MIT East Campus - Kendall Square Gateway | Cambridge

Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

DZH22 said:
WHY THE HELL DO THEY INSIST ON DESTROYING EASTGATE?!?!?!?!?!
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If you read the documentation (which may not be released widely yet), they don't take it down until they match the beds in new construction.

Or are you attached to the architecture?
 
Re: MIT East Campus/Kendall Square Gateway

Equilibria said:
If you read the documentation (which may not be released widely yet), they don't take it down until they match the beds in new construction.

Or are you attached to the architecture?
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I am a skyline guy. This is essentially the tallest, skinniest building in Kendall. Part of it is also nostalgia from noticing this building years ago. (used to park at Galleria for 4th of July) This building "soars" in a way that other Cambridge buildings do not.

The other point is that, just because part of the plan is to add graduate student housing across the street, they still don't have enough student housing to meet demand! They should keep this and build around it.
 
Agreed. Ugly, sure. Should it be knocked down, absolutely not. Build around it at the base. And, still build the new housing.

The rest of the plan is pretty solid and a positive for the area.

Confused how MIT would be considered a wild card for Volpe. I'd call them the hands down favorite.
 
What is their reasoning for taking down Eastgate? If it's just "better design" that sounds wasteful and egotistical. Given what just happened to Bexely nobody should be giving MIT any benefit of the doubt when it comes to architecture/planning.
 
SeamusMcFly said:
Confused how MIT would be considered a wild card for Volpe. I'd call them the hands down favorite.
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They'd have to respond to the RFQ, first, and it might be that the specs in the RFQ would be such that they would have to partner.
 
In 1993-95, Harvard spent $22 million in repairs on Peabody Terrace. About the same vintage as Eastgate. Harvard has been back repairing Peabody Terrace for several years now; wprk is still underway. It seems that Harvard incurs huge repairs bills for this project every 25-30 years. Perhaps MIT faces a similar choice, particularly if there have been no major renovations/repairs over the decades since Eastgate was built.
 
SeamusMcFly said:
Agreed. Ugly, sure. Should it be knocked down, absolutely not. Build around it at the base. And, still build the new housing.
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Funny. To me East Gate is probably a bit more attractive than the BU Law Tower which is getting a complete renovation to some moderate praise. Actually, I go far as to say East Gate is a nicer looking building than 2/3s of the high rises in Boston.

New Windows, Clean the concrete and a complete refurb and East Gate would be a fine tower once more.
800px-Eastgate%2C_MIT_-_IMG_8409.JPG
 
I seem to recall something about the need for all new systems in Eastgate, to be upgraded in very hard to reach concrete raceways (kind of like what happened at the Harbor Towers). $$$$
 
Jeff is right; many of these brutalist buildings were built at a time when energy was dirt cheap so efficiency wasn't even considered.
 
Sert designed Peabody Terrace, which is perhaps why Harvard invests so much in repairs.
 
If they knock down East Gate, that would be a travest ... wait! Ippudo Ramen?!!! Paging J. Derenzo. J. Derenzo, please report to Kendall Square.
 
To me East Gate is probably a bit more attractive than the BU Law Tower which is getting a complete renovation to some moderate praise.
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Whoa, gotta disagree with you there. The BU Law Tower to me is so much more interesting visually and actually responds to its context on the Charles.
 
Galactic said:
Whoa, gotta disagree with you there. The BU Law Tower to me is so much more interesting visually and actually responds to its context on the Charles.
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To each their own. I like the BU law tower a bit more after the renovation
 
Time for a major update on MIT's plans for Kendall Sq.
http://news.mit.edu/2016/mit-presents-updated-kendall-square-initiative-plan-city-cambridge-0107
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/KendallSitePlan.pdf

MIT just presented revised plans to Cambridge and they received a positive reception
a substantial amount of information with many renderings, studies of traffic, etc. are available at the following URLs:
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/...documents/MIT_PUDPlanBoardSoMa_20160105-1.pdf
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/MIT_PUDPlanBoardSoMa_20160105-2.pdf

