MassMutual | 10 Fan Pier Blvd | Fan Pier Parcel E | Seaport

xec said:
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It's not just another set of lawns. It's a set of lawns plus an esplanade with a killer view of downtown, plus a firepit where people can gather and relax in colder weather, plus a pavilion where you can buy snacks (and pee?), plus steps and a deck from which you get an elevated view of downtown. A lot of those elements would be harder to work into the original plan.
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I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.

It's really the lawns that are a disappointment for me. As you said, no one is mentioning them, it's the view. The way you describe the skyline unfolding along it is nice and I didn't think of it that way before. I must confess I really don't like the view of the city from this location. Boston's peak PoMo stuff is a little too prominent. I'm a sucker for anything along Longfellow or along the Charles in Cambridge in terms of showing off the true gems here. But hey, this damn view is reposted on instagram like mad anyway.

Don't have a specific example in mind to match the conditions, but the Esplanade along the Charles is really the experiential comparison I'm making. A set-back path with landscaping buffering the river and some internal ponds. Pockets and promenades of trees where people cluster and hang out. Less exposed. Seems to frame the views across the river pretty well too.

What we have is fine. Perfectly nice as a public space. It's another hardscaped stretch of waterfront with funky seating.
I find the softer approach more interesting for showing a new way of occupying the coast. Letting the "natural" ecology of the harbor back into the walk instead of exerting the concrete hammer. Would have fit in better with the future climate resilience planning that was released last year. I'd be down with a hybrid of the two, with the promenade arc continuing through, over inlets and more complex landscaping. Less mowed lawn.
 
went for walk yesterday and was impressed with this one...
 

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That 2nd pic really shows how much it helps block the crappy side of 1mpd and draws your eyes to a much nicer building as well.
 
Obviously a moot point in the seaport, but a little more height would've really allowed this design a chance to shine.
 
Each of the five stages of Fan Pier is better than the last.

One Marina Park Drive < Vertex Complex < 22 Liberty < 50 Liberty < MassMutual

Seaport architecture has generally improved over time, but things don't usually work out this neatly!
 
JumboBuc said:
Each of the five stages of Fan Pier is better than the last.

One Marina Park Drive < Vertex Complex < 22 Liberty < 50 Liberty < MassMutual

Seaport architecture has generally improved over time, but things don't usually work out this neatly!
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Also, notice how much better the ICA looks in context with buildings around it. What an improvement from the time it was out there all alone and awkward. The final two pics in DZH22's post #204 above really illustrate how spectacular the overhang, bleachers and boardwalk are when in a dynamic, built up environment.
 
Suffolk 83 said:
That looks like a beautiful building thats been chopped down to its stump
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It’s a beautiful stump adding some much welcomed beauty to a forest of FAA mandated stumps.
 
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I have to say though, the ground level experience in the Seaport is not marred by the stumps. It may even be enhanced, since there seems to be less wind tunnel effect in the Seaport versus near our taller structures Downtown or in Back Bay.
 
It's actually not a stump, it's the top of the tree.
 
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