City Hall Plaza Revamp | Government Center

Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Is there a City Hall interior thread?

The lobby of City Hall is getting some interior design/wayfinding upgrades:

https://twitter.com/gintautasd/status/820052355160764417

C2FpQTCVEAACTL-.jpg:large


https://twitter.com/gintautasd/status/820051596503633921

C2FokH1UkAAEz3_.jpg:large


Few first impressions:
- Disappointing they are not getting rid of the bricks . It would make a world of difference.
- The coffee bar is in the sterile area behind security.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

datadyne007 said:
Is there a City Hall interior thread?

The lobby of City Hall is getting some interior design/wayfinding upgrades:

https://twitter.com/gintautasd/status/820052355160764417

C2FpQTCVEAACTL-.jpg:large


https://twitter.com/gintautasd/status/820051596503633921

C2FokH1UkAAEz3_.jpg:large


Few first impressions:
- Disappointing they are not getting rid of the bricks . It would make a world of difference.
- The coffee bar is in the sterile area behind security.
Click to expand...

Huge waste of money... well probably not that huge but still they should be knocking down walls/stairs, opening it all up, not tinkering like this.


Love the people in the graphic though.....'Cause those brick stairs behind security are really going to be a great place to just hang out.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

tangent said:
Huge waste of money... well probably not that huge but still they should be knocking down walls/stairs, opening it all up, not tinkering like this.


Love the people in the graphic though.....'Cause those brick stairs behind security are really going to be a great place to just hang out.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the stairs. A sleek smaller modern staircase and a slate floor instead of the brick with seating for the coffee bar would have been a wonderful upgrade. Structure doesn't need to be touched, but the monumental stair itself is nothing more than a monumental failure.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

I think this is good and long overdue. The current entrance set-up - especially the security - feels desperately improvised (because it is). This will create a proper entrance for city hall users. Will be nice to have a proper reception desk too - currently you just get greated by a security guard running the x-ray machine.

(Need to do something similar at the oneil building FWIW).

Homerun? No ... but a solid nuts and bolts upgrade...
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Market is gone, but people still enjoying the rink.
From Sunday
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

The monumental stair is a relic from a simpler time.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

The stairs aren't going anywhere for now so be creative with them. For the inside a couple of 15-20' people abstractions walking up or down the steps would be interesting. A couple of gigantic slinky sculptures on the outside steps would be awesome.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

The skating track needs to be bigger, longer, wider next year. It's fun but gets very crowded... Overall an awesome thing for the city. What's the plan for the summer here?
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Part of the problem is that under those stairs are two restrooms and a good portion of the Assessing Department.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

My brain keeps scanning the typo in the thread title as Offal.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

RandomWalk said:
My brain keeps scanning the typo in the thread title as Offal.
Click to expand...

The mods could change the title to Offal City Hall Plaza Proposals and then it would be not be a typo any more and would make good sense besides.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Roxxma said:
Part of the problem is that under those stairs are two restrooms and a good portion of the Assessing Department.
Click to expand...

Plenty of room upstairs to move the assessing department. Start by evicting the Boston Globe and Boston Herald out of their free office space. And there are other bathrooms.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Roxxma said:
Part of the problem is that under those stairs are two restrooms and a good portion of the Assessing Department.
Click to expand...

Thank you. That was my next question.

Edit: There are indeed gang toilets under the stair:
stringio.jpg


Google Maps

tangent said:
Plenty of room upstairs to move the assessing department. Start by evicting the Boston Globe and Boston Herald out of their free office space. And there are other bathrooms.
Click to expand...

A certain number of plumbing fixtures is required on each floor per 248 CMR 10.00 (Uniform State Plumbing Code). I don't have the fixture counts or occupancy on that level of City Hall available, but it's not as easy as just knocking down a bathroom and sending people elsewhere. Though if you get rid of a department, you lower the occupancy and could possibly get away with ditching some fixtures if there are more bathrooms nearby.
 
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Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

West said:
The mods could change the title to Offal City Hall Plaza Proposals and then it would be not be a typo any more and would make good sense besides.
Click to expand...

I don't know if many of us have the brains to stomach such a pun.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Roxxma said:
I don't know if many of us have the brains to stomach such a pun.
Click to expand...

