Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

There's absolutely nothing redeemable about that design. It's an absolutely atrocious, tired, uninspired anachronism. There's no way it should be allowed to rise on that spot.
 
Arborway said:
There's absolutely nothing redeemable about that design. It's an absolutely atrocious, tired, uninspired anachronism. There's no way it should be allowed to rise on that spot.
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What's even scarier is that it won "awed approval." -.-
 
briv said:
So from three sides the building looks like your typical shitty Rt-128 boxy-strip-windowed-office-park jobber, but from the the front it's your typical shitty Rt-128 boxy-strip-windowed-office-park jobber with a kewl inexplicable glassed-up fissure running through the facade. Awesome.
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Weak, with a side order of suck. It's a value-engineered riff on Zaha and Morphosis.

Can we please move on from this sort of post-Postmodern cleverness?
 
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I have to say it took me a few rereads of this thread to realized that this was the ACTUAL design being proposed. I literally thought it was a joke.
 
Oh God, its going to ruin the park. And the view from Boston. And the view from the highway. Everything will be ruined.

northpoint.jpg



Although having a restaurant fronting the park will be nice.
 
jass said:
Oh God, its going to ruin the park. And the view from Boston. And the view from the highway. Everything will be ruined.

northpoint.jpg



Although having a restaurant fronting the park will be nice.
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Dear Lord, that looks like it could be Woburn!!!!!!!
 
This building is actually a great metaphor for the academic community in Cambridge. A lot of deconstructionist posturing, but ultimately unthreatening, even predictably bland.
 
datadyne007 said:
There is nothing Scandinavian about this project.
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Well perhaps there is some Scandinavian aspects:

according to the wikipedia the " The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult[1], in the Swedish university town of Lund under the name Europeiska Ferieskolan (European Holiday School). It is currently privately-held by the Hult family[2] and is headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland.[3] "

if you look at the renderings in the pdf submitted to Cambridge for the special perit:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...V3Pg21-Gdgs2rA

there are a lot of Scandinavian aspects which you might find in a Nokia building (e.g. Burlington) or in the Copenhagen Airport:
enclosed bike parking
winter garden
open office plans

not so sure about the glass waterfall but as for ruing the view -- it will help to block some of the more tortuous ramps for the various roads located behind it
 
This makes the stuff in the South Boston Waterfront look inspired.


czsz said:
This building is actually a great metaphor for the academic community in Cambridge. A lot of deconstructionist posturing, but ultimately unthreatening, even predictably bland.
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ZING!
 
Update on 3 projects in Cambridge:

Sunday on my way home I passed by the projects at:

1) 2nd & Binney
I believe it might be 50 Binney
parking lot is being torn-up prep for construction



2) 150 2nd St
$70m earmarked for Cambridge lab project in Kendall Square -- Skanska USA Inc. investing $70 million to develop a laboratory and office building at 150 Second St. in Kendall Square,

Currently demolishing existing 1 story building


3) 610 Main St.
Construction Fencing fully surrounding the site -- seems to be a fair amount of equipment digging at the parking lot


4) Extensive background information presented to the Cambridge Planning Board on the "Plaza to be created at the Kendall Sq. entrance to MIT campus

www.kendallsquareinitiative.org/.../2011-07-12-Planning-Board-pres...

a large 70 page pdf package with slides from David Manfredi and others

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...ZkzMix0nSr-FpuGTA&sig2=x3svXxTiq2SXqhF6rbf8cA
 
gyro said:
you think this design is bad? This is the improved design by Gert Wingardh.

The original proposal by Elkus Manfredi was much worse. Look this over and you will understand the awed approval:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Port...tors/EducationStEF_ProposalResponse090210.pdf
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I knew Elkus couldn't have done that recent proposal. There is no brown sandstone facade. I've never seen an Elkus building that 1.) isn't tan and 2.) doesn't look like every single other building they've designed, stretched either up or down. Their original proposal wreaks of their mediocre architectural style.
 
In Elkus' defense.... they are the architect of everyone's favorite wet dream building propoasl in Boston. Copley.
 
SeamusMcFly said:
In Elkus' defense.... they are the architect of everyone's favorite wet dream building propoasl in Boston. Copley.
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hired by MIT to help wih the new kndall Square buildings and welcoming plaza -- and also hired by Alexandria to draw the very popular rendering for 50 Binney St. in Cambridge -- dare I say curvaceous -- at least for a lab/ office buidlding
 
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