Gov't Center Station Rebuild

It's a good question raised by one of the comments on that article - why wasn't this building designed in a curve instead of being rectilinear? Could have looked so much better.

Also lol at "Looks like KMart does Renzo Piano"
 
cybah said:
Wow people are never happy with anything.. fine we can go back to the bunker, that was better? right?

(no, not you whighlander, the link is what Im talking about)
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It's Kunstler. He never happy about anything. He put the crack in crackpot.
 
Galactic said:
why wasn't this building designed in a curve instead of being rectilinear?
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Curves cost extra and its unclear they make the building better (see also MIT Stata Center). The box sits on top of very rectilinear things, like an escalator.
 
The only good thing so far is that the Bunker has been Bunker Blasted out of existence
 
whighlander said:
The only good thing so far is that the Bunker has been Bunker Blasted out of existence
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Yes.

Put me squarely in favor of practical, ADA-accessible transportation that just works, and gets delivered on time.

If I can get a bit of skylight and wayfinding, awesome.

NYC's Fulton Street Transit Center, and WTC Path Station, and 7 Extension have taught us that custom, swoopy, soaring architecture (wings, oculus, inclined elevator....) kill both budget and schedule.

Maverick is a great example of making it look nice and being a vast improvement. No curves please. Airport Station? Curvy, but does it work better 'cause of them? I haven't experienced it as better. And king of all curves, Kenmore bus shelter was a disaster (budget, schedule, and some would argue, user experience)
 
whighlander said:
cden -- the station perhaps eyesore of the month -- the background human parking structure aka City Hall --- eyesore of the Century [20th and counting] ;)
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I have to agree... white frame clashes with every other color and that is magnified by the glass. The whole structure - its axis, color, shape, everything - totally clashes with the other buildings. The orientation is what I have the biggest problem with - it's out of line with the crescents, AND with City Hall... so it basically dooms the entire plaza to ever having any coherence at all.

Another typical Boston, Mass. move - they coulda had a clear, long range plan for fixing govt center with design principles, long term goals, and made sure any new construction was in line with this - instead, the T does its own thing.

The only good thing here, as stated, is the horrible old bunker is gone - and at least the Blue has distinctive stations now - kind of like the Jubilee Line...
 
FK4 said:
... white frame clashes with every other color and that is magnified by the glass. The whole structure - its axis, color, shape, everything - totally clashes with the other buildings. The orientation is what I have the biggest problem with - it's out of line with the crescents, AND with City Hall... so it basically dooms the entire plaza to ever having any coherence at all.

Another typical Boston, Mass. move - they coulda had a clear, long range plan for fixing govt center with design principles, long term goals, and made sure any new construction was in line with this - instead, the T does its own thing.
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Exactly. That sums it up perfectly.
 
Some newer pic of the progress have been posted on the MBTA's website, but still a lot of construction going on down there.

Nothing else put in yet other than the 1st escalator(s) that will take commuter up to the head house, or down into the station. The elevators still have yet to be put in.

I wonder if they are still on target with the completion date and still within the budget for the rehab program.

Just read on the website that once the station is completed & open for business, that the Bowden Street Station will close, possibly & hopefully to rehab it for ADA access and platform extension. :confused:
 
I believe the plan is to close Bowdoin station permanently once gov't center is done. They can't extend the platform because of space and they just waited to close it because they knew they would need it during the gov't center closure.
 
citylover94 said:
I believe the plan is to close Bowdoin station permanently once gov't center is done. They can't extend the platform because of space and they just waited to close it because they knew they would need it during the gov't center closure.
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Really? I thought they weren't talking about closing Bowdoin until Red-Blue happens. MGH would make a stink if Bowdoin closed down.
 
citylover94 said:
I believe the plan is to close Bowdoin station permanently once gov't center is done. They can't extend the platform because of space and they just waited to close it because they knew they would need it during the gov't center closure.
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When plans were first developed to modernize Government Center in the 1990s, the intent was for the rebuilt Government Center station to feature a second full time entrance from the west end of the Blue Line platform. Bowdoin would be closed when this entrance opened, as it would be a short distance away. However, the original bids came in much higher than anticipated and the Government Center project was delayed. When the project was rebid several years later, the plans for the second entrance were removed as a cost savings.

There are no longer plans to close Bowdoin. The eastbound platform at Bowdoin can only hold four car trains which was thought in the 1990s to be a potential problem as full six-car train operation was anticipated. The present #5 Blue Line cars feature a passenger operated door function which allows only the doors on four cars to be used on the eastbound platform at Bowdoin. This solved the six-car train problem at Bowdoin. Bowdoin was not designated a "key station" in the MBTA's 1990 ADA plan and has not had any major changes made, and thus is not obligated to be made accessible.
 
Galactic said:
It's a good question raised by one of the comments on that article - why wasn't this building designed in a curve instead of being rectilinear? Could have looked so much better.
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I don't have much info but maybe 10 years ago the MBTA hired an architect to redesign the headhouse but for whatever reasons it never got built. Here is the only rendering I have. I even went to a lecture by the architect and he talked about his struggles working with the MBTA. Point is, he incorporated a curve.

http://gfycat.com/BitterDistinctAtlanticridleyturtle
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
I don't have much info but maybe 10 years ago the MBTA hired an architect to redesign the headhouse but for whatever reasons it never got built. Here is the only rendering I have. I even went to a lecture by the architect and he talked about his struggles working with the MBTA. Point is, he incorporated a curve.

http://gfycat.com/BitterDistinctAtlanticridleyturtle
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The curve is key. That would be better than this. The headhouse actually doesnt look THAT bad in and of itself, just doesnt fit in at all.
 
FK4 said:
The curve is key. That would be better than this. The headhouse actually doesnt look THAT bad in and of itself, just doesnt fit in at all.
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This was designed back when they put in that ridiculous "colonnade" thing along Cambridge St.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Really? I thought they weren't talking about closing Bowdoin until Red-Blue happens. MGH would make a stink if Bowdoin closed down.
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That IS quite a long walk from Charles/MGH to Gov't Ctr. Sta! or vice versa. I think that Mass General has already made it clear that this wouldn't sit too well with them.

This is just an excuse for the T to close Bowdoin. Gain one station back, lose another! :mad:
 
Jahvon09 said:
That IS quite a long walk from Charles/MGH to Gov't Ctr. Sta! or vice versa. I think that Mass General has already made it clear that this wouldn't sit too well with them.

This is just an excuse for the T to close Bowdoin. Gain one station back, lose another! :mad:
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They aren't going to close Bowdoin after all.
 
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