Draper Laboratory | 555 Technology Square | Kendall Square | Cambridge

fattony

fattony

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Maybe starting this thread is a little premature because renderings won't be released for a few weeks, but here goes anyway.

Draper Lab will be renovating their main building in Kendall inside and out. The (grossly underutilized) courtyard will be filled in as an atrium adding something like 30,000 additional square feet. No retail. Internally, almost all non-lab space will be converted to open floor plans.

Charles-Stark-Draper-Labs-Cambridge-MA-.jpg
 
Any chance they will make the Broadway side more hospitable to pedestrians and lose that office park lawn? I'd wish they did it all around but with the Grand Junction there is not much you can do on the east side.
 
Be nice if they added sidewalks in front of the garage on the other side of the street as well. Something to continue the sidewalk at the tech square garage and stop reminding everyone this area was auto only not many years ago.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
Any chance they will make the Broadway side more hospitable to pedestrians and lose that office park lawn? I'd wish they did it all around but with the Grand Junction there is not much you can do on the east side.
Click to expand...

I doubt there will be streetscape changes other than in front. Apparently the city requested the gerbil tube be removed as part of the changes, but Draper held fast on that one. We'll see just how extensive the renovation is once they release the plans.

Also, word is the Elkus Manfredi is doing the job.
 
If only that was a real hot tub back there ... then there would be something ... otherwise ...

cca
 
Elkus will be proud to hear that statement.

cca
 
Hey, it's modern ablaq... a rich historical tradition of Byzantine and then Islamic themes, influencing European pilgrims to the Orient and thus Christian medieval architecture as well.

Like the Khan As'ad Pasha in Damascus
Khan_As%27ad_Pacha_Al-%27Azem.jpg


And of course, Cordoba
Mosque-Cordoba-red-and-white-striped-arches-5.jpg


In Italy, eg
Orvieto
orvieto_Duomo.jpg

duomo2.jpg

Orvieto127.jpg


Siena
Toscana_Siena4_tango7174.jpg

800px-Duomo_di_siena%2C_esterno_01.JPG


Not just 70s office park nonsense?

Now we just need some arches, colonnades, towers...
 
Randomwalk -- is it your pix or is it me -- or is it a modern architectural penchant to make thinks look as if they are leaning or slumping

Reminds me about the joke about the Stata Center

What is the only building on campus which is designed to withstand a Mag. 7 Richter Earthquake [at the time] -- but looks as if it didn't [still the case]

Draper's glassy addition and that strange glass tent on the old Bank of Boston both seem to be leaning
 
^ It is like someone pulled on one side of the plotter paper while the blueprints were printing.
 
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it's like someone cut up Dewey Square into sections and set them out on a white marble coffee table.
 
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