Planning map with buildings numbered for reference
campus_image_0.png

Here are couple of the renderings:
  • Site L – Elkus|Manfredi Architects will design the building at Site L, which will be a high-rise residential building with ground floor retail space. Design: Elkus|Manfredi Architects. Rendering: By-Encore
    MIT-Kendall-Sq-01_0.jpg
  • Site O –NADAAA (design architect) and Perkins+Will (architect of record) will serve as the design team for the building at Site O, which will include graduate student housing, a child-care facility, academic space, and retail space on the ground floor.Design and rendering: NADAAA, Inc.
    MIT-Kendall-Sq-02.jpg
  • Site N –Perkins+Will will design the building at Site N, which will be a high-rise commercial office/lab facility designed to provide space for science and technology companies seeking to locate or expand in the innovation cluster around MIT.
  • Site P –Weiss/Manfredi will design the facility at Site P, which is a commercial office building that will include space for the MIT Museum on two of the lower floors, as well as ground floor retail space.
  • Site Q – The area designated as Q represents open space and underground parking.
  • Site S –nARCHITECTS will design the small building at Site S, which will include office space and ground floor retail.
 
Yesssss, been waiting for news on this.

If this and Volpe all occur within the next 2 to 5 years Kendall is going to be one of hell of a construction site.

Any ideas how the parcel M building will be built? Demolition of the existing tower (Can we get a wicked awesome implosion pretty please?!) or are they going to just attach a new building to the existing structure?
 
whighlander said:
Time for a major update on MIT's plans for Kendall Sq.
http://news.mit.edu/2016/mit-presents-updated-kendall-square-initiative-plan-city-cambridge-0107
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/KendallSitePlan.pdf

MIT just presented revised plans to Cambridge and they received a positive reception
a substantial amount of information with many renderings, studies of traffic, etc. are available at the following URLs:
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/...documents/MIT_PUDPlanBoardSoMa_20160105-1.pdf
http://kendallsquare.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/MIT_PUDPlanBoardSoMa_20160105-2.pdf

Planning map with buildings numbered for reference
campus_image_0.png

Here are couple of the renderings:
  • Site L – Elkus|Manfredi Architects will design the building at Site L, which will be a high-rise residential building with ground floor retail space. Design: Elkus|Manfredi Architects. Rendering: By-Encore
    MIT-Kendall-Sq-01_0.jpg
  • Site O –NADAAA (design architect) and Perkins+Will (architect of record) will serve as the design team for the building at Site O, which will include graduate student housing, a child-care facility, academic space, and retail space on the ground floor.Design and rendering: NADAAA, Inc.
    MIT-Kendall-Sq-02.jpg
  • Site N –Perkins+Will will design the building at Site N, which will be a high-rise commercial office/lab facility designed to provide space for science and technology companies seeking to locate or expand in the innovation cluster around MIT.
  • Site P –Weiss/Manfredi will design the facility at Site P, which is a commercial office building that will include space for the MIT Museum on two of the lower floors, as well as ground floor retail space.
  • Site Q – The area designated as Q represents open space and underground parking.
  • Site S –nARCHITECTS will design the small building at Site S, which will include office space and ground floor retail.
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I find the cantilevered buildings visually quite disturbing and not in an interesting way. More in a 'hey I don't want to go anywhere near that building that looks like it should fall down' sort of way. I mean intellectually yes I find it interesting that cantilevered buildings can be engineered, but just because they can doesn't mean they should.

Other than a few silly buildings, I am looking forward to Kendall Square being a lot more interesting. Kendell never quite feels as contextually rich as a major center for technology should.
 
Looks like a 330', 280', and a couple in the 230'-240' range. Good scale, including a new tallest for Kendall which eases the pain from the demolishing of East Gate. (which looks like it's still happening? The view from Storrow Lagoon seems to be a mistake compared to the rest of visuals)
 
In all reality because of how tall buildings are constructed in some cases the floors are essentially cantilevered anyways. For example when the structures main support is the core or sometimes the core and perimeter columns or super columns creating a cantilever can be as simple as not building the facade down to the base of the building and instead simply pulling it back a little. This is not true in all cases but from what I understand and if I am wrong someone please correct me adding a cantilever like the one on the building designed for site O would be relatively simple. I can understand how it might seem precarious but it is not any more dangerous than any other high rise.
 
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