Rose Kennedy Greenway

[dirtywater]

Statler beat me to it, but not by much.

 

[Padre Mike]

I've got to say the Mass. Hort. parcels have filled in beautifully. As botanical gardens with lots of flower variety, they are very successful and I suspect they'll get even better with time. Too bad the street edges do not foster much foot traffic, but hopefully, with the completion of Russia Wharf, the parcels will be used for lunch-hour picnicking.

 

[Bubbybu]

The new sculpture is very nice....

for what it is though there should really more than just one of em...

it seems more geared to be part of an array or it should placed in a more prominent area....right now it's nestled in between a circle of trees in the middle of a tiny hillock

but all in all I like it!

 

[Boston02124]

where's the new sclupture? yesterday while sitting in traffic

 

[KentXie]

where's the new sclupture? yesterday while sitting in traffic

That's odd. I remember last week the carousel disappeared. I guess it's back now. Maybe it went under maintenance?

 

[Bubbybu]

new sculpture is across from the Harbor Hotel

it looks like this....

 

[Shepard]

new sculpture is across from the Harbor Hotel

it looks like this....

What! Nooo, you must be confused. By the looks of that setting, the photo is taken at Mass Horticultural Society's Wellesley campus at Elm Bank, right? ...Right??

 

[statler]

That was the promo pic taken before it was installed on the Greenway.

 

[Shepard]

<Sigh of relief>

 

[dirtywater]

That's odd. I remember last week the carousel disappeared. I guess it's back now. Maybe it went under maintenance?

I was walking by last week when I saw them taking the carousel down, or so I thought. When I asked one of the guys working on it why they were taking it down, he told ne they were actually putting it up. According to him, they had decided to replace the carousel that had been there with a better one.

 

[Bubbybu]

the one there now seems to be a heck of a lot faster....

 

[KentXie]

the one there now seems to be a heck of a lot faster....

And I lot more squeakier. I can hear it before I see it from Faneuil Hall. Maybe they should oil it up a bit?

 

[tobyjug]

 

[Patriots_1228]

Why have they not yet renamed the federal bank reserve "R2D2" or "Transformer Tower".

 

[Meadowhawk]

Why have they not yet renamed the federal bank reserve "R2D2" or "Transformer Tower".

Or how about "Washboard Annie"

 

[AmericanFolkLegend]

Some locals do call it the Venetian Blinds Building.

 

[kennedy]

If this has already been posted, forgive me. From SHIFTboston.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Giving the Greenway What it Needs: A Bold and Innovative Sense of Place. The Rose Kennedy Greenway Design Panel for Interim Programming.

In an effort to examine the long-term use of the Greenway, the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy asked architect Brian Healy and designer Ed Schlossberg to chair a diverse panel of experts to make recommendations for a temporary framework for activating Greenway Parcels 19, 21, and 22.
These recommendations included a series of temporary pavilions to occupy three large parcels of the Rose Kennedy Greenway directly adjacent to Dewey Square and South Station. Through this Interim Learning Project, or public use study, these pavilions would be constructed and left in place for five years to test a range of activities. It is an opportunity for the Greenway Conservancy and the City of Boston to gather feedback on how the public might prefer to use the Greenway. It will determine which activities will work and which will not, generating critical information for planning the future of the Greenway.

These temporary installations have been designed with sustainability in mind. They are made of lightweight modular component structures that can be removed and reassembled in another location after their time on the Greenway. They also incorporate renewable energy sources and recycled materials. The design recommendation is comprised of three distinct components or kit-of-parts: the Bowl, the Center, and the Green. The three areas are strengthened and unified overhead by a lightweight, honeycomb-web canopy made of steel cables and translucent panels. Each area seeks to engage the visitor with different experiences consisting of a wide range of activities and venues during all four seasons - both day and night.

The Canopy:

The Bowl: A four-season amphitheater for public programs and events, games, movies and concerts and ice-skating.

The Center: A temporary pavilion provides an opportunity for visitors to weave through a variety of lightweight intimate interior spaces. It will also serve as a backdrop to outdoor performances.

The Green: An open space lawn are for outdoor events and activities.

Credit: Brian Healy AIA, Brian Healy Architects, Somerville MA
Brian Healy Architects

Related links and articles on the Greenway:
The Greenway Conservancy


Greenway in Need of Density

Greenway Not so Green - Boston.com

How to make the Greenway work - The Boston Globe

 

[KentXie]

That's awesome but we all know that's not going to happen. The NIMBYs are going to complain how an open space is not truly an "open space" if there's a canopy over it.

 

[Beton Brut]

The concept for the canopy is lifted from the Orchid Garden in Medellin, Columbia.

There was a feature on it in ArchRecord over the Winter.

 

[Corey]

I really like it. I think it would bring a lot more life to the area. A key part is:

"Each area seeks to engage the visitor with different experiences consisting of a wide range of activities and venues during all four seasons - both day and night."

Clearly that is what is needed for a vibrant city park, activities. I think it would a good goal to make at least one greenway parcel like New York's Bryant Park.