Kendall Common Parcel C1 (née Volpe Center) | 25 Broadway | Kendall Square | Cambridge

[shmessy]

This angle is new
View attachment 57442

Plus a wider angle of a previous one that now shows the R1 residential towers massing.
View attachment 57441
https://kendallcommon.com/commercial/

R1 had shown up here before too
View attachment 57443
https://www.bldup.com/posts/16-story-office-lab-approved-in-kendall-square

Those renders are clearly showing the buildings at their very narrowest angles - - and even those are exposing fatties.

I swear, Boston/Cambridge needs to start property taxing buildings based on WIDTH like Amsterdam did. That would definitely affect a change in the visual style. There needs to be an architectural Ozempic at this point.

.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Those renders are clearly showing the buildings at their very narrowest angles - - and even those are exposing fatties.

I swear, Boston/Cambridge needs to start property taxing buildings based on WIDTH like Amsterdam did. That would definitely affect a change in the visual style. There needs to be an architectural Ozempic at this point.

.

I can sniff out floor after floor of large-floor-plate cube farms.

 

[bigpicture7]

I can sniff out floor after floor of large-floor-plate cube farms.

Fair enough for C1, but the other building in Stick's render is R1 which is residential. It seems that one could use a proportions improvement too. Original site massing:

The render Stick just posted (from: https://kendallcommon.com/commercial/):

It may be worth noting that the only two of these that have had official designs submitted are C1 and C3, so R1 could still be a placeholder.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Fair enough for C1, but the other building in Stick's render is R1 which is residential. It seems that one could use a proportions improvement too. Original site massing:

The render Stick just posted (from: https://kendallcommon.com/commercial/):

It may be worth noting that the only two of these that have had official designs submitted are C1 and C3, so R1 could still be a placeholder.

The original R1 massing seemed much more "residential appropriate".

 

[Equilibria]

The two buildings they've detailed so far strayed massively from the placeholders. I wouldn't take R1 too seriously until they actually propose the design.

 

[johnmcboston]

The buildings are nice, but any word on the deconstruction of the old DOT building? Seems it would be in the way of C1...

 

[awood91]

The buildings are nice, but any word on the reconstruction of the old DOT building? Seems it would be in the way of C1...

It’s already built and occupied. Search ‘new Volpe building Cambridge’

 

[bigpicture7]

It’s already built and occupied. Search ‘new Volpe building Cambridge’

^Agree, but if @johnmcboston is referring to what will be re-built on the footprint of the old Volpe Building, then I believe that is more in the area of the later phase buildings (C2 and R2) which are scheduled to be built substantially after C1. See development phasing info here:
http://archboston.com/community/thr...lopment-kendall-sq-cambridge.4940/post-459336

Otherwise, here is what you refer to: the completed new Volpe Transportation Systems Center building:
http://archboston.com/community/thr...lopment-kendall-sq-cambridge.4940/post-489705
(Which resides in the building outline of the above aerial view labeled "GSA")

 

[johnmcboston]

No, John is gumbling about autocorrect gone wrong. the DEconstruction of the old DOT/Volpe building.

The footprint is close - they could just remove the one story additions and build C1, but now you're removing the old building with a new building feet away.

 

[bigpicture7]

No, John is gumbling about autocorrect gone wrong. the DEconstruction of the old DOT/Volpe building.

The footprint is close - they could just remove the one story additions and build C1, but now you're removing the old building with a new building feet away.

Did some digging, and here's the overlay:

^From posted document: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...368/designreview/sp368_C1design1_20230718.pdf

So, yes, at minimum that low-rise wing will need to be demolished before C1 can be built. However it seems C1 is a good distance from the tower portion.
It is unclear from the phasing descriptions when the totality of old buildings will be deconstructed, but I would suspect we'll see updates here:
https://www.kendallcommonconstruction.com/updates

Also, recall that the reconstructed Fifth Street is going to cut through the site between C1 and the future C2. Shown here it seems they are going to cut in that street (or at least prep for it) within the scope of work of building C1:

^From here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...368/designreview/sp368_C1design2_20230718.pdf

 

[Hufer]

So the "crack/fracture" around a quarter of the building's height is the Go-To feature nowadays...

 

[Wiltonion]

So the "crack/fracture" around a quarter of the building's height is the Go-To feature nowadays...

Much better than alternating windows or floating boxes.