthPoint) | East Cambridge/Charlestown | Cambridge/Boston

Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Definitely looking nice...is there a rendering somewhere in this thread? Or are we just going to see it as it goes?
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

^ Upgrade!
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Holy crap, that looks REALLY good. Amazing what paint and windows can do.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

That looks so good I don't know why architects today don't just take this form and run with it.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

That's spectacular.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

I really like it, and am happy to see progress after the first few windows were installed months ago and then ... crickets (visibly - internal work continued).

We live in Northpoint and wonder if, since this is Avalon Phase II (at least it was originally), will the eventual Phase III be yet another architectural style? Combine that with our two Northpoint condos buildings, Twenty|20, and 22 Water (not Northpoint) and we'll almost be ... over diversified. No real tie together elements!
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

This may be a stretch, but this almost looks like a new building. What a great re-hab job.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Not getting the praise for this. It's ok, nothing special. If it had been built as is from scratch there would be lots of complaints it looked like a cheap Holiday Inn from the 70s.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Brad Plaid said:
Not getting the praise for this. It's ok, nothing special. If it had been built as is from scratch there would be lots of complaints it looked like a cheap Holiday Inn from the 70s.
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But its not new, and seems to be the exact opposite of cheap. I posted a close-up of the windows a page or two back, they appear to be high quality and have some very nice refined details. Beyond that, they did a great job at taking a modest, utilitarian (ugly) structure and through careful exterior work made it stand out quite nicely, a drastic upgrade to not only the condition they started with, but likely its as-built condition as well.

I was initially wary of the amount of concrete they cut away from the exterior, but the vertical stripe of windows and their order is a great improvement. I love how the corners are continuous from ground level to the roof, which highlights the original detailing extending to the cornice that I never even noticed before. Inside the living spaces should be incredible, the floor plates look to be 12'-14' and have some great mushroom columns.

Remember, they started with this:
14583063906_48d26c1a27_b.jpg
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

davem said:
I was initially wary of the amount of concrete they cut away from the exterior, but the vertical stripe of windows and their order is a great improvement. I love how the corners are continuous from ground level to the roof, which highlights the original detailing extending to the cornice that I never even noticed before. Inside the living spaces should be incredible, the floor plates look to be 12'-14' and have some great mushroom columns
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It's incredible how much you can do with dark areas around the windows for definition. I've noticed that on other buildings as well.

Thanks for the before pic, btw. I'd forgotten how much of a change this really is. More of a rebuild than a rehab.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

I am not a structural engineer, so take this with a grain of salt...

We had a lot of similar concrete work done on our building (Glass Factory Condos). The spalls were ground down to a minimum depth and patched. Any exposed rusting rebar was ground down to bare metal, then primed and patched. There was a fairly long warranty of 10 or 20 years on the repairs so I think it's a fairly good system.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

I'm a preservationist, so I've really only observed it being done as well. The genesis of the issue is that when they first started working with reinforced concrete, and for quite a while afterwards, they put the rebar much closer to the surface than today. Additionally there were often more contaminants in the mix, particularly salt, as well as too large/small aggregate and other issues. Between that and concretes natural porosity, prewar concrete is far more susceptible to spalling.

If the job is done right, (not only just grinding down the spalled concrete and exposed rebar, but the adjacent areas as well, plus using a good quality binder) it should last at least as well as the original work. Patching/extending concrete is never easy nor perfect though, it doesn't like to stick to itself once cured. Of course like anything, maintenance is key. Keeping an eye on the patches and regularly sealing/painting them is just as important as the patch itself. I'm sure some of the other guys who spec this stuff will chime in with a more in depth process of how its done, for instance on larger patches I believe they use anchors and such.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Agree with Abdinoor and Dave. The main thing the spec typically calls for is chipping back at spalls (beyond the limits of the spall) so that you can remove all of the rebar that shows significant rust.
I'm not an engineer, but my company does plenty of spall repair on jobs (we just finished the Callahan Tunnel rehab - which was basically a giant concrete repair project).
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

At the recent HYM meeting they discussed that there are no firm plans for Lot U (parking area seen in photo). It is zoned for commercial but could change to residential. I would prefer to see residential in this lot. A large bulky commercial building (probably a lab) would completely block these units. HYM zoned the other commercial buildings for areas adjacent to the railroad tracks. They kept the apartments/condos close to the park which I think makes sense. They are trying to get a zoning change for the retail portion so that they can have a 50,000 foot market. Right now they are only zoned for 10,000 feet.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Tango said:
At the recent HYM meeting they discussed that there are no firm plans for Lot U (parking area seen in photo). It is zoned for commercial but could change to residential. I would prefer to see residential in this lot. A large bulky commercial building (probably a lab) would completely block these units. HYM zoned the other commercial buildings for areas adjacent to the railroad tracks. They kept the apartments/condos close to the park which I think makes sense. They are trying to get a zoning change for the retail portion so that they can have a 50,000 foot market. Right now they are only zoned for 10,000 feet.
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This is the real shame of Mapleleaf. The building is 30 feet from Avalon and less than 10 feet from the boundary of the parking lot. They made the building look nice but it will be buried in an alley with no views.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

abdinoor said:
This is the real shame of Mapleleaf. The building is 30 feet from Avalon and less than 10 feet from the boundary of the parking lot. They made the building look nice but it will be buried in an alley with no views.
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Many if not most city units have limited, unexceptional views. Those buying/renting here would surely be aware of the future buildout and not be taken by surprise.
 
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