South End Infill and Small Developments

Bananarama said:
These are a neat modular core formwork that saves a lot of construction time. Instead of building up each wall of formwork piece by piece, those containers are each a full floor that's stacked, rebar run through, then concrete poured down into (between 2 layers of the corrugated metal).

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This is cool to see. The construction industry has been notoriously slow to embrace technology. Hopefully this developer trying this gives them an edge that forces others to react. The regulation changes that allowed 5 over 1s combined with things like this should bring costs down while bringing density up which if combined with zoning changes could seriously have a huge impact.
 
Java King said:
I'm sorry they couldn't save the church building, but this project looks very nice.
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Being from the neighborhood, thumbs up. I really like its orientation towards the park. Not only was it sad when the church was demoed, but it's almost been worse just looking at a big hole in the ground for years.

For those that aren't from there, the park that this abuts is EXCLUSIVELY used by neighborhood folks, and you would be hard pressed to find a white person who lives two blocks away who knows it even exists. "The Villa" doesn't suffer fools lightly. The addition of a community center oriented towards the park will go a long way towards creating a safer, healthier block. Build it ASAP.
 
Equilibria said:
IBA Community Center - seems like a nice project:

Box

bpda.app.box.com bpda.app.box.com

View attachment 18427
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Another angle on universalhub
artsbuilding.jpg

https://www.universalhub.com/2021/group-proposes-four-story-arts-builing-west-newton
 
This feels very banal and underwhelming for the program. Dull massing, cheap-looking slat fenestration. They put all their rendering 'pizzazz' in that garage door yet it'll probably be open for very very rare (in season) events.
 
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Bananarama said:
This feels very banal and underwhelming for the program. Dull massing, cheap-looking slat fenestration. They put all their rendering 'pizzazz' in that garage door yet it'll probably be open for very very rare (in season) events.
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While you have some salient points, I'm not sure you are aware of the "street reality" of the location. It is in all respects in the middle of public housing. Even the brownstones on W. Newton St. on this block are public housing. The last time a new community center was build in the middle of the projects with any thought at all...? Build it.
 
Cortes said:
While you have some salient points, I'm not sure you are aware of the "street reality" of the location. It is in all respects in the middle of public housing. Even the brownstones on W. Newton St. on this block are public housing. The last time a new community center was build in the middle of the projects with any thought at all...? Build it.
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I actually had direct involvement with this project in an earlier form 2 years ago (colors me biased against this one). Our office even has a barren overly detailed site model of it sitting downstairs still lol

But I don't think we have settle for good-enough just because it's in the projects. Good design doesn't have to be expensive. For sure build it, but seems like another missed opportunity.
 
Bananarama said:
I actually had direct involvement with this project in an earlier form 2 years ago (colors me biased against this one). Our office even has a barren overly detailed site model of it sitting downstairs still lol

But I don't think we have settle for good-enough just because it's in the projects. Good design doesn't have to be expensive. For sure build it, but seems like another missed opportunity.
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I'm a bit jealous. If only stupidity (and COVID) hadn't gotten in the way, perhaps you and your firms vision would of been given a broader audience.
When you talk about having a more programmatic, more architecturally distinct structure, (aka a church!) and the idea that it can be done "under budget", I am with you all the way.
 
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Kind of looks more like a government building or Masonic temple than a church to begin with.
 
xec said:
I thought it was going to be a giant teabag dangling down the side. Were there multiple proposals, or was the teabag proposal for another site?
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No, you're correct....a giant tea bag for Tower. Guess they thought twice about the reference.
 
BeeLine said:
Looks to be completed.

IMG_1076 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1080 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1081 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1082 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1083 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr

Surprised they kept the statue. I was expecting something like this
istockphoto-155149468-612x612 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr

Sorry I forgot that this is Boston not Vegas. I think I just had a senior moment.
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There's a similar rebuild of a church/rectory in East Boston on Gove St in East Boston that is going to be really exciting to watch
 
^I remember seeing the martini glass proposal in the Globe but I could be wrong.

If the church in East Boston is Catholic, I won't be excited. I can't stand to see what the poor have worked for and have given to the church turned into mere decorations
 
BeeLine said:
Looks to be completed.

IMG_1076 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1080 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1081 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1082 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr
IMG_1083 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr

Surprised they kept the statue. I was expecting something like this
istockphoto-155149468-612x612 by Bos Beeline, on Flickr

Sorry I forgot that this is Boston not Vegas. I think I just had a senior moment.
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Church redevelopment done right. Architects: watch and learn.
 
Scott said:
^I remember seeing the martini glass proposal in the Globe but I could be wrong.

If the church in East Boston is Catholic, I won't be excited. I can't stand to see what the poor have worked for and have given to the church turned into mere decorations
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For me personally it is sad to see churches turned into some use other than as a church, but at least this is being restored with architectural integrity, and not being torn down or cannibalized into something beyond recognition.
 
No Charley, I would sincerely rather see them torn down. It reminds me of how relentlessly the good people get screwed. Sorry to derail the thread.
 
Zoning board tells developer to try to squeeze at least one 'affordable' unit into proposed South End building
albanystreetrendering.jpg

“The Zoning Board of Appeal, getting a little fed up with nine-unit development proposals that skirt the city minimum for affordable housing, today told a developer who wants to put up a nine-unit building on Albany Street in the South End to try to shrink some of the units so that he can fit in at least one that could be rented or sold as affordable…”
https://www.universalhub.com/2022/zoning-board-tells-developer-try-squeeze-least-one
 
Scott said:
No Charley, I would sincerely rather see them torn down. It reminds me of how relentlessly the good people get screwed. Sorry to derail the thread.
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I get what you're saying, and thanks for clarifying it.
 
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