South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

Why do we think they're opting to not glass-in the entire southern exposure? The wider sides and the Dewey Sq-facing side are receiving their glass treatments at a steady clip...
 
Why do we think they're opting to not glass-in the entire southern exposure? The wider sides and the Dewey Sq-facing side are receiving their glass treatments at a steady clip...
There must be some pretty cold and strong gusts coming into the building too... those gusts in "open" high rises are no joke...
 
These metal forms look like they might be the first step in reshaping the arches to be more in line with the rendering.

20240227_092903.jpg


DBOX_HINES_BSS_08_Station_Concourse_Final.jpg
 
I noticed a tower clearly under construction while driving on Washington St by the top of the hill (headed inbound, toward Rozzie Sq--where you get a great view of the skyline). I think it was this tower, but trying to figure out if the view ought to be blocked from there or not. I think you're basically facing the South End, so nothing big in between. Anyway, if so, a nice addition from that angle.
 
I noticed a tower clearly under construction while driving on Washington St by the top of the hill (headed inbound, toward Rozzie Sq--where you get a great view of the skyline). I think it was this tower, but trying to figure out if the view ought to be blocked from there or not. I think you're basically facing the South End, so nothing big in between. Anyway, if so, a nice addition from that angle.
It can clearly be seen from that Rozzie view.
 
I noticed a tower clearly under construction while driving on Washington St by the top of the hill (headed inbound, toward Rozzie Sq--where you get a great view of the skyline). I think it was this tower, but trying to figure out if the view ought to be blocked from there or not. I think you're basically facing the South End, so nothing big in between. Anyway, if so, a nice addition from that angle.
Yes, I noticed this the other day, too, and was pleasantly surprised. You can see from the attached image that a straight line down Washington from West Roxbury Parkway eventually leads directly to South Station, and it doesn't pass through any other tall buildings along the way. It will definitely be a prominent feature of the Rozzie skyline view.

1709733705224.png
 
Question for someone with concrete arch design experience.

The structural arches appear basically semicircular in design, like Romanesque arches.

The framing now being added will reform the shape into a parabolic arch for the finished look.

What I don't understand is I thought that parabolic is the strongest form of arch. So why aren't the structural arches parabolic in the first place?
 
Question for someone with concrete arch design experience.

The structural arches appear basically semicircular in design, like Romanesque arches.

The framing now being added will reform the shape into a parabolic arch for the finished look.

What I don't understand is I thought that parabolic is the strongest form of arch. So why aren't the structural arches parabolic in the first place?
I am definitely not someone with concrete arch design experience, but I've taken enough engineering classes to have a dangerously under-informed opinion on your question.

My take: the structural arches are not being used as arches in the way you are referring. "Strongest" is too broad a term here. What I mean is, in this case, these concrete arches are not being used to carry a pure vertical load (i.e., coming down from the vertical onto the arch) as historic arches were more intended for. This context is a structural core for a skyscraper, it needs to have other forms of strength other than pure vertical, particularly lateral. The semicircular arch may be more effective in the lateral than a parabolic arch. There probably could be other forms of bracing that would be effective here, but the semicircle was structurally effective while providing the needed clearance for the architectural design (e.g., versus x-bracing or some other form of non-solid bracing that would have defeated the purpose of an open concourse).
 
Question for someone with concrete arch design experience.

The structural arches appear basically semicircular in design, like Romanesque arches.

The framing now being added will reform the shape into a parabolic arch for the finished look.

What I don't understand is I thought that parabolic is the strongest form of arch. So why aren't the structural arches parabolic in the first place?
It's very difficult to build the formwork for parabolic arches.
 

Back
Top