Skanska Office Tower | 380 Stuart Street | Back Bay

The hidden message not so hidden in this paragraph from the EPNF, "We're just doing what everyone else is doing."

(And note, they call the John Hancock Tower "200 Clarendon" b/c, well, that's it's name now.)

The corridor is known as the City’s “high spine” and is home to many mid-rise and high-rise buildings. Figure 1-2 presents the Project Site in the context of the high spine. At the western end of the Stuart Street corridor is the 38-story Boston Marriott Copley Place and the 38-story Westin Hotel at Copley Place; and at the eastern end of the corridor is the 25-story W Boston Hotel and Residences at the corner of Stuart and Tremont streets, and the 29-story Ava Boston residential tower. In between these buildings stand the 33-story Clarendon condominiums and apartments at the corner of Clarendon Street, and the iconic 60-story 200 Clarendon Street, Boston’s tallest building, also at the corner of Clarendon Street. To the west, at the corner of Stuart Street and Trinity Place will be a 33-story mixed-use building located at 40 Trinity Place. At the corner of Berkeley and Stuart streets is the new 23-story Liberty Mutual Home Office building. These buildings vary in character, and contribute in their own way to the existing Back Bay skyline which includes Boston’s tallest and its most iconic buildings. A major new 47-story residential tower by Simon Properties at Copley Place has been approved by the City and is expected to be added to the skyline along the Stuart Street corridor as well.
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Why doesn't the city encourage taller buildings? More square footage equals more taxes. It's not like we can just make more land to build on... build it and lease it!
 
Humorous.

Too bad about another gerbil tube.
 
175 more cars exiting onto Stuart Street at 5:01 pm will be pleasant.
 
That base is in all time worst territory, the crown is corny, and gerbil tubes should be left for atlanta and texas cities. The original crown looked way better. If they kept the original crown and got rid of that atrocious base this would not be half bad, the glass looks pretty good. One thing about Boston is that most buildings dont end up like the render, in most cases this is a bad thing, in this case I could not ask for more.
 
Hutchison said:
It looks like the sad, but possibly less destructive, younger sibling of the walkie talkie tower in London.
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Hmm...a bit. Londoners do love to nickname their tall buildings, so could call this one... 'The Dehumidifier'.

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Overall, big points for something 'different'. I love adding some modern curves to Back Bay. The height... I guess you could go higher but if it did, everyone would scream about obstructing old Hancock weather beacon views. The street level lobby is questionable at this stage - potentially a soulless elevator bank, and the type of spot many other downtown buildings seem to be trying to activate. The streetscape is complete dead zone right now, so I think this ultimately will be a net gain.
 
I'm not in the habit of jumping on here to make negative comments... But that base is terrible. It looks like one of those embarrassing visions of the "future" circa 1960.
 
My java hasn't kicked in yet.

With no desire to derail the thread, would someone post an image or two of noteworthy buildings whose architects integrated a building's ground floor really well into its surroundings? (Looking for something other than "elevators".) Thanks!
 
Count me in the minority that likes this thing. There are borrowed design cues (when are there not?) and the skybridge seems unnecessary, but this thing is handsome. It's a filler building that stands out just enough with it's variations at the top and along the street. It's got good curves. There are far too few curves in Boston.
 
Lrfox said:
Count me in the minority that likes this thing. There are borrowed design cues (when are there not?) and the skybridge seems unnecessary, but this thing is handsome. It's a filler building that stands out just enough with it's variations at the top and along the street. It's got good curves. There are far too few curves in Boston.
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Yep, same here, and I especially like the way it tapers wider toward the upper floors. I suspect this will be another one of the many projects that ArchBoston hates and then loves.
 
I'm more concerned about the gerbil tube across Stuart Street. I understand why JH wants this for employees but it really negatively effects the street.
 
Too much lobby. Much too flashy at the ground level for the Back Bay. And a fucking Gerbil tube to boot.

I like a lot of what is going on with this, but it should have been in the Seaport where a little whimsy would be welcome. This is so grossly out of context at the street.

The top, I actually quite like. Even for the Back Bay. The rendering from the Common looks pretty nice. If this were boxy it would be atrocious, but I think there is just enough in the curves to transform the top from "boring" into "handsome" without tipping over into "gaudy"
 
Cool building but wrong context. Also, the street level interaction is terrible. Why can't the cafe/retail space open up directly onto the street? It could have entrances from the lobby inside as well. And yes, it needs to be taller.
 
Tower is OK but too short.

Base is a hideous 1960's rip off of a terrible architectural period. It looks like one of those ugly corporate campuses from Northern New Jersey.
 
I'd say the height is probably about as high as you'd want to go here. Anything more and you'd overshadow the Old Hancock as well as block the weather beacon from the south.
 
It's glass.....modern looking so that's a good thing, imo. Too bad it's not going to be 175-250 feet taller.....
 
But why can't the old Hancock be overshadowed. 200 Clarendon overshadows the old Hancock building and no one seems to mind so why can't this one. I don't see the logic. Plus it would be a way for them to announce how confident the company is even if the top was just residential or something it would still be a way for the company to say "look how successful we are".
 
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