Emerson College - Little Building Addition + Renovation | 80 Boylston St | Downtown

It's really been incredible to watch this reno/rebuild process. You have 100 years of advances in steel construction, side-by-side, and it's fascinating!

Feeling hopeful about the new facade that has gone up thus far.
 
Are they returning the original (terracotta?) facade elements on top of the updated steel frame? Or are these newly manufactured replicas?
 
itchy said:
Are they returning the original (terracotta?) facade elements on top of the updated steel frame? Or are these newly manufactured replicas?
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I believe they're newly manufactured. I remember reading something about them using laser scanning to get all the details of the facade before demolition started.
 
stefalarchitect said:
I believe they're newly manufactured. I remember reading something about them using laser scanning to get all the details of the facade before demolition started.
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Confirmed. Laser Scanned and Recast to match original. Welcome to the future.

cca
 
cca said:
Confirmed. Laser Scanned and Recast to match original. Welcome to the future.

cca
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Seems actually pretty cool given that the original facade was supposedly in such terrible shape that it couldn't really be salvaged.
 
Is it also the same material as the original? If not it could look different either way...
 
DAVE said:
Is it also the same material as the original? If not it could look different either way...
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Well, I hope it is not the same material, since the original material failed to do the basic job of a facade, keep the elements out. Hence the costly structural rebuild and unsalvageable facade tiles.
 
It'd be cool to see a cost breakdown for this, seeing as we've come to learn/assume that facade elements with this much detail are really costly. Now that we're seeing it happen here, it'd be nice to see solid numbers..
 
Emerson owns 171 Tremont.

Seems like they can make use of the approved project and swap in dorm suites.

Stuff another 72 students onto the campus.
 
The renovations of The Commons at 172 Tremont Street and the Little Building should finish in March and August of 2019 respectively, according to a college official at the weekly Student Government Association meeting Tuesday.
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The expected reopening of the Little Building in August 2019 remains on track, according to Hoppe. Construction in the basement and on the first floor will finish sometime during fall 2019, but students can still access the dorms while the renovations finish. The basement will include a cabaret, production, and studio space, while the first floor will contain business spaces that the college will rent out.

The City of Boston requires the Little Building to remain in good repair due to its historical landmark status. The college undertook renovations to the building’s exterior facade because it deteriorated, according to Hoppe.

In addition to the Little Building renovations, the college will expand the sidewalk on Boylston Street. The 8-foot expansion will stretch from Edgar Allan Poe Way to the intersection of Tremont and Boylston Streets. The new sidewalk will include seating and planters and will shrink Boylston Street from four lanes to three. Sidewalk construction will begin in February or March of 2019, according to Hoppe.

“It’ll be more like a campus promenade,” Hoppe said.
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http://www.berkeleybeacon.com/2018/...-for-the-commons-little-building-on-schedule/

I'm glad for the road diet but that doesn't sound like it will do anything to add a cycle track to Boylston.
 
I got skewered a bit for saying this last year on this thread, but now that I've gotten a chance to see this project up close, I stand by my contention that replica materials can look very good in these restoration jobs.

I agree that saving existing materials is preferable whenever possible. It just seems they're using quality replica materials on this job.
 
bigpicture7 said:
I got skewered a bit for saying this last year on this thread, but now that I've gotten a chance to see this project up close, I stand by my contention that replica materials can look very good in these restoration jobs.

I agree that saving existing materials is preferable whenever possible. It just seems they're using quality replica materials on this job.
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Laser scanning and 5 axis stone cutting routers and good precast concrete make this all possible. This project pushes the idea of historic preservation into the digital age and is proving that there is value in the new techniques.

cca
 
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