JeffDowntown said:
It takes intestinal fortitude and a lot of spleen (and it was my typo!).
Click to expand...

I was formulating a response about how the enteric nervous system (the nerves in the digestive system) has more neurons than the spinal column, and is sometimes referred to as “the second brain”, which would have led to a great pun about brains and guts, and then realized O.M. EFFING. G.!!, I’m halfway to a thread-jacking post. Stop me before I thread-jack again!

So I will veer back on topic: Those brick wall expanses along the plaza side and also the Congress Street side are City Hall’s worst sins (referring to the building itself), and on the plaza side this is accentuated by all the acres of red brick laid out in such a formless expanse. If the building’s lower blank brick walls would get stripped completely away and replaced by high-quality glass wall infill that had detailing with vertical orientation and a visual jaggedness to complement the crenellated cornice up above, and if it were all lit inventively at night, and if the plaza itself were stripped of all that boring red brick and landscaped with something vastly less monotonous (mix of plantings and contrasting paving schemes), then City Hall and its plaza could be awesome. Oh, I forgot to add: also put a glass atrium roof over the central space that is currently pigeon-shit central. Make those bathrooms go wherever they need to go.

Never gonna happen, but I can dream.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

datadyne007 said:
Thank you. That was my next question.

Edit: There are indeed gang toilets under the stair:
stringio.jpg


Google Maps


A certain number of plumbing fixtures is required on each floor per 248 CMR 10.00 (Uniform State Plumbing Code). I don't have the fixture counts or occupancy on that level of City Hall available, but it's not as easy as just knocking down a bathroom and sending people elsewhere. Though if you get rid of a department, you lower the occupancy and could possibly get away with ditching some fixtures if there are more bathrooms nearby.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. Really gut it out and open it up. Make the lower floors a civic space rather than dark office space
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

West said:
I was formulating a response about how the enteric nervous system (the nerves in the digestive system) has more neurons than the spinal column, and is sometimes referred to as “the second brain”, which would have led to a great pun about brains and guts, and then realized O.M. EFFING. G.!!, I’m halfway to a thread-jacking post. Stop me before I thread-jack again!

So I will veer back on topic: Those brick wall expanses along the plaza side and also the Congress Street side are City Hall’s worst sins (referring to the building itself), and on the plaza side this is accentuated by all the acres of red brick laid out in such a formless expanse. If the building’s lower blank brick walls would get stripped completely away and replaced by high-quality glass wall infill that had detailing with vertical orientation and a visual jaggedness to complement the crenellated cornice up above, and if it were all lit inventively at night, and if the plaza itself were stripped of all that boring red brick and landscaped with something vastly less monotonous (mix of plantings and contrasting paving schemes), then City Hall and its plaza could be awesome. Oh, I forgot to add: also put a glass atrium roof over the central space that is currently pigeon-shit central. Make those bathrooms go wherever they need to go.

Never gonna happen, but I can dream.
Click to expand...

I share that dream. Further, make that newly opened up space on the lower floors a more public and civic space rather than deep dark bureaucratic offices full of paperwork and red tape.
 
Re: Official City Hall Plaza Proposals

The Globe seems to be burying the lede here.

Boston Winter is canceled amid plans to renovate City Hall Plaza

Mayor Martin J. Walsh is moving forward with a $60 million plan to overhaul City Hall Plaza, but, city officials said, it will be at the expense of one of the headline events on the brick expanse — the Boston Winter festival.

The planned changes involve a complete redesign of the plaza, including plans for a seasonal fountain and tree-covered gathering spots — as well as the renovation of the North Side entrance of City Hall, which has been closed to the public for 17 years. The improvements also include infrastructure upgrades that could allow for event organizers to better tap into water, electricity, and data lines, allowing for the possibility of expanded activities.

[...]

The new design plans call for a more accessible plaza as well, and possibly a visitors center and gathering spots for groups.

[...]

Testing of the plaza’s infrastructure will begin in the fall and last through the winter and mostly be confined to the plaza’s north side.

But it will affect large scale events planned for that area, including, the city confirmed, Boston Winter, “as the city commences extensive destructive testing and prepares for construction in 2019.”

[...]

After putting out a request for a bid in December, the city has named the construction firm Skanska as the project manager, and is in final contract negotiations with Sasaki Architects for the final design and construction of the project.
Click to expand...
 
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