Northeastern eyes dorms

[Y-bot]

Probably in the witness protection program by now.

 

[archcritic]

It's Kyu Sung Woo. The color choices are really unfortunate; I don't know what they were thinking. I think that once the curtainwall pieces are complete, the project will appear more unified and we can hopefully look past the bad colors.

 

[cden4]

Did they change the color choices or am I missing something?

Renderings:

 

[kz1000ps]

Yeah they changed it up, probably figuring it would be too much leaving it all white/light grey. But considering that I find the white to be much better than the red/orange parts, I'd have to say it was a bad decision.

About Kyu Sung Woo, he did NU's Behrakis Health Sciences building and the dorm immediately to the west, which are both pretty nice. Go here for info and pics: http://www.schooldesigns.com/ResultsDetail.asp?id=1787
He's also doing Harvard's graduate housing over on Memorial Dr. at Western Ave, which is alright. This one though, I'm trying very hard (and failing) to find any redeeming value to it.

 

[BarbaricManchurian]

It's densifying that part of Boston nicely, but of course the colors and panel quality are autrocious.

 

[InTheHood]

Flat awful. There is nowhere near enough good in the Lego-set massing to offset not just the terrible and mismatched color but also the crappy materials, the '86 Hyundai panel fit, and the general air of "I was built on a tight budget." What, exactly, is cutting edge here? The pop-outs and pop-ins? The window spacing? The use of cheesy precast for the only surface detailing? Every element has been done a thousand times before, more effectively ... this is reactionary modernism, a backward-looking attempt to return to the era when you needed to "get it" to appreciate it. '70s feel indeed.

This might be forgiveable, if unwelcome, on the edges of Harvard, but here it's horrifying in context. This area begs for not just density but also some visual spark and lightness - architecture that surprises and invites up-close inspection of details, not massing best appreciated from a (presumably locked) car at 30 miles per hour. So yes, I'd much, much rather have seen some elements of PoMo frippery or neo-Georgian or neo-Gothic campus or almost anything other than this on Columbus Avenue.

Are the neighbors supposed to enjoy a wink and nudge "aha" because Northeastern threw up what appears to be a massive homage to the architecture of mid-century housing projects on the edge of Roxbury? When the "friendly" and far more expensive-looking new buildings are on the rich side of the campus? And if it looks this bad now, wait until it ages. Methunion Manor-as-dorm.

 

[mdd]

From across the river these buildings look pretty nice. i almost wish they would keep the yellow insulation pannels, it adds a different flavor to the skyline. I took this photo from my office window in Kendall Sq. The building looks so small, where in reality where they are pretty massive buildings.

 

[mdd]

I wonder if the roof of the middle connecter building, between the towers will have a roof garden?

 

[castevens]

I doubt it, there's a big steel structure on top of it housing a bunch of equipment. Also, if they have enough money for a roof garden, I'd much rather they scratch the garden and improve the current design. but it's a little late for that anyway

 

[tommym96]

when you get off the Fenway exit from Storrow, you can really see these(this?) "soar"

 

[Lrfox]

^let me correct you quickly, *"sore"

 

[dshoost88]

I took a walk earlier and snapped these photos of Parcel 18. Before you guys condemn how the building looks, take a walk to the building and look at it a bit closer. I'm very impressed with it, personally, as are my classmates. The adobe color scheme on the west tower really doesn't look half bad when you stand next to it.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

I took a walk earlier and snapped these photos of Parcel 18. Before you guys condemn how the building looks, take a walk to the building and look at it a bit closer. I'm very impressed with it, personally, as are my classmates. The adobe color scheme on the west tower really doesn't look half bad when you stand next to it.

Having done this my stance on this building only intensified. This is just another way Northeastern shows its scorn for Roxbury.

 

[Lurker]

That area was a wasteland until about 2000, and is now far better off thanks to NU's development. That portion of Roxbury views Northeastern University, and to a lesser extent neighboring Wentworth Institute, as cows to be milked for every dollar and political concession they than can get. Additionally several landlords on Mission Hill are also actively and underhandedly sabotaging community meetings by trying to block the development of dormitories at both institutions. (Edit: I probably should admit I do own a property on Parker Hill, but I'm not against dormitory construction)

The CDCs and politicians in that part of Roxbury have accomplished nothing since the 1970s to revitalize that area. The long running disaster and graft involved with the 'revitalization' of Dudley Square and Melena Cass Blvd, gives you an idea of what dolts are mucking up the process. The only developments besides NU were the crummy Tip O'Neil building style office space for the RMV and the Boston Police box, both non local initiatives. NU shouldn't be criticized for developing their own property to their fullest benefit when the neighborhood hasn't been capable of building anything successfully themselves. It often seems that those who complain about institutional developments view 'respect' and 'consent' as cash handouts for their own pet projects.

However, I must agree that the Ruggles Square facade is rather soviet. The color of the red panels should not have been accepted and the execution of the window frames with the color film on the hopper units is sophomoric.

 

[kz1000ps]

I've stood right next to it many times, and -- I've said this before but I'll say it again -- it looks like complete rubbish. It's up close and in person when the concrete panels look their worst.

 

[TomOfBoston]

I get the feeling that if Harvard or MIT were building this building, it would get much kinder reviews. Not that I love this building, especially not the reddish facade, but there has been a lot worse built on campuses in the Boston area in recent years.

 

[kz1000ps]

Tom, coincidentally enough Harvard is currently building a graduate housing complex partly designed by the same architect (Kyu Sung Woo) as this beast. One building is ok, the other (the white one) is rubbish. And although not as many ArchBostoners have railed against it, I believe that's solely because it's nowhere near as massive as this one.

You can check them out in the "Harvard - Allston Complex" thread. Scroll down to post #404, and take note that Woo didn't do the triple deckers, just the larger buildings: http://www.archboston.org/community/showthread.php?t=1445&page=41

 

[tocoto]

^^^ Especially when one considers the location of the Harvard building it is not just crummy architecture and shoddy execution it's a real insult to the community - but as you said it's smaller so not so monstrously terrible.

On the other hand, if you consider what the area around the new NEU dorm was like 20 years ago, even the now infamous dorm is an improvement.

 

[TomOfBoston]

I am sure that Northeastern would have preferred to keep building the attractive medium sized dorms it has been building for the past decade. But the university is running out of land and any new land purchase would be met with community outrage. So when they got the go ahead to build on this site, they decided to max out the size of the building. Again, a better facade could have been chosen.

 

[castevens]

and they need to quickly get more students on campus before more of them get murdered off campus...