Hynes renovation

If it exists at all, it's called something different. When I do a rezoning, it's before the City Council, after the professional planners have made their recommendation.
 
Not a rezoning...the ZBA exists in that name (Zoning Board of Adjustments) to accomodate smaller issues, such as encroachments into sideyards, signage issues, etc....

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Planning/Zoning+Administration/ZBA+Cases/home.htm

Sorry for the digression.....Boston has one too, different from the BRA, though their role is slightly different than in Charlotte. I believe they are responsible for ensuring conforming development plans truly are conforming, though they can permit small changes to approved plans without sending it back to the BRA.

An example would be weather to allow a roofdeck feature exceed the permitted height, though in an historic district a zoning board would have oversight as well.
 
That building needs to be de-PoMoed as soon as humanly possible. The current renovation is lipstick on a pig.
 
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The purpose of the work is to open up sidewalk-level commercial space, so we don't really know what 'for this' is until the space is rented.
 
JohnAKeith said:
In one room on the first floor with bar, kitchen and storage in the rear, in two rooms on the second floor with bar; kitchen and storage in the rear and to include an outdoor patio for 74 patrons on private property between the hours of 11:00 A.M. ? Midnight.
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Yes, outdoor seating will be nice, but Bd's point about the design still holds true. They've been working for half a year on this, and the side of Hynes facing the plaza still looks like a blank featureless wall.

Not to mention the plaza itself, which I think is one of the most wasted public spaces in the city. The bronze statue's placement in front of a huge banner declaring the Prudential Center's amenities, and below a terrace emblazoned with all the fast food logos from the food court makes the whole thing look cheap and tacky and Dinsey-esque. That statue could truly soar, and this plaza could truly work (and yes, I realize another "tower" might be in the works someday for this spot)

Anyway, my rant about the plaza is to mainly just note that the Hynes renovation isn't really helping at all from a design standpoint.
 
Ron Newman said:
The purpose of the work is to open up sidewalk-level commercial space, so we don't really know what 'for this' is until the space is rented.
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It could have been redeveloped to appear less cave-like.
 
Yes, outdoor seating will be nice, but Bd's point about the design still holds true. They've been working for half a year on this, and the side of Hynes facing the plaza still looks like a blank featureless wall.
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But that plaza is getting filled in. Based on this rendering it looks like most of that blank, featureless wall will be obscured.

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Is there a need for plaza space here at all instead of a continuous streetwall from Hynes to Copley Square? It does look nice, though.
 
^^ The rendering looks nice, but what are the chances they break ground on this in the next 5 years?

Shepard's observations on the plaza are spot on. It is overdue for something to make the space more inviting.
 
bdurden said:
Is there a need for plaza space here at all instead of a continuous streetwall from Hynes to Copley Square? It does look nice, though.
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I work at the Pru and enter on Boylston Street every day. I can tell you with absolute certainty that any shallow "plaza" there in front of a new tower will be windswept and constantly in shadow. (Stand in front of the Mandarin if you don't believe me.) I'm not being a NIMBY and saying I stand opposed to wind and shadow. But I am saying that if it's going to be completely uninviting anyway, why bother? Just build a consistent streetwall.
 
The Hynes has a blank side wall because the Pru eventually expected to cover up that wall with another building.

As for the plaza, people spill out of the food court into it during warm weather.
 
I agree with BD and Shep about the plaza being mostly a waste.

Probably came out of negotiations with the BBNA who were concerned about the "elimination of all that open space . . ."
 
Shepard said:
Just build a consistent streetwall.
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This is true 99.9999% of the time. It's one of a small handful of things architecture schools can teach ... but I doubt they do.

Ablarc, would be curious to hear your thoughts on whether that maxim is a) generally true and b) insufficiently taught at architecture schools.
 
If it's too continuous, as in, flat, it will be boring. Needs to have plenty of nooks and crannies for the continuous streetwall concept to work, I think. Take Newbury St. as an example, and think about every little (human sized) space that exists along that streetwall. Then take a look at this glass curtain wall - no way it would facilitate the same kind of pedestrian - building interaction. The building needs to slow people down, give them a reason to meander along the edge, not make the sidewalk into a highway and the mall entrance into an off ramp.
 
Shepard said:
I work at the Pru and enter on Boylston Street every day. I can tell you with absolute certainty that any shallow "plaza" there in front of a new tower will be windswept and constantly in shadow. (Stand in front of the Mandarin if you don't believe me.) I'm not being a NIMBY and saying I stand opposed to wind and shadow. But I am saying that if it's going to be completely uninviting anyway, why bother? Just build a consistent streetwall.
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Isn't a consistent streetwall the worst possible thing to do if that is the case? At least now the pocket plaza helps to foil the wind a little by breaking up the streetwall, like a snowfence. Fill it in and it will be even windier in front of the mandarin.
 
If the wind is really that bad (I personally haven't experienced it), a measly plaza is not going to break it up, case in point the Hancock plaza.
 
Well, here's my two cents on the subject. Nothing is more boring than a flat, continuous street wall. The Plaza in front of the new proposed building in front of the Pru is something planned correctly for a change. It's good having a place to sit and relax, wind or no wind. Space for outdoor seating at a cafe or two here can only make the experience of the plaza more enjoyable. I used to work at the Pru and have lunch on summer days on the existing plaza. I do not remember being windswept at any time, or in any way. I do remember enjoying the sunshine and people watching. How would you be able to do that with a straight, flat streetwall?
 
On the other side of Boylston, the 'continuous streetwall' is broken up with street crossings every block. Same on Newbury. It would be a mistake to build an unbroken 3-block-long streetwall on the south side of Boylston.
 
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